The Synergy School Partnership and Hampshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. Our safeguarding policies and procedures ensure that every child, regardless of their age, disability, race, religion or belief, has a right to equal protection from harm. Safeguarding is the action we take to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.

Safeguarding at the Synergy School Partnership [Each to have different section]

• What is Safeguarding?
• Our Designated Safeguarding Leaders
• What Parents Can Do If You Have A Concern
• PREVENT
• Our Safeguarding Policies
• Our Safeguarding Learning
• Useful Links
• Useful Telephone Numbers

What is Safeguarding?

The phrases ‘child protection’ and ‘safeguarding’ are often used interchangeably, but the word have distinct meanings. The key statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ explains what safeguarding is:

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as:

• Protecting children from maltreatment;
• Preventing impairment of children’s 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.

Put simply safeguarding is:

• Child protection
• Supporting vulnerable children
• Safe care, at home, in school and in the community
• Taking action

Safeguarding children and child protection guidance applies to all children up to the age of 18.

For copies of our school’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies, please visit the individual school’s website.

 

Our Designated Safeguarding Leaders

Mr Glen Golding, Executive Headteacher is the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) across all schools. All Heads of Schools are also DSLs as well as key members of the senior team based in each individual school. For further details, please refer to each of the school’s individual websites.

If you need to contact a DSL regarding a safeguarding concern, please contact the individual school telephone number and ask to speak to a DSL. If you are visiting the school and need to speak to a DSL about a safeguarding concern when on site, please ask at the school office and you will be directed to the nearest available DSL.

 

Staff Safeguarding Training

Our DSLs are fully trained and have completed their refresher training in line with Hampshire County Council's guidelines, every 2 years.

All staff employed at the Synergy School Partnership schools and Governors, undertake Safeguarding Training annually and receive relevant updates throughout the academic year.  All new employees have safeguarding training delivered by a DSL as part of their induction.

All employees also complete Prevent Training every year.

Those involved in recruitment are also fully trained in Safer Recruitment, including the Governing Body.

Each staff member and governor also complete annual e-learning on the updated Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) document. 

What Parents Can Do If You Have A Concern

If you have any concerns about a child’s welfare, please talk directly to one of our Designated Safeguarding Leads.

If you have a safeguarding concern or allegation related to the leadership of the school, you can contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) – 01962 876364 or visit https://www.hants.gov.uk/socialcareandhealth/childrenandfamilies/safeguardingchildren/allegations

If you have an urgent safeguarding concern relating to a child and the school is closed, please contact the police or telephone Childrens Services on 0300 555 1384 or email childrens.services@hants.gov.uk

Please note, in an emergency, please call 999 immediately.

 

Prevent

What is the PREVENT strategy?

Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes.

The Prevent Strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme far-right wing and extreme Islamist groups.

 

How does the Prevent strategy apply to schools and parents?

From July 2015 all schools have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism.  This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremism and violent views the same way we protect them from drugs or gang violence.

 

The Prevent Strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for younger children. However, it is about teaching children the British Values such as Rule of Law, Democracy, Individual Liberty , Tolerance and Mutual respect. We do many age appropriate things in school to help students become positive, happy members of society, which also contributes to the Prevent Strategy. These include:

 

• Exploring other cultures, religions and promoting diversity; Challenging prejudices and racists comments;
• Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity; Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students, as well as British values such as democracy.
• Staff being aware of the vulnerable pupils within their cohort. We also aim to protect students from the risk of radicalisation, for example, using filters on the internet to make sure they can’t access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with students
• Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss any issues so they better understand how to protect themselves.

 

Children are spending more time than ever on social media and gaming platforms so it is no surprise that online grooming by extremists is on the rise. Young people are especially being targeted by groups and individuals promoting violence and hatred.

Helping your child be digitally savvy and knowing the signs of radicalisation will help keep them safe and protect them from potential risks.

 

If you have a concern:

• For high risk PREVENT enquiries or emergencies, please telephone 999
• For low risk or non-emergencies, speak to the individual school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead or you can telephone 101 and ask for the Local Policing Team
• You can also contact the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on Tel: 0800 789 321

 

Useful safeguarding contacts

Hampshire Children's Services 0300 555 1384
Hampshire Children’s Services out of hours 0300 555 1373 

If it's an emergency and a child is in immediate danger, call 999

Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service 0300 304 0050 - Single Point of Access
NSPCC 0808 800 5000 – help@nspcc.org.uk  report a concern 
Barnardo’s childline 24hrs support service 0800 1111 

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