Safeguarding

Our school ensures children learn in a safe, caring and enriching environment. Children are taught how to keep themselves safe, on and offline, to develop positive and healthy relationships and how to avoid situations where they might be at risk, including by being exploited.

Our school has a statutory responsibility to share any concerns it might have about a child in need of protection with other agencies, and in particular police, health and children’s services. Schools are not able to investigate concerns but have a legal duty to refer them. In most instances, the school will be able to inform the parents/carers of its need to make a referral. However, sometimes the school is advised by Children’s Social Care or the police that the parents/carers cannot be informed whilst they investigate the matter. We understand the anxiety parents/carers understandably feel when they are not told about any concerns from the outset. The school follows legislation that aims to act in the best interests of the child.

You contact our safeguarding team by email [email protected] or by phone (0116 251 9261). Duty and Advice can also be contacted on 0116 454 1004.

Our Safeguarding Leads are:

Jay Virk (Principal) Lead DSL

Karla Hussey (Vice Principal) Deputy DSL

Alexander Ashcroft (Vice Principal) Deputy DSL

Liam Johnson (Assistant Principal) Deputy DSL

Nadine Handford-Glaze (EYFS Leader) Deputy DSL

Laura Hardman (SENCo) Deputy DSL

Claire Black (Family Support Worker) Deputy DSL

The school uses an on-line reporting system called CPOMS which allows members of staff to record information in a central repository and have relevant people alerted immediately. Senior leaders are able to build a chronology around a student and can produce reports for in school use, reporting to governors, case conferences and core group meetings.

The school also has paper reporting forms available for visitors which are then recorded electronically by senior leaders.

NSPCC Online Safety Children and young people spend a lot of time online – it can be a great way for them to socialise, explore and have fun. But children do also face risks like cyberbullying or seeing content that’s inappropriate. That’s why we’ve teamed up with O2 to give you everything you need to know about keeping children safe online
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
BBC Share Take Care A guide to Parental Control Software
http ://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise
Think U Know Thinkuknow aims to ensure that everyone has access to this practical information – children, young people, their parents and carers and the professionals who work with them.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/
Child Exploitation & Online Protection (CEOP) CEOP works with child protection partners across the UK and overseas to identify the main threats to children and coordinates activity against these threats to bring offenders to account.
https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
Internet Matters Internet Matters is an independent, not-for-profit organisation to help parents keep their children safe online
https ://www.internetmatters.org/

Age restrictions and help and advice for parents:

Mental Health Support

School are fortunate enough to work alongside an NHS Mental Health Practitioner.

If you believe that your child may need support for an aspect of their Mental Health please speak to a member of staff.

Here are some useful links to provide support:

Top Tips for Mental Health

Mental Health Support For Young People | YoungMinds

Home – Epic Friends

Mental health – NHS

Anxiety in children – NHS

Sleep and young children – NHS

Depression in children and young people – NHS

Operation Encompass – Domestic Violence Reporting

This is a system that alerts schools whenever the police have been called to a domestic incident where children were present.

Incidents of Domestic violence have risen considerably over recent months and we have a duty of care to support children who may have been affected.

We will ‘check-in’ with the children concerned to make sure they are OK. We do this in a sensitive and non-judgmental manner without necessarily referencing what may have happened.

We will also phone the parent or carer concerned to check that they are alright and to offer help and support including referral to our Family Support Worker or signposting to other agencies

We understand that this is a difficult subject and while we do not pry into family affairs it is important that we support adults subject to domestic abuse in order that we can work together to safeguard their children.

Leicester Safeguarding Children Partnership Board – Information for parents, carers, professionals to access current safeguarding information and procedures.

Government Guidance for schools to promote ‘British Values’

SMSC British Values Guidance

Local Safeguarding Concerns

Leicester city faces ever changing local concerns regarding the safeguarding of our children. Below, you can find advice for the current concerns in the Leicester City area.

TMET Sextortion Parent Letter

Making our community a safe place to live – LiveSafe

Homelessness

Action Homeless Leicester – Your local homelessness charity

LSCPB | Child Criminal Exploitation, Child Sexual Exploitation Trafficking & Missing