Notre Dame Catholic primary is a small, one-form entry school in Woolwich, south-east London. It’s a school where protecting its pupils, and others, from harm is fundamental to its philosophy.
To this end, it has been supporting the NSPCC through fundraising activities and by taking part in the charity’s safeguarding programme, which includes videos presented by Ant and Dec, age-appropriate assemblies and workshops for parents.
According to NSPCC estimates, half a million children in the UK suffer abuse each year, equivalent to seven children in a typical classroom experiencing abuse before they turn 18. In schools, says Caroline Naylor, Notre Dame’s assistant head and year 6 teacher, keeping children safe is a priority that “supersedes everything else”. At Notre Dame, her colleagues, teaching and non-teaching, all receive regular safeguarding training.
For the children, relationship and health education (RHE) classes highlight important messages – that their body belongs to them, and that they have the right to say no to any unwelcome touching. “It’s about giving the children an understanding that they are allowed to say no to anybody if they feel uncomfortable or they feel it’s not right,” says Naylor.
A key plank in the school’s safeguarding strategy for the past six years has been to hold annual Speak out Stay safe assemblies: one for the key stage 1 children, aged five to seven, and one for key stage 2 children, aged seven to 11.
Speak out Stay safe is an NSPCC safeguarding programme that enables schools to help children understand what abuse is, how to recognise it and where to seek help if they need it. At the assemblies, the children hear from NSPCC volunteers in person, and watch age-appropriate videos presented by Ant and Dec – a 20-minute video for the younger children, and a 30-minute one for the older group.
“With the younger children it’s about what makes you sad, talking about who’s a safe adult, and then in key stage 2, it talks about different types of abuse, and that it’s OK to say no,” says Naylor. After the assembly, staff hold workshops with the children to discuss the issues further, using NSPCC materials such as posters, stickers and suggested activities to aid the conversations.
The programme has enabled children to feel confident speaking to an adult if they feel unsafe, says Naylor. “We do have children coming to talk – children will come and say: ‘Can I have a quiet word with you?’”
Naylor emphasises that the children are all aware of where to turn if they need to discuss their fears or concerns: “If you ask any child in our school who they can talk to, they all say ‘a safe adult’. And if you ask them who a safe adult is, they’re all able to tell you, even the younger ones.” The children also know that if they have no adult they feel comfortable talking to, they can call the Childline number, which is advertised on posters dotted around the school.
Increasingly, keeping children safe means being aware of the material they are being exposed to online. Even in primary school, says Naylor, year 5 and 6 children are using iPhones or smartphones. Earlier this year, the NSPCC came to Notre Dame and ran its Keeping Children Safe Online workshop for parents, which attracted a high turnout and “really good feedback”. It looked at the different apps that children are able to access and how parents can monitor the way their children are using their phones by implementing controls. Before the workshop, for example, many parents were unaware that some apps have minimum age limits – WhatsApp has a minimum age of 16, for example, while TikTok has a minimum age of 13.
This year, Notre Dame features in the promotional video for the NSPCC’s Childhood Day – the charity’s major fundraising day – on 9 June. The day involves a series of activities in which communities around the country come together to raise money for the NSPCC and its mission to help bring an end to child abuse. This year the Notre Dame children will participate in the Childhood Day Mile, in which they are sponsored for covering a distance of a mile in any way they choose. “Walk a mile, dance a mile, hula hoop a mile, play football a mile, walk backwards a mile, anything fun like that,” says Naylor.
Last year, for the Big Breaktime challenge on Childhood Day, in which families made a donation so the children could have a longer breaktime, the children raised £180. The fundraising chimes with the ethos of the school, adds Naylor.
“It’s really important that these children use the values of the school – helping others, looking out for others and just giving whatever you can. It doesn’t matter how small the amount is, you’re giving something,” she says.
The partnership with the NSPCC is now an established part of the school’s safeguarding approach, and the Speak out Stay safe assemblies will remain an important part of the school calendar, says Naylor.
“We just keep repeating that to the children every year, to remind them about how they all have a right to be safe.”
Childhood Day is a day that brings everyone in the UK together to have fun and help protect children. Whether you join the Childhood Day Mile, volunteer or donate – we need everyone to play their part.
