Safeguarding
Our Commitment To Safeguarding
At Lever Edge we are dedicated to ensuring that all pupils are kept safe at all times. We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent, effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support families, children and staff at school. Safeguarding is the responsibility of every single person at Lever Edge Primary Academy - All staff are highly
accountable for keeping all children safe.
However some staff play a key role:
- Mrs Kelly James, Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Mrs Mel Tipping, Deputy Headteacher and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Mrs Carrie Wootton, Assistant Headteacher and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Mrs Jenny Broadhurst, Pastoral Lead and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Mrs Carole Concannon, School Business Manager and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
If you have any concerns at all and wish to talk to someone please come into school and have a chat with any of the above named people.
Safeguarding principles
At Lever Edge Primary Academy the health, safety and well-being of pupils is of paramount concern to us. We listen to our pupils and take seriously what they tell us. Our aim is for children to enjoy their time as pupils in this school. We want to work in partnership with parents to help each child achieve their full potential and make a positive contribution to the world they will be part of in the future.
To promote a safe environment for pupils, our selection and recruitment procedure includes all checks on staff and regular volunteers' suitability, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks, as recommended by Bolton Council as governed by current legislation.
In accordance with our responsibility under section 175/157 of the Education Act 2002 and 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' 2023, we have a Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mrs Kelly James, who is the Headteacher and has received appropriate training for this role (in her absence, Mrs Mel Tipping, Mrs Carrie Wootton, Mrs Jenny Broadhurst and Mrs Carole Concannon are Designated Safeguarding Deputies). It is the Designated Safeguarding Lead's responsibility to ensure that all staff in contact with children receive child protection awareness training on a regular basis.
Occasions do arise when our concern about a student requires us to consult other agencies. Whilst we would always aim to work in partnership with parents there may be exceptions to this when concerns are raised for the protection of a child.
On very rare occasions Social Care, whilst undertaking an investigation under s47 of the Children's Act 1989, may want to speak to a child without a parent's knowledge. This would be a decision made in collaboration with partner agencies and would only be done in situations where a child might be at immediate risk. To gain consent at this point may increase the level of risk to the child or cause evidence of a crime to be lost.
The procedures, which we follow have been laid down by the Local Safeguarding Children's Board, and the school has adopted a Safeguarding Policy in line with this for the safety of all. If you want to know more about our procedures, please speak to the Headteacher, Mrs Kelly James. Our Safeguarding Policy can be found on the Policies page of our website.
Please see below for further information regarding Safeguarding children and young people. You may also find the Policies | Lever Edge Primary Academy and E-safety | Lever Edge Primary Academy section of the website useful.
Our commitment to safeguarding at Lever Edge
Our Early Help Offer
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 states that early help means providing support as soon as a need emerges, at any point in a child’s life, from the early years through to the teenage years.
Lever Edge Primary Academy works to provide Early Help to those children and families in our school community with emerging needs.
Early help is a key element of the work undertaken in school and it helps to provide support to our children and families as soon as a problem emerges.
Where a child or parent would benefit from co-ordinated support from more than one organisation or agency (e.g. education, health, housing, police) a multi-agency early help assessment is undertaken to identify what help the child and family require to prevent needs escalating.
We understand just how complicated family life can be. From time to time, there may be situations where you need some extra help and support.
If things are not right at home, please come and talk to us.
We can help in many ways.
Our Aims
To work to families' strengths... | ...especially those of parents and to take time to understand their needs fully. |
To focus on preventing problems... | ...before they occur and try to offer flexible, responsive support when and where it's required. |
To base all we do on evidence… | ...of both what is needed and of what works and be brave enough to stop things that are wrong. |
Useful Contacts
Families can sometimes need support from a wide range of agencies. We recognise that other agencies will be able to support children and families based on their specialised work. Therefore, our role is often to signpost families to the resources that will best support their needs.
Home – Bolton Safeguarding Children
Domestic Abuse and Violence Support Services - Endeavour (endeavourproject.org.uk)
Relate | The relationship people
Fortalice - Domestic Abuse Charity North West - 01204 365677
Useful Documents