Safeguarding
If you have a concern about the safety of a child or young person (aged under 18) then you should talk to someone immediately.
You can contact Together for Children - Sunderland - on 0191 5205560 (available 8.30am to 5.00pm Monday - Thursday, 8.30am to 4.30pm Friday); or the Out of Hours Team on 0191 520 5552 (also available 24 hours Saturday and Sunday)
In an emergency always call 999
Areas of Safeguarding
Our safeguarding policies cover all areas of school life and include:
- staff & visitors – ensuring they are vetted, informed & trained;
- children’s behaviour – promoting safer & happier behaviours & lifestyles;
- parents & carers – promoting links & supporting families;
- premises – keeping them safe, pleasant & fit for purpose;
- curriculum – providing positive, life affirming learning experiences;
- outdoor – ensuring safer activities and environments outside school.
Our key safeguarding policies can be found within the policy section of this website.
Key Adults at Ryhope Junior School are:
Mrs F Lynn – Headteacher, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Designated Teacher for Looked-After and Previously Looked-After Children
Mr A Storey – Deputy Headteacher and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs J Thompson – Senior Leader and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Operation Encompass
Ryhope Junior School is an ‘Operation Encompass School’
What is Operation Encompass?
The purpose of Operation Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in a domestic abuse incident. Following an incident at home, children will often arrive at school distressed, upset and unprepared for the day.
Sunderland City Council, Northumbria Police and nominated Key Adults in school will be working together to make sure that school staff are made aware of an incident early enough to support pupils in school.
How will it work?
Schools across Sunderland will nominate two members of staff who will be known as Key Adults. All Key Adults will attend specific training to the role in preparation for Operation Encompass.
Each morning a police officer will review all domestic abuse incidents that occur outside of school but which might have had an impact on a child attending school the following day. Where children were present, witnessed or involved in a domestic abuse incident and aged between 4 and 16 years old, the officer will send this information to the Council’s Initial Contact and Referral Team who will then send this information in a secure format to the named Key Adult in the child’s school. The Key Adult will check their emails every day and the staff in contact with those pupils will then be in an informed position to support them in a way that is right for the child.
This information will be shared on school days during school term and, when incidents occur on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or over a holiday period, the police will contact the Council the following Monday.
For more information about Operation Encompass, please contact your school or visit http://www.operationencompass.org/
Operation Endeavour
This is an innovative project in which schools and colleges in Northumberland are participating, and which is run in partnership with Sunderland Safeguarding Children Partnership and Northumbria Police.
Operation Endeavour, which commenced on 5th November 2019, aims to support children and young people who go missing from home. Children who go missing from home are at risk of significant harm and they may be vulnerable to sexual and/or criminal exploitation, violent crime, gang exploitation, or to drug and alcohol misuse.
As a result, following any report of a child going missing to the Police, the Police will contact Children’s Social Care who will then communicate relevant and necessary information to nominated school staff.
Each school has members of staff (key adults) who have been fully trained in liaising with the Police and Children’s Social Care when required and will ensure that the necessary support is made available to the child or young person following their return.
I believe that this project demonstrates our school’s commitment to working in partnership to safeguard and protect children, and to providing the best possible care and support for our pupils.
In the meantime, if you would like to speak to someone further about the project or require further information please contact our key adults in school who are Mrs Lynn, Mr Walton-Jonas and Mrs Thompson.
Prevent Strategy
As part of the safeguarding culture at Ryhope Junior School we follow the government's Prevent strategy.
From 1 July 2015 all schools are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This duty is known as the Prevent Duty for Schools.
At Ryhope Junior School, we build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling our pupils to challenge extremist views.
All staff have been trained on the Prevent strategy by leading professionals ensuring the school is well prepared to tackle any issues which may arise.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is illegal in England and Wales under the FGM Act 2003 (“the 2003 Act”). It is a form of child abuse and violence against women.
Section 5B of the 2003 Act1 introduces a mandatory reporting duty which requires regulated health and social care professionals and teachers in England and Wales to report ‘known’ cases of FGM in under 18s which they identify in the course of their professional work to the police. The duty came into force on 31 October 2015.
It has been estimated that over 20,000 girls under the age of 15 are at risk of FGM in the UK each year, and that 66,000 women in the UK are living with the consequences of FGM.
As part of our commitment to safeguarding our children all staff have been trained on FGM and how to raise any concerns.
Guidelines on mandatory reporting can be found here.
Staying Safe During the COVID-19 Pandemic
At Ryhope Junior School we strive to ensure that children and families feel safe, calm, connected and hopeful during, and after, the pandemic. The below document is a list of books that can support this.
Links with External Agencies
Because our first concern must be the well-being of your child, there may be occasions when we have to consult other agencies before we contact you. The procedures we have to follow have been laid down in accordance with the local authority’s child protection procedures.
We are fortunate to be supported by a range of external agencies which can be called upon to support the work we do in school. These include School Nurse, Health Practitioners, Educational Psychology, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Behaviour Support, Social Services and Specialists in supporting Special Educational Needs.
Safeguarding Links
Please take a look at these websites where you can find information and other links to safeguarding all children across Sunderland and the UK.
Sunderland Safeguarding Children's Partnership