Safeguarding

Safeguarding SEND Support Breakfast Club and Fairways Fun-atics Uniform at Fairways

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Safeguarding

We take safeguarding very seriously. The Academy has clear policies and procedures to safeguard and promote the welfare of young people.

All adults who regularly work on our site are required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to prevent unsuitable people from working with pupils. All visitors are closely supervised when on site.

Key Staff
Designated Safeguarding Lead	Mrs Lucy Williams (Headteacher)
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead	Emma Davis (EYFS Lead Practitioner)
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead	Tracey Hall (Senior Learning Mentor and family support)
Lead Governor for Safeguarding and Child Protection	Taanya Stevens

We ensure staff have the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to keep children safe through provision of regular training on child protection issues. A qualified Designated Safeguarding Lead within the Academy provides support to staff members to carry out their safeguarding duties and liaises closely with other services such as children’s social care. We also have a designated lead Governor for safeguarding/child protection on the Governing Body.

Our staff are trained to be vigilant for all kinds of safeguarding concerns, including bullying, online safety, emotional or other abuse or extremist behaviour. We have clear procedures in place where any potential safeguarding concerns are identified. We share information with other public bodies – within agreed protocols.

As part of the Academy’s safeguarding measures, we also ensure our pupils are not exposed to inappropriate political or controversial messages. Through our pursuit to develop exemplary citizens, we promote fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. In line with this, we ensure all expressed views and actions contrary to these values are challenged. We are alert to the indicators of radicalisation and take steps to protect those who may be susceptible to messages of violence. All concerns are reported and, where necessary, referred to external agencies.

Anti Bullying Support

Having your child come home in tears and say they are being bullied is one of the most soul destroying things for any parent.

We understand that children do fall out with each other, and we work hard at solving the problem and restoring the relationship between the children.

Bullying is………
the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power

This is taken from the definition of bullying by Birmingham Bullying Reduction Action Group.

Where we suspect bullying is taking place, and parents can be a great help in identifying this with us, we will act to make it stop.

We have collected together a number of resources which you might find useful to understand a little more about the nature of bullying and what you can do to support your child if you suspect they are being bullied.

It is by working together that we can support your child; helping them as they develop their relationships with others in school, and ensuring that where bullying occurs, that it is dealt with.

Online Safety – Advice for Parents

Whilst our Academy has comprehensive safeguarding arrangements in place to ensure our pupils’ online safety, it is equally as important for parents to talk to their children about online safety and monitor their internet usage at home, using age-appropriate parental controls to restrict their access to unsavoury material. Parental controls can be activated on home broadband, search engines, YouTube, mobile phones and games consoles.

Whilst it may not always be easy to talk to your child about challenging issues such as cyberbullying, if you are open and honest with them about the dangers they may encounter online, it may encourage them to confide in you in the future. If you are concerned that your child is being secretive or spending too much time online, it may be worth moving their computer into a communal family area so that you can keep an eye on them.

You should encourage your child to act responsibility online, and treat others as they would wish to be treated. You should also warn your child that they should never hide behind an anonymous user name to make unkind comments, or say something they would be reluctant to repeat during face-to-face interactions. Remind your child that the comments they make and the pictures and videos they post online may end up having a wider audience than they anticipated – and even if they delete them, there’s no guarantee that someone hasn’t already saved, downloaded or taken a screen shot of their post.

Children under the age of 13 should not be using social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr – this is stipulated in the sites’ terms and conditions.

Parents should also be aware that content filters may not always work if a child is using public Wi-Fi, so it is important to ensure their access to unprotected Wi-Fi is limited.

If your child has been targeted online, the website Internet Matters offers detailed advice about who to report the incident to. Links to other websites that you may find useful are included below:

Do you like to learn?

Do you like having fun at the same time?

Click on the weblinks on these pages to access our learning zone.

Remember to follow our internet rules- if you need a reminder, click on the KidSMART logo

Staying safe while you are in the internet is really, really important. If you click on the SAFER INTERNET logo on this page, you will find some helpful advice for parents and children.

NSPCC NetAware

Parents- use the link below to find out about the SOCIAL MEDIA SITES your children might be using outside of Fairway . Inside of Fairway no child has access to social media but in this world of SMARTPHONES and TABLETS, access can be so very easy and SO VERY DIFFICULT TO REGULATE. It has upto date information from children, parents and schools about the safety, accessibility and POTENTIAL HAZARDS of all the major social media sites, along with their RULES AND AGE RESTRICTIONS. Including FACEBOOK, ooVoo, TINDER and many others. We find it a must for understanding how to help your children to keep safe on the internet.

Guide to internet safety and safe surfing for young people from Think U Know. Learn about online safety when using blogs, chatting, online gaming, P2P and other forms …

Click the image below for more information:

Sexting

This is now an issue in schools and we have a duty of care to inform you.

It may feel awkward, but it's important to explain to children the risks of sexting, how to stay safe and remind them that they can talk to you if something ever makes them feel scared or uncomfortable.

This is when children send inappropriate images or messages to each other. Parents need to be vigilant as to how their children are using their mobile phones, tablets, etc.

As of January 2016 in England and Wales, if a young person is found creating or sharing images, the police can choose to record that a crime has been committed but that taking formal action isn't in the public interest.

Other forms of abuse that we always look out for in school are:

Neglect
Child sexual abuse
Domestic abuse
Online abuse
Physical abuse
Bullying and cyberbullying
Emotional abuse
Child sexual exploitation
FGM
Child trafficking.

There is a lot of information for parents on the NSPCC website (external link). Please take time to have a look to make sure you are up to date with all the latest issues around safeguarding.