Ermine Primary Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The school has staff development for educators available to all staff and they are also put through relevant training courses. We actively support the Government’s Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism.
We listen to our pupils and take seriously what they tell us. All school staff are trained in Child Protection, and children are made aware of the adults they can talk to if they have any concerns. Staff are trained to look out for signs of physical/emotional harm or neglect and are required to report these to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Jenna Richards. Sarah Thompson and Freya Speight is Deputy DSL and Safeguarding Support. Andrea Norman is Deputy DSL and Principal.
The Designated teacher for Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children (LAC) is Jenna Richards.
We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection Policy and Safeguarding Policy which is available below. The latest update to the policy was September 2023. These are in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 and Working Together to Safeguarding Children. A copy of Keeping Children safe can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education–2
and is available in 13 languages at The National Grid for Learning – KCSIE Translate (lgfl.net).
Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with his/her parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare.
As a school, we are part of the operation encompass scheme which is run by the police.
If you have any concerns and would like support please speak to staff in school who can arrange for you to speak with Miss Thompson. We can discuss the early help process with you and how the school can best support your family.
If you observe anything that concerns you surrounding the safety of a child outside of school hours, please contact:
Lincolnshire’s Children’s Services on 01522 782111 or 01522 782333 if between 6pm and 8am.
Report a safeguarding concern – Lincolnshire County Council
A number of services are available to support online.
https://www.childline.org.uk/
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/
Photographs and Videos
Whilst lots of parents and carers really enjoy seeing photos and videos of their children’s school life, we are very mindful of our duty of care towards all our pupils. We take the issue of safeguarding very seriously and this includes the use of photographic and video images.
Any photographs or videos taken by parents, carers and relatives at school productions, sports days or other events are for the enjoyment of individual families. They must not be used in any way that could potentially place a child at risk. This would include publishing images in any form of print or on the internet including social networking sites. This is emphasised before concerts and shows etc
Please see below our online safety information and parental guides.
Google Meet Video Calls
A Parent’s Guide to Google Meet
Google Meet is one of the world’s leading video conferencing software and enables users to connect using audio and video calls. We are ensuring that online security measures are in place to keep your child as safe as possible, whilst using Google Meet.
Google Meet is a way for us to communicate with your child and provide online education should it be required.
As a school, we use Google Meet as a way to communicate with the children so that they can see their teachers, teaching assistants and friends and complete their work should remote learning be required. We believe this will be a really nice way to keep in contact with the children, see their faces and help them to remember who we are as well as be taught the curriculum! We may use these calls as an opportunity to clarify any home learning, to share all of your fabulous work, set little challenges/activities during the call and just enjoy seeing all of you. We want this to be a friendly and relaxed way to communicate with your children and bear with us if there are any technical glitches!
Here, you will find some important guidelines and essential requirements for setting up and participating in Google Meet calls. The safety of your children whilst online is paramount to us. By accepting the Google Meet call, you are agreeing to the following and give permission for your child to participate in the call. The following guidelines exist to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your child. Please read through them carefully.
In order to access Google Meet you will need the following essential requirements:
- A compatible laptop or mobile device
- Access to a stable internet connection capable of handling video calling software
- A webcam and microphone (through laptop, ipad or smart phone)
General guidelines:
- An account is required which has been provided by the class teacher. If you are unsure of this contact the school. Should the parent already have a Google Meet account, it must be logged out before the call begins.
- Parents/Guardians and children should not record or screenshot any of the Google Meet calls.
- Nothing should be shared on social media.
- Children must not invite anyone else to the chat.
Guidelines during the call
- A Parent/Guardian must be with their child, in the same room, or close enough to listen, throughout the call.
- The child must be in a communal room (not a bedroom).
- Any personal information must not be visible during the call.
- The child should always be appropriately dressed (not in pyjamas).
- There will be 2 members of school staff on the calls and if this is not the case the call will be recorded and saved to school system. It will not be shared with anyone.
- Sessions will not last longer than needed to allow for siblings to access devices/live sessions.
- A teacher may ‘mute’ you in order to take turns in speaking. Please think about others in your household and what can be heard on the call.
- A timetable is in place for live calls so that parents are aware in advance of when these are happening.
- Be Respectful.
- Lastly the same behaviour expectations that are set within a classroom apply to the Google meet.
Online Safety guides
Safeguarding Newsletters
Useful links to services in Lincolnshire to support families
- Young Carers – https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/support-carers/young-carer-support
- Domestic abuse service – https://edanlincs.org.uk/
- Counselling Service – https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/