A culture of safeguarding is embedded at Waddington All Saints Academy. We pride ourselves in knowing our pupils and the needs of the individuals within our community well. As a result of pupil voice and our knowledge and experience of the challenges some of our pupil face, we recognise that they are at greater risk of:
• Mental health concerns – This is addressed through our excellent Pastoral Support Team. Within this team we have: an ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant), a Military Support Assistant and PLAC Support Assistant. Our Welfare Officer also works closely with outside agencies as appropriate, to ensure that we are able to effectively support our pupils and families.
• Domestic Abuse – Since March 2020, we seen a year on year rise in the number of Operation Encompass notifications, this evidences an increasing impact of domestic abuse on the children that attend our school.
• Online safety concerns – This is addressed through our termly online safety focus, as part of our Computing Curriculum. We also actively take part in Safer Internet Day each year and respond immediately to concerns as and when they arise. In addition, parents receive a monthly online safety newsletter which provides guidance and advice on current issues.
• Welfare concerns which often manifest in attendance concerns- This is monitored through our excellent pastoral care and support, including a meet and greet and support for families, as appropriate. We are quick to act and engage with children and parents when concerns around attendance arise, many of these families are open to Early Help Support.
In addition to ensuring our robust safeguarding procedures, displays around the academy and training are of the highest standard and support the school to ensure that staff remain vigilant and have the opinion that ‘it could happen here’, we also recognise the need to safeguard our pupils through the education and the curriculum within school.
We have a number of interventions in place to support the social, emotional and mental health needs of pupils. These included ELSA interventions, Healthy Minds resources, and recommendations from outside agencies. Where a pupil needs further specialist support we will make a referral to Healthy Minds or access therapeutic support.
Each week children access a whole school, a key stage and a class assembly. These are utilised as an opportunity to further embed our Safeguarding Curriculum. The assembly overview is carefully planned across the academic year and also responds to specific events, and current concerns.
As an academy we also support events such as world mental health day (November).
These duties are set out in the 2002 Education Act. Schools also have statutory responsibilities in relation to promoting pupil wellbeing and pupil safeguarding (Children Act 2004) and community cohesion (Education Act 2006). The Equality Act 2010 also places duties on schools to help to reduce prejudice-based bullying.
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) September 2022 outlines that: “Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure that children are taught about safeguarding, including online safety. Schools should consider this as part of providing a broad and balanced curriculum.”
Whilst PSHE education is a non-statutory subject, section 2.5 of the National Curriculum framework document states that: ‘All schools should make provision for PSHE, drawing on good practice.’ Alongside the National Curriculum framework, the DfE also published guidance on PSHE education, which states that the subject is ‘an important and necessary part of all pupils’ education’ and that: ‘Schools should seek to use PSHE education to build, where appropriate, on the statutory content already outlined in the national curriculum, the basic school curriculum and in statutory guidance on: drug education, financial education, sex and relationship education (SRE) and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle.’ PSHE is a vital part of the curriculum at Waddington All Saints Academy. It is taught weekly and staff also use daily informal opportunities to reinforce learning.
