t: 020 8893 1099
Staff Involved
Beck Owen – Designated Safeguarding Lead
Georgia Crew – Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Siobhan Donoghue – Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Do you have a Concern?
Should you have any concerns relating to the safety and welfare of a child at the school you should immediately contact the designated safeguarding team on 020 8893 1099.
Alternatively, you can report this directly and anonymously to Early Help Hounslow:
- Mon-Fri (9am-5pm) – Early Help Hounslow: 020 8583 6600 or email earlyhelp@hounslow.gov.uk
- Out of hours and weekends- Emergency Duty Team: 020 8583 2222
You do not have to give your name and your conversation will be treated confidentially.
If you have immediate concerns about a child safety please contact the police on: 999.
Additionally, the NSPCC can be contacted 24/7 for help and advice on 0808 800 5000.
Concerns about Staff
Should you have any concerns in terms of safeguarding relating to the behaviour of a member of staff, you should immediately contact the designated safeguarding team. If the allegation concerns these individuals, you should directly contact Ed Vainker (Principal). Should you feel that your concerns have not been dealt with appropriately by the school, you should contact the Local Authority Designated Officer on 020 8583 5730 Alternatively, you can report this directly and anonymously to Early Help Hounslow:
- Mon-Fri (9am-5pm) – Early Help Hounslow: 020 8583 3200 or email earlyhelp@hounslow.gov.uk
- Out of hours and weekends- Emergency Duty Team: 020 8583 2222
You do not have to give your name and your conversation will be treated confidentially.
If you have immediate concerns about a child safety, please contact the police on: 999.
Additionally, the NSPCC can be contacted 24/7 for help and advice on 0808 800 5000.
Academy Site
If you have any concerns regarding the safety of the school site, please contact Les Wardle, Facilities Manager.
Policy
Reach Academy 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. The Governor responsible for safeguarding at Reach Academy is Emma Luxton.
At Reach academy all our staff have read and are familiar with the government’s guidance for schools – ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’.
Our school Safeguarding policy and other related policies can be found here.
E-Safety
At Reach Academy we aim to equip our students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to use information and communication technology creatively and appropriately. Students learn about e-safety during Team Reach lessons and through regular assemblies and Team Reach days.
It is important as parents and carers that you are aware of how to keep your children safe online. If you feel like you would like to understand more about E-safety as a parent or carer then please get in touch with Georgia Crew who will be able to support you with this.
Resources:
Prevent
Prevent is 1 of the 4 elements of CONTEST, the government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
The Prevent strategy:
- responds to the ideological challenge we face from terrorism and aspects of extremism, and the threat we face from those who promote these views
- provides practical help to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support
- works with a wide range of sectors (including education, criminal justice, faith, charities, online and health) where there are risks of radicalisation that we need to deal with.
What is extremism and radicalisation?
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.
As a parent:
You know your child better than anybody else. Having open, honest conversations on a regular basis will allow your child to explore new ideas in a safe environment.
Talk to your child about their online viewing. Social media such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can be used to groom children towards a certain point of view.
Discuss different points of view concerns topics in the news, modelling that there is always more than one point of view.
Encourage your child to take an active part in their local community. This could be part of a sports club, social group, volunteering. Getting out, meeting and talking to people around you helps to understand and become part of a community.
As a school:
All staff have had Prevent training from an accredited Prevent trainer in school.
We have updated our safeguarding procedures to reflect statutory requirements in the Government’s Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015.
We have direct contact with the Local Prevent Officer and other external professionals to receive on-going support and two-way communication.
Students are encouraged to discuss and explore issues during Team Reach lessons, Assemblies and on Team Reach days.
If you have any concerns that someone you know may be at risk of radicalisation, please contact the local police on 101.If your concern is of an URGENT nature, please dial 999 or the Anti-Terrorist Hotline 0800 789 321.
If you have a concern about a student at Reach Academy, please contact Georgia Crew (Designated Safeguarding Lead), Sara-Jayne Martin (Safeguarding Lead for Primary) or Rebecca Cramer (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) on 020 8893 1099.
Female Genital Mutilation and Honour based Violence
Female Genital Mutilation
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It’s also known as female circumcision, cutting or sunna.
Religious, social or cultural reasons are sometimes given for FGM. However, FGM is child abuse. It’s dangerous and a criminal offence.
There are no medical reasons to carry out FGM. It doesn’t enhance fertility and it doesn’t make childbirth safer. It is used to control female sexuality and can cause severe and long-lasting damage to physical and emotional health.
Government Statement opposing FGM –
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is child abuse and an extremely harmful practice with devastating health consequences for girls and women. Some girls die from blood loss or infection as a direct result of the procedure. Some women who have undergone FGM are also likely to find it difficult to give birth and many also suffer from long-term psychological trauma.
UK Law
Female genital Mutilation is a crime in the United Kingdom. Even if a girl is taken abroad to undergo FGM, it is still a crime in the UK if the mutilation is done by a UK national or a UK resident.
It is also a crime if a UK national or resident assists or gets a non-UK national or resident to carry out FGM overseas on a UK national or resident.
If FGM is committed against a girl under the age of 16, each person who is responsible for the girl at the relevant time is guilty of an offence.
Criminal Penalties
Anyone found guilty of an FGM offence – or of helping somebody commit one – faces up to 14 years in prison, a fine, or both. Anyone found guilty of failing to protect a girl from risk of FGM faces up to 7 years in prison, a fine, or both.
Support
If you are worried that this might happen to you or someone you know, you can speak to a member of the safeguarding team in school. They will be able to help and support you.
Alternatively, you can report this abuse by contacting one of the following:
- If there’s immediate danger or if you or someone you know is in immediate danger of FGM, contact the police.
- Call 999 to report emergencies or 101 for non-emergencies.
- You should also contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office if you know a British national who’s already been taken abroad.
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office – Telephone: 020 7008 1500
If you or someone you know is at risk
Contact the NSPCC anonymously if you’re worried that a girl or young woman is at risk or is a victim of FGM.
NSPCC FGM Helpline
Email: fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk
Telephone: 0800 028 3550
Child Sexual Exploitation
Child Sexual Exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It is when someone uses children by giving them money, gifts, food, alcohol, accommodation, power and/or status in exchange for them engaging in sexual activities. Children or young people may be tricked into believing they’re in a loving, consensual relationship. They might be invited to parties and given drugs and alcohol. People who do this want young people to think they are a friend, or a boyfriend or girlfriend. It could even be someone they have spoken to online. They want to gain their trust to get power over them. They might also use bribes, threats, humiliation and even violence to get power over them. It happens to boys and girls and can be really hard to spot. The person will use clever ways to take advantage of the child and will ‘force’ them into having sex with them or somebody they know. The child may be asked to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable. It is not their fault. This is sexual exploitation and it is a crime.
CSE can also happen through the use of technology, for example being persuaded to post sexual images on the internet.
Information for parents and adults
If you feel that a child is at immediate risk of harm please call the Police on 999.
Alternatively, you can contact your local Police on 101 at any time or speak to one of the safeguarding Team at Reach Academy.
Any child or young person can be a victim of sexual exploitation and the signs that a child is being exploited are not easy to spot.
Signs of Grooming and Sexual Exploitation
Signs of child sexual exploitation include the child or young person:
- going missing for periods of time or regularly returning home late
- skipping school or being disruptive in class
- appearing with unexplained gifts or possessions that can’t be accounted for
- experiencing health problems that may indicate a sexually transmitted disease
- having mood swings and changes in temperament
- using drugs and/or alcohol
- displaying inappropriate sexualised behaviour, such as over-familiarity with strangers, dressing in a sexualised manner or sending sexualised images by mobile phone (“sexting”)
- they may also show signs of unexplained physical harm, such as bruising and cigarette burns
If you have a concern about a student at Reach Academy, please contact Georgia Crew (Designated Safeguarding Lead), Sara-Jayne Martin (Safeguarding Lead for Primary) or Rebecca Cramer (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) on 020 8893 1099
Other resources
There are many other organisations that could also help, and a lot of information online. The following websites have information about issues relating to CSE, including information about handling relationships online and relationship abuse.
- CEOP Think You Know
- This Is Abuse
- Barnardo’s
- Young Minds
- Children’s Society
- Visions drug and alcohol service
- SupportLine 01708 765200
- Samaritans 08457 90 90 90
- Missing people 116000
- NSPCC Protect & Respect 0203 763 2333
- PACE (Parents Against Child Exploitation)
- Hounslow Youth Counselling 020 8568 1818
Training
Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play in safeguarding children. School staff receive regular training to help them to identify concerns at an early stage. Staff report any concerns to the Safeguarding team and action is taken immediately.
Training in Academic year 2016 includes:
Safeguarding awareness for every member of staff and Governors to include basic awareness, CSE, FGM/HBV, racist/homophobic and transgender bullying
- Training for all staff on the LSCB key priorities including, Prevent, FGM, CSE and Neglect
- Regular safeguarding updates through staff briefings
- All members of SLT have safer recruitment training
Wider Safeguarding System
School staff fall within the wider safeguarding system for children and we work with Social Care, local health services, Police, YOT and many other services to promote the welfare of our students and young people and to protect them from harm.
