Safeguarding

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Safeguarding Statement

Boroughbridge High School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and safety of all students. The school expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent, effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support families, students and staff at school. In accordance with the Statutory Guidance for Schools and College’s, Boroughbridge High School is dedicated to promoting;

  • protecting children from maltreatment;
  • preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development;
  • ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
  • taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Boroughbridge High School along with all North Yorkshire Schools follow the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children’s Board procedures. All concerns are passed to staff trained as “Designated Safeguarding Leads” in school in compliance with the guidance ‘sharing of information’. The school uses BROMCOM software to securely record all child protection, safeguarding along with pastoral and welfare issues.

The school currently has 6 trained ‘Designated Safeguarding Leads’:

Miss Stephenson, Headteacher

Mrs Godsell-Wright, Associate Assistant Head: Student Experience and Welfare (Lead DSL)
Mrs Godsell-Wright can be contacted at dsl@boroughbridgehigh.com

Mr Grierson, Deputy Head (Deputy DSL)

Mrs Town, Associate Assistant Head, SENDCO

Mrs Donnelly, Pastoral Manager

 The Designated Safeguarding Team responsibilities include:

  • Ensuring procedures to safeguard young people are in place and are updated as appropriate
  • Raising awareness about safeguarding issues in order to overcome barriers to young people reporting their concerns
  • Proactive in the prevention of possible safeguarding scenarios and educating children about the concerns as well as how to recognise the signs and indicators. Addressing all specific issues.
  • Helping adults recognise the signs and indicators that might give rise to safeguarding concerns
  • Providing help and advice to staff, parents and visitors on how to respond to safeguarding concerns about young people along with how to respond appropriately.
  • Explaining ways in which adults can raise concerns about unacceptable behaviour by other adults.
  • Providing advice/support to staff, parents and carers and for confidential discussions about concerns.
  • Co-ordinating arrangements for monitoring of students who have been identified as being in need of safeguarding or protecting
  • Making timely referrals to relevant external agencies such as social care when identified

Boroughbridge High school recognises that safeguarding is not just about protecting children from deliberate harm. It includes education and awareness of issues for schools such as:

  • Health and safety and school security
  • Bullying
  • Racist abuse
  • Harassment and discrimination
  • Use of physical intervention
  • Meeting the needs of students with medical conditions
  • Providing first aid
  • Drug and substance misuse
  • Educational visits
  • Intimate care
  • Internet safety
  • Issues which may be specific to a local area or population
  • Developing appropriate attitudes towards personal safety and wellbeing
  • Child Sexual Exploitation
  • Child Criminal Exploitation
  • Peer on Peer Abuse
  • Serious violence
  • Mental Health

Guidance and Awareness

Boroughbridge High school staff undertake annual training with regard to best practice and safeguarding updates inline with national levels. This includes Keeping Children Safe in Education – Part 1. Staff are trained to recognise signs of radicalisation and extremism through the Prevent Strategy (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-strategy-2011) and our PSHCE programme links to these areas with age appropriate content delivered to our students.

All staff are trained in how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns, the safeguarding team respond to concerns rigorously and robustly:

  • Emphasis is placed on students’ views to ensure they feel safe in school gathered from informal discussion and formal processes, e.g. questionnaires;
  • The responsibility for safeguarding extends beyond the school timings where students are engaged in activities;
  • The governing body is accountable for ensuring that the school has effective policies and procedures in place in accordance with the DfE guidance and monitors the school’s compliance with this;
  • Specified recruitment and vetting checks on intended new appointees, particularly identity and qualification checks, are carried out. There is a full, accurate and up-to-date single central record of these checks along with 4 trained safer recruitment members of staff;
  • All staff understand that safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility and know who to contact if they are concerned about a child or young person. They understand their responsibilities in order to achieve positive outcomes, keep children safe and complement the support that other professionals may be providing;
  • Students are aware of how they can keep themselves safe and what behaviour towards them is not acceptable. They recognise when pressure from others (including people they know) threatens their personal safety and wellbeing and are helped to develop effective ways of resisting pressure, including knowing when and where to get help;
  • The school monitors the provision for and outcomes of all students, including off site provision, work-based learning, extended services, students with a child protection plan, refugee and asylum seekers, looked after children and excluded students, attendance, exclusions and racist incidents;
  • There is a designated person for child protection and a governor with specific responsibility for safeguarding (and for referring any allegations against the Headteacher).
  • Allegations against staff are dealt with in accordance with NYCC guidance;
  • The designated member of staff has undertaken training in inter-agency working to standards agreed by the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB), and undertakes refresher training;
  • All staff and other adults who work with students undertake appropriate and up to date training to equip them to carry out their responsibilities for child protection effectively, this is kept up to date by refresher training at three yearly intervals;
  • There is a clear reporting system if a student, member of staff, parent or other person has concerns about the safety of children;
  • Security arrangements for the grounds and buildings are adequate and reviewed annually;
  • There are effective and prompt systems for referring safeguarding concerns about students to relevant agencies;
  • Attendance is monitored and appropriate action taken as necessary, especially with regard to the most vulnerable;
  • Close advisory links and collaboration are maintained with a large number of external agencies and professionals that support safeguarding. The following list is indicative rather than exclusive – Education Psychologists, Local Authority (Children and Families’ Services), Police, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS);
  • Appropriate safety plans are implemented on consultation of the external agencies working around the young person:
  • Risk assessments are carried out whenever appropriate, in line with the relevant guidelines.
  • Close advisory links and collaboration are maintained with a large number of external agencies and professionals that support safeguarding. The following list is indicative rather than exclusive – Education Psychologists, Local Authority (Children and Families’ Services), Police, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS);
  • School are part of Operation Encompass and they will securely record reports and provide support for the young people who have experienced domestic abuse

If you have any concerns that a young person at our school is at risk of harm please contact the school office and ask to speak to member of the Designated Safeguarding Team.

The school will, in most circumstances, endeavour to discuss all concerns with parents about their children. However, there may be exceptional circumstances when the school will discuss concerns with Social Care and/or the Police without parental knowledge (in accordance with Child Protection procedures). The school will, of course, always aim to maintain a positive relationship with all parents.

The school’s Child Protection Policy is available for view on our website.

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy 23/24

10 key principals of OE

Adolescent to parent violence 

Operation Encompass Pathways 

Safeguarding support and contacts

North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NYSCP) undertakes the work of formerly North Yorkshire Children’s Trust and North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board with the aim to ensure all children in North Yorkshire are safe, happy, healthy and achieving.

https://safeguardingchildren.co.uk

01609 535123

We’re here, day or night, for anyone who’s struggling to cope, who needs someone to listen without judgement or pressure. Samaritans is not only for the moment of crisis, we’re taking action to prevent the crisis.

https://www.samaritans.org

0845 7909090

Kooth is a free safe and anonymous support for 11-19 year olds online.

https://www.kooth.com

YoungMinds is a national charity committed to improving the mental health of all children and young people. Parent Helpline 0808 8025544 free for mobiles and landlines – Monday to Friday for concerns relating to child/ young person’s mental health up to the age of 25.

https://youngminds.org.uk

0808 8025544

Childline is a private and confidential service for children and young people up to the age of 19. You can contact a Childline counsellor about anything -no problem is too big or too small.

https://www.childline.org.uk

0800 11 11

Children’s Adolescent Mental Health Service – single point of access for advice and support.

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/mental-health-services/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs

0300 0134778

Compass Buzz respond to a wide range of people’s physical and mental health needs and lifestyle behaviours such as smoking, drugs and alcohol, sexual health, emotional health, healthy eating and healthy relationships.

https://www.compass-uk.org/services/north-yorkshire-compass-buzz

01609 777662

A charity specialising in Mental Health. Its website has links to support,  information and advice.

https://mind.org.uk

A website for young people providing free, confidential drugs information and advice 24 hours a day.

https://www.talktofrank.com

Brook provides free and confidential sexual health advice and contraception to young people under the age of 25.

https://www.brook.org.uk

Through CEOP you can report online sexual abuse or content.

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

The NSPCC helps children who have been abused to rebuild their lives, protect those at risk and find the best ways of preventing abuse from ever happening.

https://www.nspcc.org.uk

0808 800 5000

NYAS provides advocacy and legal services to children and young people in North Yorkshire.

https://www.nyas.net

0808 808 1001

A useful website for parents and students where you can access advice and information.

https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk

Parents Protect help parents and carers protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

https://www.parentsprotect.co.uk

The following website links provide advice and information for parents: