Safeguarding

Our school takes safeguarding children seriously; providing a safe and secure culture where all voices are heard and listened to. 

Aims:
  • Appropriate action is taken in a timely manner to safeguard and promote children’s welfare
  • All staff are aware of their statutory responsibilities with respect to safeguarding
  • Staff are properly trained in recognising and reporting safeguarding issues

All children have the right to be protected from harm; it is every adult’s responsibility to ensure that children are safe and feel safe in every school across the Trust.

It is our vision that no child should suffer harm, either at home or within our Trust. Child protection and safeguarding a child’s welfare is paramount and we will ensure that sufficient resources are made available from our pastoral teams to ensure the best possible outcome for the children.

We are determined that all children will thrive with ongoing advocacy, planning, support, and commitment no matter what a child’s background is.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

H Mourne – Deputy Headteacher Inclusion

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads

C Ferla - Headteacher

C Beresford – Deputy Headteacher Curriculum

N Heffernan – Wellbeing Coach

Nominated Safeguarding Lead for Trustees

Sue Butterfill

Our Safeguarding policy is available on our policies page. This policy is called the Child Protection Safeguarding Policy. It is reviewed by staff on an annual basis. Here you will also find other policies relating to Safeguarding including the Online Safety Policy.

We will ensure all policies and procedures in respect of safeguarding children are up to date and in line with latest DfE legislation. Policies and procedures are also reviewed and revised by the Trustees on a regular basis.

We follow safer recruitment protocols at every turn. Amongst many procedures in place during the recruitment period, all staff wishing to work or volunteer with us must undergo a DBS check. We meet statutory requirements in relation to Disclosure & Barring Service – all staff and volunteers who work with us who meet the ‘regulated activity test’ (Freedoms Act 2012) are required to undergo an enhanced DBS check prior to employment.

Within the School we have first aid trained staff who are available during the day to attend to pupils who become ill or have an accident.

Parents are asked to provide a daytime telephone number and an alternative emergency contact so that they can be contacted if necessary.

All medicines must be stored safely within the medical room or class medical box and not be kept on the pupil. If medicines need to be administered to a pupil, this must be discussed with the office and adhere to the guidelines set out in our supporting children with medical conditions policy. 

Organisations and charities that can help -

When you call 0800 1111, you’ll get through to a counsellor, they’re there to listen and support you with anything you’d like to talk about.

Childline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So you can talk to them at any time.

https://www.childline.org.uk

With the help of our friendly dinosaur Pantosaurus, PANTS is a simple way to talk to your child about staying safe from sexual abuse. Click here to go to the NSPCC Pants page.

YoungMinds are a charitable organisation who work with the Children and Adolescents Mental Health Service (CAMHS) to provide support, advice and counselling to young people experiencing depression, anxiety, bullying and eating difficulties. They offer a parent helpline for parents and carers worried about their children's mental wellbeing.

You can find a guide to support offered at https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/your-guide-to-support/

Their parental helpline can be reached through 0808 802 5544.

Helping children keep their brains amazing! CUES-Ed is an innovative psycho-education project based in primary schools developed by Clinical Psychologists and CBT therapists from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. To go to their site, click here.

Mind are a nationwide mental health charity who are able to offer information and support for a variety of mental health issues. Working closely with the NHS they have a wide range of resources and information on their website, including an A-Z of Mental Health, advice for helping someone else, guides to support and services and Elefriends - their online community. Everyone is affected by a mental health difficulty at some point in their lifetime and Mind are on hand to help.

Visit their website on https://www.mind.org.uk/

Or call them today on 0300 123 3393 for their info line.

Carers Direct is for anyone who is looking after a family member who is ill or disabled or needs special help. It is part of the NHS website and offers information and advice.

There is a phone number you can call to talk to someone on 0808 802 0202

Or you can visit their website on by clicking here.

Family lives offer a listening and supportive, non-judgemental service for parents. They have a lot of information on their website, including parenting advice videos and forums to chat to other families. They offer online parenting courses too for those wanting to be prepared for parenthood.

You can visit their website on www.familylives.org.uk/how-we-can-help/confidential-helpline  

Alternatively you can call their helpline on 0808 800 2222 for information, advice, guidance and support between 9am-9pm Monday to Friday or 10am-3pm at the weekend.

FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) covers all procedures that intentionally alter/injure the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. All teachers have a mandatory responsibility to report any known case of FGM to the police.

If you believe a child is at risk or has been a victim of FGM then call 01452 426565 or use the NSPCC FGM helpline:

NSPCC FGM Helpline 24 hours Tel: 0800 028 3550

Prevent is designed to support people at risk of joining extremist groups and carrying out terrorist activities.

In practice it aims for police and other organisations to build relations across the UK and requires faith leaders, teachers, doctors and others to refer any suspicions about people to a local Prevent Body. An assessment is then made about whether further action is needed.

 

Official Government Document

If you see any content online related to terrorism, you can report it anonymously to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU).

https://www.gov.uk/report-terrorism

Anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality or background.

There are different kinds of abuse that can happen in different contexts. The most prevalent type of domestic abuse occurs in relationships. But the definition of domestic abuse also covers abuse between family members, such as adolescent to parent violence and abuse.

If you recognise yourself or someone you know in the following warning signs and descriptions of abuse, reach out. There is help available.

Useful Contacts:

Bexley Domestic Abuse Services 0808 2000 247 (24-hour domestic violence helpline)

Online Safety

Stay safe on the internet - top tips for parents and carers:

  • Talk with your child about Internet Safety as soon as he/she begins using the Internet. It is never too early to start discussing the importance of being a good digital citizen.
  • Use age-appropriate filtering, blocking and monitoring software on all Internet-enabled devices used by your child, including laptops, wireless phones and video games.
  • Stay involved in your child's online world by setting limits on his/her "screen time" and monitoring who your child is communicating with online. Get to know the websites your child is visiting and educate yourself about your child's online activities. 
  • Explain to your child that he/she should never give out personally identifiable information online. For example, your child should understand that he/she should not post detailed information about his/her whereabouts. 
  • Make sure your child knows never to meet someone they met online face-to-face without first talking with you about the situation.
  • Tell your child to never share their passwords with anyone, including friends.
  • Explain the consequences of posting inappropriate material online. For example, a child's reputation can be impacted by a status entry or an image that is shared.
  • Monitor your child's mobile phone usage and review text messages sent and received, including images downloaded and uploaded.
  • Educate yourself on the latest threats facing kids online (e.g cyberbullying, sexting etc) and arm yourself with information that will allow you to talk to your child about being a good digital citizen.

The following websites and guides provide parents and carers with information about various social media sites and how to keep your children safe online. Updated information for parents regarding online safety is sent out via our weekly newsletter and shown below:

What Parent & Carers need to know about Call of Duty: Mordern Warfare 2

What Parent & Educators need to know about Fortnite

10 Top Tips for Parents and Educators Supporting Young People To Build Emotional Resilience

What Parent & Educators need to know about Horror Films & Age Ratings

10 Top Tips for Parents and Educators Teaching Children Fire Safety

What Parent & Educators need to know about QR Code Scams

What Parent & Educators Need to know about Final Fantasy XIV

10 Top Tips for Parent and Educators using and Reviewing Parental Controls

10 Top Tips for Parent and Educators Supporting Children Going Back To School

7 Top Tips For Supporting Children to Express Themselves Safely Online

What Parents & Educators Need To Know About Online Trolling

What Parents & Educators need to know about Palworld

10 Top Tips for Parents and Educators Promoting Physical Wellbeing

10 Top Tips for Parents and Educators Fair Play and Friendly Competition

10 Top Tips for Parent and Educators Encouraging Healthy Friendships

What Parent & Educators need to know about School Avoidance

Supporting Children's Mental Health

What Parents & Carers need to know about Group Chats

What Parent & Educators need to know about Shopping Platforms

10 Top Tips for Parent and Educators - Developing Healthy Sleep Patterns

What Parent & Educators need to know about Energy Drinks

Top Tips for Parents and Educators Encouraging Open Conversations at Home

What Parent & Carers need to know about Tekken 8

Top Tips For Supporting Children Who Are Experiencing Bullying

What Parent & Carers need to know about Monkey

What Parents & Carers need to know about Persuasive Design Online

What Children & Young People need to know about Free Speech vs Hate Speech

Smartphone Safety Tips for Young People

Top Tips for Managing Screen Time

12 Top Tips for Children and Young People to enjoy a Tech-Free Christmas

What Parent & Carers need to know about Disney+

What Parent & Carers need to know about Group Chats

What Parent & Carers need to know about Smart Tvs

What Parent & Carers need to know about Microtransactions

What Parent & Carers need to know about Five Nights at Freddy's

What Parent & Carers need to know about EA Sports FC 24

Supporting Children to deal with upsetting content

What Parent & Carers need to know about Among Us

Top Tips For Setting Boundaries Around Gaming

What Parent & Carers need to know about Whatsapp

Setting Boundaries Around Gaming

What Parent & Carers need to know about Rumble.

What Parent & Carers need to know about AMINO

What Parent & Carers need to know about ANIME

What Parent & Carers need to know about Money Muling

What Parent & Carers need to know about OMETV

What Parents & Carers need to know about Influencers

Helping Young People Manage Device and Stress Anxiety

Strong Passwords

What Parents and Carers need to know about iPads

What Parents and Carers need to know about Spotify

Positive Gaming

Open Discussions About Digital Lives

Youtube

Whatsapp

Twitter

Trolling and Online Abuse

Tik Tok

Squid Games

Snapchat

Rocket League

Roblox

Privacy Controls for Android

Privacy Controls for iPhone

Playstation 5

Minecraft

Instagram

Free Speech vs Hate Speech

Facebook

Cyberbullying

Call of Duty Black Ops

Among Us

Websites

PlayStation 5 Parental Controls Overview

How to Set Up Parental Controls on Roblox

How to Enable Parental Controls On Youtube

Keeping children safe online | NSPCC

Internet Safety Guide for Kids | SafeWise

Online safety - BBC Teach

Staying safe online | Childline

Internet safety for children | Keep your child safe online - CBeebies - BBC

Childnet — Online safety for young people

 FGM: Organisations offering advice and support - Womankind Worldwide

 Home - Mind

 Home - Women's Aid (womensaid.org.uk)

 Home - Refuge

 Homepage - Mankind

Guides

7 Conversation Topics on Internet Safety

Facebook Messenger Parent Guide 13+

Facebook Parent Guide 13+

Fortnite Parent Guide

Live Streaming Parents Guide

PUBG Player Unknowns Battlefield Parents Guide 16+

Snapchat Parents Guide 13+

Twitter Parent Guide 13+

WhatsApp Parents Guide 16+

Link:  Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
Social Media

Please note most social media sites are age restricted. The most common ones are shown below but please check what your child is accessing by doing a google search to better understand the restrictions and how to protect your child.

WhatsApp age 16+

Twitter age 13+

 

YouTube age 13+

Instagram age 13+

Snapchat age 18+

Discord age 13+

TikTok age 13+

 

If you are worried about the way someone has been communicating with you or your child online?  You can make a report to one of CEOP's Child Protection Advisors. 

The website below also has a range of information about keeping yourself or a child you know safe from child sexual exploitation.

https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

For more information on staying safe online you can visit: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

The NOS (National Online Safety) website has plenty of detailed guides on how best to stay safe online. You can visit their site here.

The National Cyber Security Centre has advice on how to stay safe here

Click here for Childnet's advice on what and how to discuss staying safe online with your child. Click here to find ways of starting that conversation.

The government's Thinkuknow website has lots of resources and activities for staying safe. You can view them here

Keeping your children safe online matters.  "Internet Matters" is an independent, not-for-profit organisation which aims to help parents keep their children safe online.  We believe in maximising children’s potential online, while staying safe, and Internet Matters can help parents to address this important issue.  

www.internetmatters.org

If you see any criminal sexual content online, you can report it anonymously to the Internet Watch Foundation.

https://report.iwf.org.uk/en

NSPCC - general online safety guidance for parents

Thinkuknow - Thinkuknow is the education programme from NCA-CEOP, a UK organisation which protects children both online and offline.

UK Safer internet Centre - a partnership of three leading organisations: Childnet International, Internet Watch Foundation and SWGfL, with one mission - to promote the safe and responsible use of technology for young people.

Digital 5 a day - guidance from the children's commissioner (pdf)

Parent zone - comprehensive advice for a digital life

CEOPs - Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (Police)

LGfL- Advice on a range of Online Safety issues

Children's Commissioner -Terms and Conditions for apps written in child-friendly language