Safeguarding & E-Safety
At Heathermount School, safeguarding is paramount. It underpins all that we do with our children and young people and also includes the safeguarding of the wider school community of parents and carers, other family members and external agencies and visitors.
All those who come in contact with children and families in their everyday work have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults.
Heathermount has a specific team responsible for Safeguarding at the school. The Safeguarding Team meets fortnightly and consists of:
Safeguarding is effectively embedded into our whole curriculum which allows students to learn how to keep themselves safe in the wider community and understand online risks.
Core British values are actively taught to educate students how to be tolerant, responsible, respectful citizens of a diverse community.
Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy
Please go to our Policies & Procedures page to access our Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy.
Safer Recruitment
Prior to employment all staff (paid or voluntary) are DBS checked for their suitability to work with children and young people. Once employed, staff then have regular safeguarding training throughout the year and undergo mandatory E-Safety training. This training informs staff of all their responsibilities as indicated in the 'Keeping Children Safe (2024)' DfE guidance, which includes signs and symptoms, advice and guidance about what to do in the event of a concern, Female genital mutilation, Child sexual exploitation and wider societal trends impacting on safeguarding.
Visitors
All visitors to the school are required to sign in at reception on our electronic system. A photograph is taken and all visitors receive a visitor's badge. Visitors are asked to present further identification, where applicable.
Safeguarding information, guidance and advice is available at reception within our safeguarding leaflet which is provided on arrival for each visitor. Visitor's badges also contain essential safeguarding information on the reverse.
All visitors MUST be accompanied by a member of staff.
For safeguarding reasons, visitors are required to be escorted to our toileting facilities as these are situated beyond our reception desk. Please do ask for help and support at reception.
E- safety – The Role of Parents/Carers/other stakeholders
It is essential that parents/carers, the school and all stakeholders, including governors, work in partnership to embed the importance of E-Safety across all settings. Parents/carers are provided with useful links, fact sheets and information about current trends.
Please see our Policies & Procedures page to access our E-safety policy.
USEFUL WEBSITES & LINKS
| CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the abuse and exploitation of children in the real and online world. Often it is referred to as an online 999. By clicking on the button, young people and parents can get advice on a range of issues such as viruses, hacking and dealing with bullying online. | |
| GoCompare Guide | Online activity can be monitored via your broadband provider to help ensure that your child stays safe on the internet. GoCompare have compiled a guide to broadband parental controls and internet safety for children. |
| Internet Matters | Internet Matters is a new online portal designed for parents to access simple, easy and practical advice about online safety for their children, right through from pre-school to teens. It provides tips on protecting children from online grooming, cyberbullying, privacy and identity theft and inappropriate content. Internet Matters is a not-for profit organisation set up by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media. |
| UK Safer Internet Centre | The UK Safer Internet Centre delivers a wide range of activities to promote the safe and responsible use of technology and operates the UK’s hotline for reporting online criminal content. |
| Childnet | A non-profit making organisation working directly with children, parents and teachers to ensure that the issues of online child protection and children’s safe and positive use of the internet are addressed. |
| Thinkuknow | The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre has set up its own educational website which has been designed and written specifically for children, young people, teachers, parents and carers. |
| Get Safe Online | A beginner’s guide to using the internet safety, including a quiz and some video tutorials about how to ‘stay safe’ on-line. |
| Family Lives |
Family Lives provides targeted early intervention and crisis support to families. Their website includes information on Cyberbullying. |