Safeguarding at The Drive Community Primary School

The education sector has a duty of care for children, young people or vulnerable adults to ensure that those under their care are protected from harm inside and outside of their institutions. Safeguarding is the term used to describe the measures put in place to ensure the protection of health, wellbeing and human rights of individuals under their care.

The Drive Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent, effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support families, children and staff at school. This means that we ensure that everyone working in our school has successfully completed the necessary clearances to enable them to work with children. 

All safeguarding concerns are passed to members of staff who are specifically trained as “Designated Safeguarding Leads” (DSL) within the school. The Safeguarding Team at The Drive Primary School consists of the members of staff:

Mrs R Farren - Head Teacher

Mrs K Cuthbertson - Head Teacher (Acting)

Mrs E Graham - Assistant Head Teacher (Acting)

Mrs E Jackson - Early Years Lead

Concerns

We are alert to the signs of abuse and neglect and follow our procedures to ensure that children receive effective support, protection and justice.

If we have concerns about the safety of any children, we follow the procedures outlined in our Child Protection Policy. This policy explains how we respond to situations or issues when we think a child or children may not be safe. This also includes the procedures our school would follow if we felt a child or children were not safe at home.

All concerns are recorded and shared with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or a member of the Designated Safeguarding Team. A decision is then made on how we will deal with the concern. This would normally involve speaking to parents/carers or people from other agencies such as the Gateshead Attendance Team or social care.

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy 2026-2027