Safeguarding in our federation
At Darley and Summerbridge we understand the importance of keeping children safe and this is at the heart of everything we do. On this page you will find a range of important safeguarding documents and policies that form the core purpose of our school.Our simple yet effective ethos of ‘keep me safe, make me happy, help me learn‘ is reflected in everything that we do. We recognise that our schools are in the heart of beautiful countryside, but as benign as they may appear, there are hidden dangers all around us. The River Nidd, busy, (and often narrow) country roads, farm safety, fields full of inquisitive cattle and local landmarks such as Brimham Rocks all contribute to us developing a wider understanding of contextual safeguarding issues that we are keen to share with our children.
As a federation we are well-trained and well resourced as a staff with senior leaders in school taking on very important roles. Mr Nick Coates is our named Designated Senior Person (DSP) for child protection within the schools. He is ably supported by numerous colleagues: Mr Peter Corner is the named Deputy Designated Senior Person (DDSP) at Summerbridge and Mr Andy Howarth is the named Deputy Designated Senior Person at Darley. Mrs Kate Milne is the DSP for Nursery and Mrs Vicky Pigg is the DDSP for Nursery at Summerbridge and Mrs Sarah Robson is the named DDSP at Darley. Mrs Kate Milne is our named Governor for Safeguarding and Child Protection.
If you have any safeguarding concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch:
ncoates.darley@ycatschools.co.uk
01423 780234 (Darley) 01423 780446 (Summerbridge)
Broadly speaking we split safeguarding into three areas: Child Protection, Health and Safety and Risk Assessments.
Child Protection is exactly what it says – it is protecting children from harm whether that be in or out of school. We follow guidelines set out in the Keeping children_safe_in_education_2024 Document and all staff and governors keep up to date with current legislation. There are many aspects to child protection but key areas that staff are trained to be vigilant for are: physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse and neglect. We also spend alot of time teaching our children how to stay safe online and teach them about local contextual issues such as farm safety, water safety and county lines. If any member of staff has a concern or a child makes a disclosure, an immediate response is initiated and that concern remains ‘live’ until it is resolved. Outside agencies are used to support this process so that the safest outcome for the child is achieved. Click on the policies below to see in more detail how our federation works:
Health and Safety is a priority within the schools. Designated, trained members of staff conduct regular checks on aspects of health and safety such as asbestos checks, legionella checks, fire drills, emergency lighting, lockdown drills, working from heights, manaul handling, first aid provision, lone working, response to emergencies, safe recruitment and the handling of medical conditions. This area is managed day to day by the headteacher and office staff, monitored by the federation governing body and assessed for effectiveness by the Local Authority. Mrs Kate Milne is our named Health and Safety Governor. North Yorkshire Council provide us with an LA HandS adviser.
Click on the policies below to see in more detail how our federation works:
Risk Assessments play an integral part of everyday life and here at school we are no different. We have two sets of risk assessments: on-site risk assessments and off-site risk assessments. Staff assess any form of risk to the children in order to keep them safe from harm and the measures that are put in place to do that are recorded and retained in the school offices. Most risk assessments are reviewed annually but sometimes we have to make adjustments depending on the activities that we choose to do. We include the children when we can in the identification of risks so that they are encouraged to become an integral part of the risk assessment process. Click on the risk assessments below for an example of how we complete onsite and offsite risk assessments:
For a more comprehensive list of policies, please visit our Policy Page.
Every two years schools have to complete a robust safeguarding audit. Please click on the links below to access our schools’ audits.
NYSCP School Safeguarding Audit Darley (2023 – 2025)
NYSCP School Safeguarding Audit Summerbridge (2023 – 2025)
Safeguarding Annual Report to the Gov Body 2024