‘Nurturing the wellbeing of ourselves and others’ is one of the key elements in our school vision and making sure that everyone in our school community is safe is a crucial part of achieving this. At Aughton Junior Academy, we have a Safeguarding Team but also regard seeking to identify and overcome all barriers to learning as an important part of the partnership between school and families.

Our systems are designed to:

•  Prevent unsuitable people working with children and young people
•  Promote safe practice and challenge poor and unsafe practice
•  Identify instances in which there are grounds for concern about a child’s welfare and give adults in school the route for them to take the appropriate action

There is a Safeguarding Team poster displayed in the school reception to help advise you of what to do if you have a safeguarding concern.

School takes very seriously the appointing of new staff and follows the ‘Safer Recruitment’ advice from the Local Authority. Our staff and volunteers are DBS checked to ensure all our pupils stay safe.

Should you wish to discuss child protection and the safety of your child, or indeed any other topic involving your child, please feel free to contact any member of the safeguarding team:

The Designated Safeguarding Lead in the academy is: Mrs Toni Tomlinson

The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead in the academy are: Mrs Michelle Hartley

The Designated Safeguarding Lead for ACET is: Mrs Lauren Moore

 

 

 Michelle Hartley

Toni Tomlinson

 

You can download our safeguarding policy here.

Early Help and Social Care

We work closely with our safeguarding colleagues in Rotherham Borough Council and Doncaster Council. Mrs Hartley attends meetings and submits reports on behalf of Aughton Junior Academy. Information is kept on a need-to-know basis. Families can speak to Mrs Hartley regarding any concerns they have.

MASH

If you have any concerns around the safety or well-being of a child in Rotherham, you have a duty of care to share this to safeguard that child. You can contact Rotherham MASH, anonymously if you prefer, on 01709 336080. If the child or person is in immediate, call 999. 

Pastoral Care

The pastoral care of our pupils is everyone’s responsibility, starting with class teachers who are supported by teaching assistants and other support staff. At Aughton Junior Academy we also have a Health & Wellbeing Manager, Michelle Hartley who supports children and their families. If you would like to speak to Mrs Hartley, she can be contacted via the school office or by email: info@aughtonacademy.org 

Looked-After Children

Our designated teacher for looked-after and previously looked after children is Toni Tomlinson. Please contact her if you have any questions; info@aughtonacademy.org. 

Operation Encompass

Aughton Junior Academy supports and advocates ‘Operation Encompass’. Operation Encompass is a unique Police and Education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people exposed to domestic abuse. Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools before the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has been involved or exposed to a domestic abuse incident the previous evening. It enables children to arrive at school and have their needs met, by trained Child Protection staff, who have been informed of the child’s ‘experience.’ National Domestic Violence 24hr free-phone hotline: 0808 2000 247.

Prevent 

Our Prevent Lead is Toni Tomlinson. Please contact her if you have any questions; info@aughtonacademy.org

Our Prevent Risk Assessment can be found at the bottom of this page. 

 

Online Safety

Whilst the use of computers and phones to access online material can be incredibly useful and enhance a child’s education, it can also cause serious damage to mental health and relationships. The issues outlined in the document below also affect adults. Monitoring how your child accesses online material can be frustrating; it takes knowledge, time and persistence. The Online Safety Guide provides guidance relating to how children access some of the most well-known social media platforms and browsers for searching content on the Internet.

Although it is vital to stay up to date with the latest developments and to understand the contents of this document, the most effective way of ensuring your child’s safety is to talk to them openly and honestly about their lives online, without judgement. This will allow you to help them on their journey to becoming a safe user of the internet. Just like all social interaction, children will learn from their mistakes. It is important that they are able to make those mistakes in a supportive environment, with trusted adults to help them if things ever go wrong.

If someone has acted inappropriately towards your child online you can report it to CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) by clicking this link.

 

Contextual Safeguarding 

Contextual Safeguarding is an approach to understanding, and responding to, young people’s experiences of significant harm beyond their families. It recognises the different relationships that young people form in their neighbourhoods, schools and online. 

We have provided support for children, parents and carers with how to stay safe online on our E-Safety page. 

At Aughton Junior Academy we have developed a school culture that promotes diversity in our classrooms. Teaching children how to live in a society where every individual is unique and how to connect with peers and neighbours with diverse backgrounds and abilities is invaluable. More information can be found on our Diversity page. 

It is also important to consider the potential dangers within our local area. 

As Aughton Academy is close to the Ulley Reservoir and Rother Valley Country Park, it is essential we teach our children about Water Safety. 

Child criminal exploitation (CCE)

Child Criminal Exploitation occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18. Staff attend trailing to keep their knowledge relevant and to have an awareness of the current issues and trends in Rotherham. Although we would like to believe these things don't happen locally to us, they do. This is why we need to be vigilant and observant of our pupils and wider community. Parents and carers play a vital part in safeguarding their children from such crimes. Further information can be found on the PACE webiste.

Child sexual exploitation (CSE)

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a form of child sexual abuse. Child sexual exploitation is a term used to describe where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child under the age of 18 into sexual activity. The child may have been sexually exploited even where the sexual activity appears consensual. For instance, the child might have been led to believe they are in a consensual relationship with the person. 

Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology, such as social media and gaming apps. It's important that people recognise that exploitation is child sexual abuse and should be seen as such. 

ReachOut is a service through Barnardo's in Rotherham, which offer a preventative service providing support to children, families and communities affected by and/or vulnerable to child exploitation in Rotherham. The Service provides individual and group support, awareness raising in communities and schools plus outreach and drop-ins. You can find out further information on this service here.

County Lines

The NPCC definition of a County Line is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas [within the UK], using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of “deal line”. They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move [and store] the drugs and money and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons. 

Staff within school receive regular updates and training regarding CSE, CCE and county lines. We are vigilant and proactive with any concerns that we may have. We work closely with the Police and share intelligence. The Police are regular visitors to Brookfield to meet with groups of children to deliver age appropriate sessions around key themes. 

Alfie's story can be viewed on YouTube and demonstrates how a young boy is groomed and ends up involved with county lines. 

Intimate care

We care for and educate children who may require intimate care during the school day. If this is a requirement of your child, please speak to Mrs Tomlinson or Mrs Hartley and a meeting will be arranged to discuss your child needs. We have a policy in place to safeguard staff and pupils. The policy can be found on the policy tab. 

Fire Drill 

Each half term the whole school takes part in a 'fire drill' to ensure all pupils and staff know how to evacuate the academy safely. These take place on different days and at different times to guarantee we are prepared for all situations. 

We are very proud of our records with all of our pupils and adults out of the building and accounted for in under 2 minutes each time. 

Lockdown procedures

We also practice lockdown procedures. This procedure is to safeguard children and staff should there be a local threat - aggressive dog in the grounds, poisonous gas cloud etc. Children are asked to remain calm and quiet and to stay in the classroom. Staff will ensure the doors are locked and the blinds are closed.