Safeguarding

Designated Safeguarding Lead Ms Katy Smith DSL & Prevent Lead k.smith@harrispurley.org.uk

If you have any concerns at all about the safety or welfare of a student, please do not hesitate to contact our safeguarding team on the channels below. If somebody is in immediate danger contact the emergency services by dialling 999

safeguarding@harrispurley.org.uk

0208 681 1141 Ext. 2625

Safeguarding 'out of hours'

If you have a concern about a child, but it is currently outside of school hours, please contact the borough's Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0208 255 2888 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm) or their Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 0208 726 6400 option 5 at any other time.

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Make a confidential disclosure

Follow this link if you would like to disclose something to us confidentially. You can choose to disclose via an email address or by using an online form. This should not be used for urgent situations.

https://harrispurley.thesharpsystem.com

Our safeguarding statement of intent

The Academy is committed to the vital contribution that all governors, staff and support staff make to safeguarding students. We aim to ensure that child protection concerns and referrals are handled sensitively, professionally and in ways that support the specific needs of the individual child. Through providing a caring, safe and stimulating environment which promotes the social, physical and moral development of all our students, we aim to foster an atmosphere of trust, respect and security.

The Academy is committed to the vital contribution all Governors and staff can make to safeguarding children. We will strive to make sure that every student in the Academy feels secure, well cared for and able to reach his/her full potential.

We will ensure all our own staff, other professionals, parents/carers and students work together to know the rules about keeping children safe. They will understand the importance of following procedures and listening to each other, especially when there are concerns about safety.

The Academy will work hard to reduce all kinds of harm that children can suffer, including abuse, bullying, discrimination and avoidable injuries.

FAO Designated Safeguarding Lead
Harris Academy Purley
Kendra Hall Road
Surrey
CR2 6DT

Tel: 020 8681 1141
Email: safeguarding@harrispurley.org.uk

 

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Sources of help and advice

There are multiple sources of help and advice available to parents and students, in addition to those offered by the Academy. Here are some of the leading charities and organisations offering support and counselling to young people:

	If you're worried about a child, even if you're unsure, you can speak to the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 about your concerns. You can also visit nspcc.org.uk
	Call ChildLine on 0800 1111 to get through to a counsellor, they’re there to listen and support you with anything you’d like to talk about. You can also visit childline.org.uk
	Kidscape offer support for children and their families who are victims of bullying kidscape.org.uk
	Frank offers honest information about drugs talktofrank.com
	Youth Access offers links to counselling services for a range of issues youthaccess.org.uk

Government Guidance

The links below offer government guidance on a range of issues:

• Children missing from home or care
• Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
• Bullying (including cyber bullying)
• Domestic violence
• Drugs
• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
• Forced Marriage
• Gangs and youth violence
• Gender-based violence/Violence against women and girls (VAWG)
• Mental health
• Preventing radicalisation
• Sexting
• Teenage relationship abuse
• Trafficking

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HERSE and Mental Health

Alongside ensuring the safety of the students in our care and supporting them to reach their true academic potential, we are very aware of our role in supporting their mental health and well-being.

Our health education, relationships, sex and education (HERSE) programme is designed to ensure that our students receive the appropriate provision to improve their knowledge and understanding of relationships, sex and relationships and healthy living. Young people face complex pressures and dilemmas in developing mature relationships and need to face such tasks confident in their factual knowledge, as well as being given the opportunity to discuss and shape their feelings and attitudes. Alongside this, it is important for them to know how diet and exercise choices impact on our lifestyle and general well-being.

To embrace the challenges of creating a happy and successful adult life, students need knowledge that will enable them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships and to build their belief in their own abilities. Our students can also put this knowledge into practice as they develop the capacity to make sound decisions when facing risks, challenges and complex contexts. Everyone faces difficult situations in their lives. The content we cover will support our students to develop resilience, to know how and when to ask for help, and to know where to access support. This helps with their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence.

Alongside this extensive programme, we have also invested in a number of other routes to enable our staff to support our students:

• We have worked closely with Trauma Informed Schools to equip a number of our senior staff with the knowledge and skills needed to meet the mental health needs of our students
• Specific members of staff have undergone training in mindfulness with the intention of delivering training to other staff, and students.
• Our Tutor Time & Assembly programme puts safeguarding at the heart of what we do which is additionally supported by our extensive curriculum.

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Online Safety

The Think-u-Know website is created by the police for parents of children at secondary school. It contains useful information about:

• what children are doing online
• how to talk to children about what they are doing online
• what risks your child might face
• what tools are there to help them stay safe

They have produced a guide to e-safety for parents, as well as booklets focused on the most popular apps used by secondary school students:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Kik messenger
• Musical.ly (now TikTok)
• Snapchat
• WhatsApp
• YouTube

Although the Academy teaches students online safety (formerly e-Safety) as part of the ICT curriculum, it is vital that parents/carers are aware of the risks too and what you can do to develop a culture of e-Safety in the home. There are some helpful resources for parents/carers below, which we encourage you to read in order to help your child stay safe online: internetmatters.org

If you see or read something online that affects you, there are a lot of people willing to listen to your concerns. You should talk to somebody no matter how seriously if affects you, as it may well be affecting others far worse. If you do not feel comfortable speaking with your family, friends, or staff at the Academy, you could contact some of the charities and organisations that specialise in that field. Scroll up to our Sources of advice section.

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Female Genital Mutilation

Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs. It is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-lasting harmful consequences. Professionals in all agencies, and individuals and groups in relevant communities, need to be alert to the possibility of a girl being at risk of FGM, or already having suffered FGM. Guidance on FGM from the NSPCC

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Child Sexual Exploitation

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) involves exploitative situations, contexts and relationships where young people receive something (for example food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, gifts, money or in some cases simply affection) as a result of engaging in sexual activities. Sexual exploitation can take many forms ranging from the seemingly ‘consensual’ relationship where sex is exchanged for affection or gifts, to serious organised crime by gangs and groups. What marks out exploitation is an imbalance of power in the relationship. The perpetrator always holds some kind of power over the victim which increases as the exploitative relationship develops. Sexual exploitation involves varying degrees of coercion, intimidation or enticement, including unwanted pressure from peers to have sex, sexual bullying including cyber bullying and grooming. However, it is also important to recognise that some young people who are being sexually exploited do not exhibit any external signs of this abuse. Visit the NSPCC website for more information about preventing abuse.

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Prevent Lead

Harris Academy Purley is committed to providing a secure environment for students, where children feel safe and are kept safe. There is no place for extremist views of any kind in our Academy, whether from internal sources - students, staff or governors or external sources - the local community, external agencies or individuals.

Designated Safeguarding Lead Ms Katy Smith DSL & Prevent Lead k.smith@harrispurley.org.uk

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Security and Safety

Harris Academy Purley employs state of the art security technology, in closed-circuit television, which is sited both internally and externally as well as intruder detection systems and access control on its external entrances. The use of CCTV complies with current legislation as does notification signage and labelling.

Access to the main Academy buildings for staff, students and visitors is carefully monitored by the reception team. Visitors are required to register on a terminal at reception before entering the building. This terminal will log their visit and issue them a printed ID badge, which must be worn with one of our visitor lanyards.

Staff wear branded lanyards with photo ID cards, as do our sixth form students. Lower school students are identifiable from their uniform, in particular their faculty coloured tie.

Any face coverings must be removed before entering site.

The Academy also has a modern and comprehensive fire detection system. This is linked to our electronic register at reception and will be used to print a list of individuals on-site in the case of a fire. The alarm system is also used for intruder and lockdown procedures.

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Medical Needs

Harris Academy Purley is an inclusive community that aims to support students with medical conditions. Student medication is securely stored in the Student Services office. This department is managed by our Student Services Manager, who is also responsible for administering medicines.

Please also see our Student Welfare page.

Medical Administration Ms Chloe Desouza Student Services Manager c.desouza@harrispurley.org.uk

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Educational Visits

Harris Academy Purley sees educational visits as an essential resource, which can supplement and enrich the teaching of a broad and balanced curriculum. A comprehensive risk assessment must be carried out before any proposed visit is approved. 

All educational visits must also be authorised finally by the Principal.

Educational Visits Lead Ms Grace Thomson Head of MFL & Faculty Coordinator g.thomson@harrispurley.org.uk

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Child Protection Online Monitoring System

The Academy uses an online monitoring system known as CPOMS to record all safeguarding concerns. CPOMS enables schools to improve their management of child protection and similar incidents and actions, whilst reducing staff time, paperwork and administration. CPOMS also enables schools to track referrals to external agencies, such as the NHS/CAMHS, Children’s Services, and the Police (including letters and phone calls) and be alerted if timescales are not being met. CPOMS also uses the same action-based functionality to track communication with parents and carers, as well as students themselves.

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Keeping Children Safe in Education

KCSIE is statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment. Staff are required to acquaint themselves with the KCSIE documentation when joining the Academy, and are informed of any changes to the document during staff briefings and CPD sessions.