Safeguarding and E-Safety
Children’s safety and welfare is of paramount importance, overriding all other considerations. Schools are legally required to follow set procedures and the LA requires the Head Teacher/Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for Child Protection to report any obvious or suspected cases of child abuse, which includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect. This procedure is intended to protect children at risk. The Child Protection Policy can be downloaded from the Policies section of the website and is also available from the school office on request.
Bitham Brook Primary School also recognises these safeguarding issues: Child-on-child abuse, child sexual exploitation (CSE), child criminal exploitation (CCE), female genital mutilation (FGM), bullying (including cyber), domestic violence, drugs, fabricated or induced illnesses, faith abuse, gangs and youth violence, forced marriage, gender based violence/violence against women and girls, mental health, radicalisation, sexting, trafficking.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for Child Protection is Amy Leighton (Assistant Head Teacher for KS1) and the Deputy (DDSLs) are Sue Wells (Family Link Worker), Carrie Hinder (Assistant Head Teacher for KS1), Nicky Sampson (Assistant Head Teacher for KS2) and Clare Robertson (SENDCO). The school has a Nominated Governor for Safeguarding, Delcey Orchard-Smith.
If you are concerned about the well-being or safety of a particular child, please do not hesitate to contact Amy Leighton or Sue Wells to discuss your concerns further.
Bitham Brook Primary School is committed to ensuring that all staff and adults with responsibility for children's safety and welfare are trained to deal with incidents involving aggressive behaviour and only use physical intervention as a last resort, in line with DFE and LA advice. If used at all, it will be in the context of a respectful, supportive relationship with the pupil and in accordance to the guidance within the Behaviour Policy and the Code of Conduct for Safeguarding of Children, all of which will be available to download from the website. We will aim to ensure minimal risk of injury to pupils and staff.
In the unlikely event of a member of the safeguarding team not being available, please contact Gareth Simons (Head Teacher).
We take the safety of our pupils when using the internet very seriously and ensure that the principles laid down in our E Safety Policy are understood and adhered to by everyone in school.
The below link provides support from the NSPCC for parents regarding online safety, particularly around age appropriateness of certain apps and games:
Stranger Things
Many young people are talking about the popular Netflix series Stranger Things. For awareness, Stranger Things is rated TV‑14, meaning it is not generally suitable for children under 14 without parental guidance. This rating is due to frightening scenes, violence, and mature themes. Although the show features young characters, the storyline becomes darker and more intense as the seasons progress. Later seasons include stronger horror elements, more graphic violence, and emotionally heavy content.
Safer Internet Day 2026- Tuesday 10th February
Safer Internet Day 2026 – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI
This term, our school joined others nationwide to celebrate Safer Internet Day 2026, the largest global online safety campaign. This year's theme, ‘Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI,’ focuses on teaching children and young people the skills to use AI technology safely and responsibly, and highlights available support.
From voice assistants, to chatbots, to algorithms, AI technology is playing an increasingly large role in all our lives. It is important that we find time to discuss these tools and the impact they can have on our own and our families’ online experiences, including:
· the news and content we see,
· the way we work, including using AI for homework or studies,
· and the risk of misuse of AI, for example to create realistic scams or non-consensual nude images.
We encourage you to join us in celebrating by continuing the conversation about AI technology at home. Here are some helpful resources: · You can complete the UK Safer Internet Centre’s interactive quizzes with your child. · Read the UK Safer Internet Centre’s tops tips for parents and carers here. · You can share the UK Safer Internet Centre’s top tips for children and young people with your child.
You may also like to use one of these prompts to start a conversation with your child:
· What’s your favourite thing to do online?
· Have you ever used an AI tool? How did it make you feel?
· What do you like about AI technology?
· Do you have any worries about AI technology?
· What advice would you give to your friends about using AI?
· Who would you talk to if you saw something worrying online?
· What more can I do to help you feel safe online?
A key part of protecting children and young people from online harms is through preventative education. By talking about this in school and at home, we can all work towards keeping children safe when they are online. Celebrating Safer Internet Day is a great opportunity for you to re-emphasise the online safety messages we deliver throughout the year.
If you have any concerns or questions about keeping your child safe online, please do get in touch with your child’s class teacher or phase leader. If you have a safeguarding concern about a child, please email DSL@bithambrook.wilts.sch.uk.
Helpful resources on this topic can be accessed via the following link: https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2026/education-resources
Safer Internet Day 2025- Tuesday 11th February
Safer Internet Day is the UK’s biggest celebration of online safety and Safer Internet Day 2025 took place on Tuesday 11th February with learning based around the theme of “Too Good to be True”. The day focused on the importance of protecting yourself and others from scams online.
Each year group attended an assembly on the topic before completing activities in class designed to help them to understand what sort of online behaviour to look out for and what to do if they think that a situation online is “too good to be true”.
KS1 worked through scenarios around what feelings may compel a person to give away information or money online before learning about which personal information should not be shared and why.
KS2 watched a fun BBC live lesson based around a game in which players must outsmart digital tricksters in order to protect their personal information. They then focused their learning on phone and email scams and learnt about phishing and the ways in which scammers will try to extract personal information.
The children worked through the lessons with great enthusiasm and enjoyed their learning around a very important topic.
There is a ‘Parents and Carers’ section on the website which provides useful information about how you can support your child/ren to stay safe when using different devices.
Another useful website we would recommend is https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/ You will find a wealth of information about internet safety, including short video animations to watch with your child/ren, advice on specific internet safety topics and support for parents to open up conversations about staying safe online.
Additional inks to sites you might want to explore: