Cockburn John Charles Academy is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all students in the academy. We recognise that there is no higher priority than student’s safety and well-being. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
It is vital to us that all members of the academy’s community see it as a safe place, and this extends to parents/carers. We have in place a range of policies and procedures to support our safeguarding commitment to ensure that students are safe and educated about safeguarding, staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children within the academy and staff are expertly trained to look out for any signs that a student is subject to harm.
Please click here to download our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy 2024-25Please click here to download our Extremism and Radicalisation policy 2024-25Read Safety Advice and Information from the Metropolitan Police force SAFE website
Our culture of safeguarding:
- children and young people spend a large proportion of their lives in School. Cockburn John Charles Academy is uniquely placed to play a central role in ensuring that students are protected from harm
- the academy’s primary responsibility is to facilitate learning and children are more likely to engage in the learning process and achieve their potential if they are safe and well
- children who feel supported, listened to and valued at home and in school will welcome the educational opportunities provided for them
- Cockburn John Charles Academy will cater for children of different backgrounds, religions, cultures and abilities.
Our ability to safeguard will be evident on three levels
Universal Safeguarding – this is our aim to keep all students safe by creating safe environments. This includes excellent site safety, safer recruitment of staff, strong school rules and codes of conduct and good safety awareness taught across the curriculum.
Targeted Safeguarding – this is our aim to focus on groups of students whose personal, social or economic circumstances may result in an increased risk to their safety. For example looked after children, students with special educational needs, children subjected to racism etc
Responsive Safeguarding –this is our aim to respond quickly and appropriately to situations where students may be or have suffered harm. This is our support through our strong child protection procedures.
Our aim and philosophy will be to be leading practitioners in
- child protection
- anti-bullying
- behaviour and attendance
- special educational needs
- physical contact / positive handling
- intimate and nurture care
- children looked after
- staff recruitment
- CPD
- PSHCE / Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL)
- Healthy Schools.
Safeguarding for Parents/Carers:
If You Are Concerned About The Safety Or Welfare Of Your Child, Or A Child You Know You Should Act Without Delay. In the academy you can contact;
- Our Executive Headteacher is: Mr D Gurney
- Our Head of School is: Mrs S Roberts
- Our designated Assistant Headteacher for child protection is: Ms S Danskin-Lewis
- These members of staff can be contacted on the following;
Telephone: 0113 487 2800 Email: info@cockburnjohncharles.org
You can also ask for advice or report your concern to
- Police: 999 (if want to report a crime but not an emergency 101)
- NSCPCC child protection helpline: 0808 800 5000
What we will do if we have a concern about your child:
- If we are concerned that your child may be at risk of harm we must follow the procedures in our child protection policy. You can look at a copy in school or receive a copy to take home.
- In almost all circumstances we will speak to you about our concerns and we will inform you if we feel we must refer our concerns to children’s social care.
- Any child protection records on your child are kept separate from your child’s normal school file. You can ask to see what information is held and we will normally agree to this.
Safeguarding of your child in out of school activities/clubs/sports:
It is important for parents/carers to check that any sports club or activity that their child attends has their child’s safety as its priority. Even if the club seems professional, there are questions that parents and carers should ask to make sure that they have all the necessary safeguarding measures in place.
Click here to read a webpage that has been created to help parents and carers ask the relevant questions.
The Role of the Safeguarding Lead ensures the following:
- All policies and procedures to safeguard staff and students are in place and are updated as appropriate.
- All staff/volunteers have read and understood the policies.
- All staff/volunteers understand and are confident with safeguarding procedures.
- All staff are aware about abuse in order to overcome barriers to students and young people reporting their concerns.
- Supporting staff/volunteers recognise the signs and indicators that might give rise to concern.
- Providing detailed training on how to respond to concerns about abuse of children and young people and how to respond to children and young people making an allegation of abuse.
- Explaining ways in which adults can raise concerns about unacceptable behaviour by other adults.
- Addressing specific issues such as, photography and images on the internet, supporting performers, physical contact, one-to-one coaching, journeys in cars, conduct on school trips.
- Providing support to staff, parents/carers and for confidential discussions about concerns.
- Co-ordinating arrangements for monitoring of students on roll who have been identified as being in need of protection.
- Working closely with other professionals with regards to referrals to social care and other external agencies.
Sexual Abuse in Educational Settings 2021
At Cockburn John Charles Academy we take Harmful and Abusive Behaviours very seriously and in response to national concerns around sexual abuse in educational settings we would like to sign the helpline commissioned by the Department For Education and run by the NSPCC.
The helpline provides both children and adults who have experienced sexual abuse in schools with support and advice. The helpline will also provide support to parents and professionals. Anyone who gets in touch through this dedicated helpline will also be signposted to other relevant support services available.
The dedicated and confidential NSPCC helpline – Report Abuse in Education can be reached on 0800 136 663 or by email help@NSPCC.org.uk