OUR LADY OF LOURDES CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL
MISSING CHILD POLICY
INTRODUCTION
The welfare of all the children at Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School is our paramount responsibility. Every adult who works at the school has been trained to appreciate that he or she has a key responsibility for helping to keep all of the children safe at all times. Our staffing ratios are generous and are deliberately designed to ensure that every child is supervised the whole time that he or she is in our care.
ACTIONS TO BE FOLLOWED BY STAFF IF A CHILD GOES MISSING FROM THE SCHOOL
Our procedures are designed to ensure that a missing child is found and returned to effective supervision as soon as possible.
If a child was found to be missing, we would:
· Check with the school office for any information which may have arisen to explain the child’s absence.
· Take a register in order to ensure that all other children are present.
· Inform the Class teacher, Breakfast/After School Club Coordinator (dependent on where the child is based) and Headteacher or Deputy.
· Open an incident form and record the time. (See Incident Form below.)
· Ask all of the adults and children calmly if they can tell us when they last remember seeing the child. Note any relevant information.
· Occupy all of the other children in their classroom(s) by reading to them.
· Arrange for one or more adults to search everywhere within the Foundation Stage, main school, Breakfast/After School Club, inside and out, carefully checking all spaces, cupboards, washrooms where a small child might hide (see table below; the SLT to coordinate the search).
· Check the doors and gates for signs of entry/exit.
· Check again with the school office for any further information which may have arisen to explain the child’s absence.
Initial search areas for a child reported missing from Our Lady of Lourdes
Primary School.
Area / Searched by / Tick when completed· If the child is not found in the immediate vicinity of the school, a wider search of the school and grounds will be organised and co-ordinated by the DCPO. The School Office will be the base from which the search is coordinated: the grounds staff will assist by use of the two-way radios. This search should be concluded within half an hour of the initial report of absence.
· The DCPO will extract personal files on the child, and a recent photograph, if available.
They will then contact the child’s parents, the Police and the Local Children
Safeguarding to inform them of the situation.
The School will cooperate fully with any Police investigation. The Headteacher will inform the Chair of Governors and also Ofsted in the case of a pupil from Foundation Stage.
ACTIONS TO BE FOLLOWED BY STAFF IF A CHILD GOES MISSING ON AN OUTING
If a child was found to be missing during a school outing, we would:
· Carry out an immediate head count in order to ensure that all the other children are present
· Search the immediate vicinity for the child.
· Contact the Police.
· (If applicable) contact the venue manager and arrange a search.
· Take the remaining children back to school or to a safe place.
· Inform the Headteacher, the DSP or most Senior Teacher present at school by mobile phone.
· Ask the Headteacher or Senior Teacher to ring the child’s parents and explain what has happened, and what steps have been set in motion. Ask them to come to [the venue/the school] at once.
· Inform the Local Children Safeguarding Board. (This is done by the DCPO.)
· Cooperate fully with any Police investigation and any safeguarding investigation by Social Care.
· Inform the Chair of Governors.
· (If the child is part of the Foundation Stage), inform Ofsted.
ACTIONS TO BE FOLLOWED BY STAFF ONCE THE CHILD IS FOUND
· The child should be talked to, taken care of, and comforted if necessary.
· It should be explained again to the other children why they should never leave the premises /separate from a group on an outing.
· The Headteacher or Senior Teacher should speak to the child’s parents to discuss events and give an account of the incident.
· The Headteacher should promise a full investigation (if appropriate involving Social Services/Local Children Safeguarding Board).
· Any media queries should be referred to the Headteacher.
· The investigation of the incident must involve all concerned providing written statements.
· The detailed report should include: time, place, numbers of staff and children, when the child was last seen, what appeared to have happened, [the purpose of the outing], the length of time that the child was missing and how s/he appeared to have gone missing, what lessons may be learned for the future. Procedures should be altered if deemed necessary.
· [If the child is injured] a report under RIDDOR should be made to the HSE.
MISSING PUPIL INCIDENT FORM
Please print all information
Date: ……………………………………………………………………….
Name of missing pupil: …………………………………………………..
Age: ………………………………………………………………………..
Address: …………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
Contact telephone number: ……………………………………………..
Emergency telephone number: …………………………………………
Mobile number: ……………………………………………………………
Class Teacher: ……………………………………………………………
Person reporting missing pupil: ………………………………………...
Time pupil was first missed: ……………………………………………
Place where pupil was last seen: ………………………………………
Apparent reason for disappearance, if known: ………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………..
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Outcome
Pupil found by: …………………………………………………………..
Date & Time: …………………………………………………………….
Full details of location: ………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………..
Visual assessment of pupil’s health and mental state: …………….
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
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Signature of person finding the pupil: ………………………………
Please print name below signature: …………………………………
This policy has been formally adopted by the Governing Body of Our Lad of Lourdes Primary School. It will be reviewed by the Governors and Headteacher in conjunction with the staff two years from the date below.
Signed……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (Chair of Governors)
Date……………………………………………………………………………………….