Every Child Matters

Why and what? In January 2002 Victoria Climbié was murdered by her carers after a long period of abuse In January 2003 Lord Laming produced his inquiry report The government responded with a document called ‘Keeping Children Safe’ A green paper was produced called ‘Every Child Matters’ in 2003 After extensive consultation with the widest possible range of services and agencies, the Children’s Act of 2004 set out a national programme for change The Act embodies the need for change in the way that all agencies and authorities that care for children in any respect will work together This change puts the focus on local initiatives and a shared vision and programme for change

Every Child Matters ….next Steps Tackling child poverty Ensuring children in disadvantaged areas have the best possible start (Sure Start Children’s Centres) Working to raise Primary and Secondary standards and increase the participation of post 16 learners Improving access to primary health care and specialist services for children Reducing anti-social and offending behaviour Building strong and vibrant communities Agencies working together Which leads us to ask

What do we want for our children? Outcomes For Children 3. Enjoy and Achieve 4.Make a Positive Contribution 5. Achieve Economic Well-Being 1. Be Healthy2. Stay Safe

What do these outcomes mean for the school community? 1. Healthy Choices Physical health PE After school activities What can we do to make our children more active? Mental and Emotional Health R.E. PHSE Are our children happy and confident? Healthy Lifestyles Healthy eating Healthy schools Do our children have a balanced diet? Know about harmful drugs and substances Science Have our children enough knowledge to say no Aware of their changing bodies Sex Education Are our children confident about their bodies?

What do these outcomes mean for the school community? 2. Stay Safe Safe from neglect Pastoral care Are we vigilant as carers? Safe from accidents A safe environment Risk Assessments Is our school a safe place to be? Safe from Bullying School Policies Playground Pals School Council Do children know what to do to keep safe? Safe from crime Behaviour in school Moral well-being Mutual respect Assemblies How do we foster mutual respect and moral well- being? Feel Secure Caring in school School security Do our children feel secure?

What do these outcomes mean for the school community? 3. Enjoy and Achieve To be ready for school Pre-school visits Contacts with parents What do we do to prepare the children? Come and enjoy school Opportunities to be successful How do we know the children like coming to school? Achieve their potential Setting targets Quality teaching and learning Are our standards good enough? Enjoy playing Personal and Social Development How do we teach collaborative and co-operative work and play?

What do these outcomes mean for the school community? 4. Make a Positive Contribution Be involved in Decision – Making School Council Involvement with Church and Community How do we enable our children to become involved? Model Positive Behaviour Set good examples Represent the school How do our children represent the school? Make choices about behaviour Positive choice ethos in the school Do we use the language of choice? Develop Self-Confidence Deal positively with life’s challenges Do we develop the whole child? Be Inspirational Take risks with ideas and challenges Problem Solving Do we encourage our children to develop their own ideas?

What do these outcomes mean for the school community? 5. Economic Well-being To have a say in financial decisions School Council and Fund Raising FSA – support through family members Do we involve our children enough? To have necessary resources School budgeting and Value for Money Do the children have good resources? Is the school budget giving value-for-money? Support for low income families School support when necessary Recognising financial constraints Does the school community help those in need?

What are we doing at White’s Wood Lane? Being Healthy Make sure our children get enough exercise – this means opportunities for all children Provide healthy meals and snacks Make sure they understand about how to be healthy We are about to be accredited for Healthy Schools Award Help our children to make sensible choices about their personal health Make sure children are referred for mental health issues Arrange for parents and children to attend drugs awareness programmes

What are we doing at White’s Wood Lane? Staying Safe We have strong links with many agencies specifically appointed to look after our children’s welfare We are involved in the SEAL project We are constantly reviewing and updating our Health and Safety policies and actions We have a strong Anti-Bullying Policy We have links with the local Community Police Support Officer We foster mutual respect through our school ethos

What are we doing at White’s Wood Lane? Enjoying and Achieving We do our best to make sure every child has equal opportunities to succeed We are committed to quality teaching and learning – we set targets and track progress We are developing the role of play in the children’s school lives – emotional literacy We have good reward systems

What are we doing at White’s Wood Lane? Making a Positive Contribution We have a School Council and a Buddy system We encourage the children to model good behaviour We look for opportunities to represent the School We use the language of choice and encourage children to share and contribute ideas about their School

What are we doing at White’s Wood Lane? Achieving Economic Well-Being We take part in projects that show the children how to deal with money choices We take part in money-raising activities We make sure that the School is well-resourced and that the children understand how they can look after those resources

Every Child Matters Support Services Parents and Carers The Church Community Teachers and Educators Families Health Professionals Governors Outside Agencies - SEN and Social Police and Justice Systems Government and Councils