East Riding of Yorkshire Council
MINUTES of the Meeting of the Safeguarding Committee of the Governing Body of Pollington-Balne CE Primary School held on Monday 10 November 2014 at 6.00 pm.
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P R E S E N T:-
Miss R Ellam, Mrs M Harvey, Mrs D Lewis, MrsHMcNeill
49 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
An apology for absence was received from Mr M Alterskye.
50 ELECTION OF CHAIR
RESOLVED: a) that Mrs Lewis be elected temporary Chair for this meeting;
b) that the election of a Chair for the remainder of the academic year be deferred to the next meeting.
Mrs D Lewis (in the Chair)
51 MINUTES
RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting held on 16 June 2014 be approved and signed by the Chair.
52 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
Physical Restraint Training (Minute 38)
Mrs Harvey reported that the cost of restraint training was £700 for 12 people plus £70 per person thereafter. However, another school had offered to provide two days of training for the cost of a TA and arrangements would be made to take up this offer during the spring term.
53 LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN REPORT
The governors received a report from Mrs McNeill on the looked after children in school, which had already been discussed with Mrs Baker in her role as child protection governor. The governors were pleased to note that, despite having low baseline assessments, these children had settled in well and were making good progress in their social relationships and communication skills.
54 INCLUSION POLICY
The governors considered the school’s inclusion policy.
RESOLVED: that the inclusion policy be approved.
Chair’s Initials
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55 REVISED STAFF CODE OF CONDUCT
The governors considered the school’s revised staff code of conduct.
RESOLVED: that the revised staff code of conduct be approved.
56 KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE IN EDUCATION
The governors received and considered the statutory advice received from the Department for Education on keeping children safe in education, together with a briefing note from the Council’s child protection officer.
RESOLVED: that the guidance be noted and followed in school.
57 ANNUAL CHILD PROTECTION AND SAFEGUARDING REPORT
The governors received the school’s annual child protection and safeguarding report which had already been looked at by Mrs Baker in her role as child protection governor. It was noted that child protection and safeguarding were the first two items discussed at each staff meeting and all safeguarding policies were reviewed annually in the autumn term.
Mrs McNeill reported that the school had now completed three common assessments and that she had been the lead professional at a child protection meeting instigated by the school. The governors were pleased to note that the East Riding social services had been very helpful and it was clarified that the school could still instigate child protection meetings if they involved social services from another local authority.
RESOLVED: that the annual child protection and safeguarding report be noted.
58 INITIAL ALLEGATION ADVICE
The governors received guidance on initial allegation management procedures from the East Riding Safeguarding Children Board.
RESOLVED: that the initial allegation management procedures be adopted in school.
59 OFSTED ‘INSPECTING SAFEGUARDING’
The governors received a copy of the briefing paper provided to Ofsted inspectors on inspecting safeguarding. It was highlighted that the document included reference to the governing body’s responsibility to undertake a review of the school’s single central register, however it was noted that Mr Alterskye had not yet undertaken this year’s check of the register. Once checked by Mr Alterskye, a copy of the register would be forwarded to the Local Authority for confirmation that it met statutory requirements.
RESOLVED: a) that Mrs Lewis email Mr Alterskye to remind him of the need to undertake a check of the single central register;
b) that Mrs Lewis email Mrs Baker to draw her attention to the briefing paper.
Chair’s Initials
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60 FOOD ALLERGENS
The governors were informed that, with effect from 13 December 2014, it would be a legal requirement for the school to inform customers of allergenic ingredients in any food or drink supplied by the school. Mrs Harvey explained that, as part of the catering SLA, this information would be provided for any food supplied via the LA, however there were implications for the school in terms of replacement products, food provided to the pre-school, any food provided at fundraising events or productions and school cooking lessons. All staff must be made aware of the new legislation and know where to find allergen information if asked by parents.
The governors felt that it would be safer to photocopy the allergen information from food wrappers as this would avoid potential human errors in copying information by hand, however Mrs Harvey had been advised by the LA that this was not sufficient and that the information had to be made available in a standardised format. The governors agreed that the photocopying of food wrappers could be used to provide allergen information in the interim if necessary.
It was highlighted that food wrappers would have to be checked every time in case manufacturers had changed recipes and that food provided by the school and pre-school would need to be kept separate in order to identify its origin in the case of an allergy incident.
61 FUTURE MEETINGS
RESOLVED: to confirm the date and time of future meetings:
Monday 9 March 2015 at 6.00 pm
Monday 15 June 2015 at 6.00 pm
Monday 16 November 2015 at 6.00 pm
Chair’s Signature – 9 March 2015