Safeguarding Policy

Feeling safe and happy at Uphill Village Academy

At Uphill Village 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 Policy for staff and families .

This child friendly policy is written for you, our pupils, 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 understand 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. At Uphill Village Academy there are 4 members of staff in the safeguarding team that are trained to support you when you are not feeling safe. You can talk to these staff when ever you do not feel safe. All staff at school have to talk to the safeguarding team if they are worried about you.

You can talk to any staff member in school as they have all had training on how to keep children & young people safe as it is the most important part of their job.

The Safeguarding team at Uphill Village Academy are;

DSL – Mrs Hodder

Safeguarding team – Mrs Tinker, Mrs de Scossa and Mrs Hetherington

There is at least one member of the safeguarding team in school every day. It is the job of everyone that works at school to keep you safe, so remember you can talk to any grown up that you trust.

What is Safeguarding — It is the action to prevent and protect children from harm. Child protection is part of safeguarding.

There are four main areas of Child Protection:

1. Physical Abuse – Physically hurting you; things like hitting, smacking, shaking, kicking, pushing, biting.
2. Sexual Abuse – Things like having your private parts touched or someone making you touch theirs. It can also mean someone making you watch things that are inappropriate, take or share nude photos or encouraging you to do something sexual that you are uncomfortable doing.
3. Neglect – Things like not providing proper food, a warm and safe place to live. Not providing you with the right clothing and not washing Not taking you to the Doctors or Dentist when you need to go. Not taking you to school to get an education.
4. Emotional Abuse – Things like when someone upsets you or makes you feel bad for something you haven’t done. It might be someone being unkind about the person you are or saying horrible things to you making you feel sad and worthless.

All these things are not ok. Talk to someone you trust at school if you feel you are experiencing one or more of the above. We can help you.

Is someone 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 that upsets you? You must tell someone at school so we can help you.

Has someone touched you on a part of your body that 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. It is not your fault. You must tell someone at school so we can help you.

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 physically 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:

• Safeguarding team – Mrs Hodder, Mrs Tinker, Mrs de Scossa or Mrs Hetherington
• Your teacher or teaching partner
• Lunchtime or Office staff
• An adult that you trust

How does Uphill Village 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. All of the staff are here to support all our young people and their families if there is a concern. We promise to look after all our pupils and do everything we can to keep them safe.

What happens if you tell someone about your worries?

When you speak to a grown up and share your worries about what is happening they will listen to all that you have to share. They will make sure you are feeling safe at school and then share this with the DSL or safeguarding team. 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 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 young people. Your trusted adult can support you.

There are lots of other agencies who support children and their families 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 trusted adult will talk to you and explain all of this, and you can always go and ask them questions if you are unsure about anything

Remember it is not ok to not feel safe.

Date Policy Adopted: March 2023
Date for review: Spring 2024
Agreed by Academy Council