Safeguarding at Osmotherley Primary School
At Osmotherley Primary School 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 demonstrate our commitment to the safety of our children.
We are fortunate to be situated in such a beautiful rural setting, however we must always remember that there are risks and hazards here and it is our duty to ensure that we make our children aware of these and show them how to stay safe.
Osmotherley and the North York Moors attract many visitors so it is normal to see strangers in and around the village. It is important that the children know that strangers are people who we do not know so children should be cautious about talking to them and should never agree to go anywhere with them.
There is a lot of traffic in the village and only the roads in the centre of the village have pavements for pedestrians. Roads around the village are narrow and winding. Cars are permitted to travel fast on these roads so road safety is vitally important for any children who walk, cycle or ride scooters in the area.
Cod Beck reservoir and river are within walking distance of the village so the children need to know about the dangers that water can present and how to keep safe.
Many of our families live on farms and, although children know the hazards and safety rules of their own home environments, it is very important that children who go home with them to play are also aware of potential risks, e.g. farm machinery, firearms, or inquisitive cattle.
It is an awareness of these contextual safeguarding issues that we are keen to share with our children.
All staff at school are well-trained and senior leaders in school take on very important roles. Miss Jane Bamber is our named Designated Senior Lead (DSL) for child protection and she is supported by Miss Rachel Arnold who is our trained our deputy designated lead (DDSL) for child protection.
Mrs Alison Holland is our named Governor for Safeguarding and Child Protection.
If you have any safeguarding concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch:jbamber.osmotherley@ycatschools.co.uk
Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP)
We also work closely with our children and parents to keep our children safe online. Our curriculum includes computing and PSHE which explore and educate our children on how to stay safe online in an age appropriate way. In these lessons we discuss social media, online gaming and online bullying. If children want to find out more they can click on the links below: For online help click here!
https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/
Information for 4 to 7 year olds https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/4_7/
Information for 8 to 10 year olds
https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/8_10/
Information for 11 to 18 year olds https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/11_18/
For more information about E-safety and to access even more helpful links, click here
E-Safety
Our children are continuously reminded about how to stay safe on the internet and how to seek help and advice if they require it. The following links will help both parents and children with e-safety advice and guidance.
The online world is rapidly developing and many of our children now have access to devices which enable them to connect to the internet, take images or video and communicate with others. While it is important not to obstruct them from developing skills from using these devices, it is essential that parents support their children in navigating the online world
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_2025 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 a lot of time teaching our children how to stay safe online and teach them about local contextual issues such as water safety, road safety, farm safety and strangers. 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:
Osmotherley Primary School Child Protection Policy-2025-26
Health and Safety is a priority at school. 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, manual 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 administrator, monitored by the governing body and assessed for effectiveness by the Local Authority. Mr Simon Pollitt is our named Health and Safety Governor. North Yorkshire Council provide us with an LA HandS adviser.
For more details, please see our policies page.
Risk Assessments play an integral part of everyday life at school. 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.
For a more comprehensive list of policies, please visit our Policy Page.
Every two years schools have to complete a robust safeguarding audit.