Safeguarding Policy

Feeling safe and happy at King’s Oak Academy

At King’s Oak Academy we want to make sure that you feel looked after, safe and happy when you are in and out of school. Sometimes we don’t know if something bad is happening, so you need to tell us.

Remember- you do NOT have to keep your worries a secret!

What is this policy?

Our school has a Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy for staff, families and Trustees.

This student friendly policy is written for you, our students and this should be read as a guide to the main policy. We have tried to write this in a way that makes sense to you as the Safeguarding Policy is very, very long………

What is it for

To help you decide what could be a problem and where to get help and Support.

It is really important that you know who you can talk to and also to understand why you might need to talk to someone.

What is a DSL?

You might have seen or heard the phrase DSL, but what does it mean? DSL stands for Designated Safeguarding Lead. In every school there is always somebody who has the responsibility to keep you safe – the DSL and all staff have to tell them if they are worried about you.

Staff have training and are taught how to keep children & young people safe as it is the most important part of their job. The DSL works in a safeguarding team and you can talk to the safeguarding team about anything that you are worried about.

The Safeguarding team at King’s Oak Academy are;

DSL – Miss Rice

DDSL’s — Mrs Baker and Msr Side

Safeguarding team:

Lower School — Miss Rice, Mrs Baker, Mrs Side, Mrs Whiteford, and Miss Joss
Middle School— Miss Rice, Mrs Baker, Mrs Side, Mr Blake, Miss Pearch, and Mr Nathan
Upper School—Miss Rice, Mrs Baker, Mrs Side, Mr Mannin, Mrs Holtby, and Mr Heath

The four main areas of Child Protection:

1. Physical Abuse – things like hitting, smacking, shaking, kicking, pushing, biting…….
2. Sexual Abuse – this doesn’t always mean actually touching someone. It could be someone making you watch things to do with sex, take or share nude photos or encouraging you to do something sexual – something you are uncomfortable doing.
3. Neglect – this means things like not providing proper food, a warm and safe place to live or clothing. Or perhaps not taking you to the Doctors or Dentist when you need to go. There may be lots of different reasons why someone is neglected and it is really important that we know so we can help.
4. Emotional Abuse – This means when someone upsets you or makes you feel bad. It might be someone being unkind about the person you are or saying horrible things to you making you feel sad and worthless.

Is someone bullying or trying to hurt you?

Has someone said something or done something to you, or have you seen or heard something you do not like or upsets you? You must tell someone at school so we can help you.

Has someone touched you on a part of your body like your bottom, your private parts, your chest or anywhere else you do not like?

It is not okay for someone to touch you and make you feel uncomfortable. People who do things like this often lie and tell you things to frighten you and try to make sure you don’t tell anyone. You must tell someone at school so we can help you.

It is not your fault and you will be taken care of and supported.

Has someone asked you if you want a tablet or to smoke something or have a drink or eat something and you don’t know what it is? Do not eat, drink or smoke what they are trying to give you. You must tell someone at school so we can help you.

Has someone hit, kicked or pushed you or hurt you in any way?

It is not okay for ANYONE to hurt you or cause you harm. No-one should frighten or threaten you either. You must tell someone at school so we can help you.

These are some of people that you can tell:

• The DSL or a member of the Safeguarding team
• The Principal
• Your tutor or teacher
• An adult that you trust

How does King’s Oak Academy work hard to keep you safe?

There are lots of different ways, but one of the main ways is making sure all the staff here at our academy know how to keep you safe and
also making sure you have someone to talk to if you need to. Your Principal is here to support all our young people and their families if there is a concern. We promise to look after all our students and do everything we can to keep them safe.

What happens if you tell someone about your worries?

If you speak to a grown up, sometimes they will need to check things with your DSL and then, if they can, deal with the issue themselves. Please try and understand that staff and the DSL will only want to help you and make you feel supported and better about the situation. Only
people who need to know will be told about what you’ve said so that you can be supported and kept safe.

There are times though when the academy may need to contact some other agencies for support. These may be Children’s Social Care (Social
Workers) or Police. This is because schools can’t do everything on their own and need to work with other professionals who are the best people to help.

It might sound a little bit scary, but the Social Workers and Police will be specially trained professionals who are great at helping children and There are lots of other agencies who support children and their families as well and it isn’t always that people need to have a Social Worker involved with their family.

Sometimes these people are Youth Workers or Mentors or Family Support Workers. Don’t worry, your DSL will talk to you and explain all of this, and you can always go and ask them questions if you are unsure about anything.

Date Policy Adopted: October 2022
Date for review: October 2023
Agreed by student council