We recognise our moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all pupils. We endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.
We are alert to the signs of abuse and neglect and follow our procedures to ensure that children receive effective support, protection and justice.
Whilst working in our school we expect you to take care of our pupils and follow our procedures.
Abuse and neglect can happen to any child, boy or girl, of any race, culture, ethnicity or sexuality.
Disabled children and those with SEN are particularly vulnerable.
Many children are unable to disclose what is happening to them and rely on us to interpret their behaviour and spot signs of abuse.
A pupil may:
Do not question the pupil or try to secure evidence. Your responsibility is to report the concern, not to investigate.
If a pupil tells you something that suggests they are at risk of harm, allow them to tell you as much as they wish and let them know you must pass it on to the DSL.
If you become concerned about a child’s immediate safety, notify the nearest member of staff and tell them why you are concerned.
If you have any questions, or wish to see our child protection policy, please contact the DSL.
Red: No up-to-date DBS. Should not be left alone with students at any point.
Green: DBS up-to-date. Visiting professional. Can be left alone with students.
Blue: Brook Academy staff for wearing off-site.
Purple: CLF Academy Councillors/Trustees.
Should you have any concerns relating to the safety and welfare of a child at the school, you should immediately contact our safeguarding team at [email protected] or through the main school phone number and request to speak with someone in the safeguarding team.
On the rare occasion that our core safeguarding team is unavailable, please report your concerns to the Principal or Vice Principal. You can also contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) [email protected]
Should you have any concerns in terms of safeguarding relating to the behaviour of a member of staff, you should immediately contact the Principal. Should you feel that your concerns have not been dealt with appropriately by the school or Chair of Governors, you should contact the Designated Officer for Allegations (DOFA), [email protected]
If you have any concerns regarding the safety of the school site, please contact the school through the main school telephone number.
The councillors and school staff team are committed to keeping our children safe and we regularly review our school policies and procedures to ensure that everything is being done to fulfil our duty of care. All staff are familiar with the government’s guidance for schools – Keeping Children Safe in Education
The Safeguarding Policy can be found along with all other academy policies on the Policies page under the Key Information menu.
We are an equal opportunities employer. At least one member of every interview panel has had Safer Recruitment training. All offers of employment are subject to a disclosure and barring check (DBS), medical clearance and satisfactory references.
At Brook we aim to equip our students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to use information and communication technology creatively and purposefully. A key aspect of this lies in being digitally literate. Online technologies play a huge role and so providing a broad and balanced e-safety education is vital to ensuring our students can navigate the online world safely and positively.
Prevent is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. Prevent is one of the four elements of CONTEST, the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
Incidents of extremism and radicalisation are rare and as such when they do occur, make the news. As with all safeguarding issues, it is important to be vigilant, and not complacent, but also not to panic.
Prevent defines extremism as: “Vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of our armed forces.”
Radicalisation is defined by the UK Government within this context as ‘the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies associated with terrorist groups’.
We live in a wonderfully diverse world, with both differences and similarities to celebrate. Exploring religious and different social beliefs, in a peaceful and non-violent way, is part of growing up and should not be confused with something more sinister. The best way to PREVENT extremism and radicalisation is by open discussion and increased understanding of each other.
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is a form of child sexual abuse. Sexual abuse may involve physical contact and or noncontact activities, such as involving children in the production of sexual images, forcing children to look at sexual images or watch sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways or grooming a child in preparation for abuse including via the internet.
CSE can occur over time or be a one-off occurrence and may happen without the child’s immediate knowledge, for example through others sharing videos or images of them on social media. CSE can affect any child who has been coerced into engaging in sexual activities. This includes 16- and 17-year-olds who can legally consent to have sex. Some children may not realise they are being exploited. For example, they may believe they are in a genuine romantic relationship.
While all staff should speak to the designated safeguarding lead (or deputy) with regard to any concerns about female genital mutilation (FGM), there is a specific legal duty on teachers. If a teacher, in the course of their work in the profession, discovers an act of FGM appears to have been carried out on a girl under the age of 18, the teacher must report this to the police.
