A SCHOOL has overhauled its checking procedures for new employees.

Ofsted has given Stoneyholme Community Primary School, in Burnley, the all-clear after safety concerns were raised.

The inspection was sparked by an incident last year which the school said led them to strengthen safety policies.

However, neither the school, Lancashire County Council nor Ofsted would reveal what the incident related to.

Ofsted said their report concluded that safeguarding arrangements were now adequate, following the appointment of a special child protection staff member.

Lancashire County Council also intervened to review procedures for checking adults who are appointed to the school.

In her report inspector Joanne Olsson said children at the school feel safe.

She added: “I scrutinised a range of documents, including the single central record, the child protection policy, behaviour logs and attendance data to evaluate the effectiveness of keeping pupils safe.

“I also chatted informally to adults, other than teachers, to check how well they understood their role.”

She said that the school had ‘responded appropriately’ to a serious incident last year and used the experience to reconsider procedures.

She added: “Senior leaders have refreshed training on the Government’s guidelines when appointing new staff.

“Almost a third of your governing body are also trained in this area so there is a pool of expertise to make the right decisions.

“Risk assessments have been updated to ensure individual pupils are safe when working with adults in specially designed rooms.”

Lisa Davison, head-teacher at Stoneyholme Primary, said: “The inspector liked our ‘Sparkle Box’ into which children put their names if they want to talk to an adult about anything.

“It is heartening to know that our school is a place where children feel safe.”