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Leigh Church of England Academy Safeguarding Statement.

Leigh Church of England Academy is committed to promoting and protecting the well-being of the children in our care, and expect all staff, the academy governance committee and volunteers to share this commitment. Everyone who works or volunteers at the academy is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure. Our first priority will always be the welfare of our children but operate an open-door policy to parent/carers/community members to come and discuss any safeguarding concerns they may have.

Our school Safeguarding Team :

1. Mrs Bickerton-White is the Designated Safeguarding Lead

2. Mrs Lee is the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

3. Mrs Goddard is the learning mentor.

4. Mrs Patterson is the named governor for safeguarding

All staff at Leigh Academy are responsible for the safeguarding of children. This means that any member of staff can professionally challenge a visitor , seek clarification on collection arrangements and other safeguarding matters before releasing a child to  parents/carers or other people nominated to collect them. Professional curiosity and challenge is not staff members being awkward , it is measures in place to protect and safeguard all children. 

There are occasions when the Safeguarding Team need to consult with outside agencies without speaking to a parent/carer first. As a school we have a duty of care to protect our children at all times and this may involve contact with Social Care. We understand this can be very distressing, but as a school we have a procedure to follow set by the Coventry Safeguarding Children Partnership along with guidelines from the 2023 Keeping Children Safe in Education- statutory guidance for schools and colleges.

Collecting Pupils from the Academy

All parents/carers are expected to notify the academy office if you arrange for someone other than yourself or an agreed contact to collect your child from the academy.

Young Carers

Young Carers are people aged between 5-18 years of age who have a responsibility or help someone with day-to-day needs. It may be as simple as talking and listening to them when they are sad or helping out in the family home. If you think your child/children could be a young carer, please contact us to discuss further or visit http://www.youngcarerscoventry.co.uk or http://www.warwickshireyoungcarers.org.uk/

Inter-agency links

As a school we work closely with an array of agencies in the local community to help provide support to our children and their families. This includes established links with the Mosaic Family Hub, WISH, CAMHS, Positive Parenting, Citizen Advice Bureau, West Midland Police, Coventry Food Bank, Housing and School Nursing to name but a few. Please come and speak to one of the Safeguarding Team if you would like signposting to one of these agencies.

Coventry Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP)

The CSPS is a partnership between local councils, Police, National Health Service (NHS) and other key partner agencies that work in together to ensure that children and young people are protected from harm and neglect and that their welfare is promoted. The CSCP can be contacted by email: CoventryCSCP@coventry.gov.uk or by telephone on 02476 975477 or by visiting their website: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/cscpcontacts

Prevent

Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. It covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent Islamic groups and other causes. All schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism. This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views, in the same way we protect them from drugs or gang violence. Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues, so they understand how to protect themselves.

Many of the things we already do in schools to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent strategy. These include: · Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity · Challenging prejudices and racist comments · Developing critical thinking skills and a strong positive self-identity · Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy. We will also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet to make sure they cannot access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with pupils. Further information about Prevent can be found here: http://www.ltai.info/what-is-prevent/ 

If you have any questions or queries regarding any aspect of Safeguarding, please do not hesitate to contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mrs Bickerton-White, or Mrs Lee, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.

"The standard you walk past, is the standard you accept"

David Morrison