Key Information

Safeguarding

At Harleston Sancroft Academy, Safeguarding and Child Protection are regarded as the single most important aspect of each person’s role.

All staff receive annual safeguarding training and updates throughout the course of the year. We also have staff with specific safeguarding responsibilities – they are our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs). For the 2022-2023 academic year our DSLs are:

If you do have a concern about the safety or wellbeing of a child then please speak to a member of our safeguarding team, or any member of staff. You can contact the school on 01379 852561. Alternatively, you can email the member of staff directly with the title ‘safeguarding’ and this will be prioritised. If you feel that a child is at an immediate risk of harm then please dial 999.

The St. Benet’s Academy Trust safeguarding lead is Louise Veeren. She can be contacted on 01603 550150

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

We are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for children, staff and visitors and promoting a climate where children and adults feel confident about sharing any concerns which they may have about their own safety or the wellbeing of others.     

We endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued. 

Keeping Children Safe in School

Keeping Records
In line with good practice records are kept of:

  • Discussions/observations with a child,
  • Discussions/observations with a parent,
  • Discussions/observations made by school staff,
  • Decisions and actions taken

Making Referrals
Anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare can make a referral to a local authority children’s social care service. Referrals can come from the child themselves, professionals such as teachers, the police, GPs and health visitors as well as family members and members of the public. The Norfolk Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS) can be contacted on 0344 800 8020.

Curriculum
Through all areas of the curriculum we encourage children to think about how to stay safe: At home, crossing the road, out on their own, on the internet, healthy relationships. Regular PHSE and RSHE sessions (Life Skills)  or Computing topics can provide especially good opportunities for children to discuss these issues.

The Role of the Governing Body
The Governing Body has a duty to ensure that the school meets its statutory responsibilities and ensure the the children and young people attending school are safe.

Attendance
In addition to the statutory responsibility to record the attendance of children it is important that the school follows up the processes for absence. An important risk factor in abuse and neglect is poor school attendance and tackling that is a key aspect of managing children’s safety.

Safer Recruitment
A key aspect of safeguarding is the vetting of applicants and prospective volunteers working with children to make sure they are suitable.

Our obligations and duties to protect your children

Under the Education Act 2002 (section 175/157), schools must “make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children”. 

We will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.

The school will therefore be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.

Parents/carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. The school should make parents/carers aware that records of welfare concerns may be kept about their child.  They should be informed that school staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with them including referrals to other agencies. However, in situations where the child is suspected to be at risk of harm, the law says that schools may take advice from other agencies without informing parents/carers.

In accordance with local Information sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively.  Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service.

Schools will seek advice from the local authority when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that the member of staff in the school with responsibility for child protection (the DSL) was carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.

Under Section 3 (5) of the Children Act 1989, schools or any person who has care of a child “may….do what is reasonable in all the circumstances of the case for the purpose of safeguarding or promoting the child’s welfare”. 

Operation Encompass

Supporting children through key adults

As a school we work in partnership with Norfolk Constabulary and Norfolk Children’s Services to identify and provide appropriate support to students who have experienced domestic violence in their household; this scheme is called Operation Encompass.  In order to achieve this, Norfolk Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub will share police information of all domestic incidents where one of our students has been present with the Designated Safeguarding Lead(s). On receipt of any information, the Designated Safeguarding Lead will decide on the appropriate support the student requires, this could be silent or overt. All information sharing and resulting actions will be undertaken in accordance with the ‘Norfolk Joint Agency Protocol for Domestic Abuse – Notifications to Schools’. We will record this information and store this information in accordance with the record keeping procedures outlined in the schools safeguarding policy.

See Something, Hear Something, Say Something

If something doesn’t seem right and if you feel a child or young person may need help you can contact the support line on 0344 800 80 20.

Signs to look out for may include:

  • aggressive or repeated shouting
  • hearing hitting or things being broken
  • children crying for long periods of time
  • very young children left alone or outdoors by themselves

If you ‘see something or hear something, then say something.

To view our Safeguarding Policies, please see below:

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I feel valued as a member of staff. I like the fact the school has a clear vision, a vision that I feel a part of.

Current member of teaching staff

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Every single person who works at the school contributes to who I am. It truly is a special place where we are all one big family.

Current Y11 student

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The Harleston Sancroft Academy has evolved to where it is now with dignity, strength and kindness.

Current parent of Y10 student

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