At Lindow Community Primary School, we are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children means:

• Protecting children from maltreatment;

• Preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development;

• Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care;

• Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

We take our safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously. All staff, governors, and volunteers at Lindow Community Primary School are fully trained in safeguarding procedures and have successfully completed the required Safer Recruitment and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

We work in partnership with children, parents, carers, and external agencies to create a culture of vigilance, openness, and trust where every child feels safe, valued, and supported.

Lindow Community Primary School's Safeguarding Team includes:

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mr Thomas O'Keefe (Headteacher)

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads: Miss Lisa Oakes (Deputy Headteacher), Miss Chloe Smith (SENDCO)

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead for Online Safety: Mr Chris Pearson

Senior Mental Health Lead: Mrs Claire Ormerod

Safeguarding Link Governor: Mrs Hannah Senior

Our approach is guided by the statutory requirements outlined in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and our own Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy with procedures followed laid down by the Cheshire East Safeguarding Team. At Lindow Community Primary School, this policy underpins our commitment to keeping every child safe and promoting their welfare at all times.

The purpose of our policy is to ensure that effective measures are in place to protect children from the risk of harm and that the safety, wellbeing, and best interests of our pupils are at the heart of everything we do.

Our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy ensures that everyone in our school community:

• Understands their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and child protection;

• Knows the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child’s safety or wellbeing;

• Knows where to access further information and guidance about safeguarding;

• Recognises the key indicators of abuse and neglect;

• Fully supports the school’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all pupils;

• Is appointed following the Safer Recruitment process and completes all required safeguarding checks and training.

At Lindow Community Primary School, safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. We work together to maintain a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment where all children can thrive.

We are an Operation Encompass school. Operation Encompass provides school with critical information, through a notification for a child who has witnessed/experienced a domestic abuse incident in their family.  More information can be found by clicking here.

On rare occasions, our concern about a child may mean that we have to consult other agencies. We will ensure that all concerns are discussed with parent/carers first, before any referrals are made, unless we believe that such a move may be contrary to a child’s welfare.

For more information, please see our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy, available on our Policies page.