Digitech Studio School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. It is our expectation that all staff, volunteers and members of the school community share this commitment.
Meet the team:
Concerns
Concerns about Students
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 at [email protected]
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 Chris Ballard (Principal). Should you feel that your concerns have not been dealt with appropriately by the school or Chair of the School Council, you should contact the Local Authority Designated Officer: Tina Wilson (tel) – 01454 868508
Concerns about the School Site
If you have any concerns regarding the safety of the school site, please contact V Balasco ([email protected])
Policy
The School Council and school staff team 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 Academy councilor responsible for safeguarding at Digitech Studio School is Andy Ling. All staff are familiar with the government’s guidance for schools – ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’.
E-Safety
At Digitech Studio School we aim to equip our students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to use information and communication technology creatively and purposefully. A key aspect of this lies in being digitally literate. Online technologies play a huge role at our school and therefore we endeavour to provide a broad and balanced e-safety education so that our students can navigate the online world safely and positively. Students at Digitech learn about e-safety during lessons, tutor time activities, and through regular assemblies conducted by our safety officer Ben Foulger.
To recognise that all students and staff at Digitech understand how to use electronic devices appropriately we all sign the acceptable use policy to promote that we understand the responsibility of using technology recognising how to use them safely and who to go to if we have an issue.
A copy of the acceptable use policy can be found here.
Useful Links to support students and parents with E-Safety
Please also feel free to read this blog on staying safe online. It is an interesting read and very informative on how to protect yourself online.
Female Genital Mutilation & Honour Based Violence
Female Genital Mutilation
Female genital mutilation is the mutilation of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is often referred to as female circumcision, ‘cutting’ or ‘sunna’.
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: [email protected]
Telephone: 0800 028 3550
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. They report any concerns through CPOMS, an electronic child protection management system that automatically alerts the Designated Safeguarding Lead and the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and action is taken immediately.
Training has included:
Safeguarding awareness for every member of staff and Governors to include basic awareness, CSE, FGM/HBV, racist/homophobic and transgender bullying
• Prevent training for every member of staff and Governors
• Safeguarding Assembly for students
• E-Safety assembly for students
• Prevent Assembly for Students
• Channel/Prevent online course for all members of staff and Governors
• CPOMS training for all staff
• Regular safeguarding updates through staff briefings
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.
Mental Health Advice
All students at Digitech have access to mentoring and also have the opportunity to discuss PSHE topics such as sex education, careers advice, employability skills in discrete weekly ‘Digitech Plus’ lessons.
Remember you can get a variety of support for your mental health (Kooth, Me Too, Well Being Ambassadors, Staff, NHS, Off the Record, Family etc.). Try until you find one that works for you. Also remember that you need to keep it topped up (don’t just do it once!)
