St Gregory’s RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy will strive to ensure that all pupils remain safe and free from harm and are committed to playing a full and active part in the Multi-Agency response to Child Protection concerns. It is recognised that Schools and Colleges and their staff are an important part of the wider safeguarding system for children.

The purpose of the Safeguarding page is to ensure that all staff, parents/carers, guardians and the wider community are aware of the arrangements that St Gregory’s RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have in place for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its pupils. It provides guidance to help those who may have concerns about the safety or welfare of a child, and sets out the school’s position in relation to all aspects of the Safeguarding and Child Protection processes.

To view our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy please click here.

Safeguarding Team

Miss R Ashcroft – Safeguarding Lead

Mrs K Watson – Deputy Safeguarding Lead

Mrs C Callow – Deputy Safeguarding Lead

Miss L Boothroyd – Deputy Safeguarding Lead

KCSIE-Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025

Please click here(opens in new tab) to read ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025’.

Operation Encompass

Our school is part of a project that runs in partnership with Bolton Safeguarding Children Partnership and Greater Manchester Police.

The project, Bolton Encompass, has been designed to provide early reporting to schools of any domestic abuse incidents that occur outside of school but which might have an impact on a child attending school the following day. This information will be shared on school days during the school term. When incidents occur on a Friday, Saturday or a Sunday, the police will contact the relevant school the following Monday.

A nominated member of school staff, known as a Key Adult, is appointed to liaise with the police. At St Gregory’s our Key Adults are Mrs Watson and Miss Boothroyd. They will be able to use information that has been shared with them, in confidence, to ensure that the school is able to support children and their families. Information will be shared where it is identified that a child or young person was present, witnessed or was involved in a domestic abuse incident.

We always endeavour to offer the best support possible to our pupils and believe that Bolton Encompass is going to be beneficial and supportive for all concerned children and families

Some information about Encompass is included in this letter but if you would like more information about this initiative, you can contact Miss Boothroyd at school.

Thank you for your continued support

Mrs Watson

Prevent

The Prevent strategy is a key part of the UK government’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, and is focused on preventing individuals from being drawn into terrorism or extremist ideologies. In schools, the Prevent strategy is implemented as part of a broader duty of care, aiming to safeguard children from risks of radicalisation.

At St. Gregory’s, all staff receive annual training so that they are able to recognise the signs of radicalisation or vulnerability to extremist views.

Staff have learned how to identify possible signs such as:

  • sudden changes in behaviour & attitudes
  • expressing extremist or divisive views
  • isolation from peers or withdrawal from school activities
  • accessing or sharing extremist material online

At St. Gregory’s, Prevent principles are integrated into our curriculum, including:

  • Promoting British Values, including democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect for different faiths and beliefs.
  • Critical Thinking Skills: building resilience by encouraging debate, critical thinking, and understanding of different perspectives.
  • Online Safety – teaching our children about the risks of accessing harmful content and promoting safe internet use.

Our Prevent Risk Assessment outlines how the school meets the requirements of the strategy.

Online Safety

While there are huge benefits to being online in order to stay connected to friends and family, it’s important to have regular conversations with your children about staying safe online and encouraging them to talk to you if they see anything worrying.

What harms might my child experience online?

You may have concerns about specific harms that your children experience online including: abuse, criminal exploitation, exposure to radicalising content, consensual and non-consensual sharing of images/videos, cyber-bullying, exposure to age-inappropriate content and harmful content.

Where can I go for help?

These resources will support you to talk to your child about a range of online safety issues, set up home filtering in a child-friendly way and set up age-appropriate parental controls on digital devices:

NSPCC

The following are useful website if you are concerned at all about the safety of a child:

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/(opens in new tab)

https://www.childline.org.uk/