Safeguarding Information
At Haywood Village Academy, the Academy Council and school staff team are committed to keeping our children safe. We believe it is everybody’s responsibility to act if they feel that a child is not being cared for properly, is being harmed or is at risk of harm.
Our Safeguarding Team
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility
Please report any concerns to Haywood Village Academy’s Safeguarding Team
Meet the Safeguarding Team
- Sarah Saunter – Family Support Worker and Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Craig Jones – Principal and the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Truon Ellis – Vice Principal and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Zach Alfieri – E-Safety Lead
- Mrs Kathryn Volk – Designated Safeguarding Academy Councillor (Governor equivalent) at Haywood Village Academy
If you are worried that a child is being harmed, or is at risk of being harmed, please speak to any member of our Safeguarding Team. All conversations will be dealt with sensitively and confidentially. However, you may wish to report a concern direct to North Somerset Council through the children’s front door or through NSPCC Childline click here.
All staff are familiar with the government’s guidance for schools: Keeping Children Safe in Education. We regularly review our school policies and procedures to ensure we fulfil our duty of care.
We are an equal opportunities employer. At least one member of every interview panel has had Safer Recruitment training. All offers of employment are subject to a disclosure and barring check (DBS), medical clearance and satisfactory references.
All visitors to the academy must sign in at main reception, where they will be issued with the ‘appropriate’ lanyard. All visitors with a red lanyard must be supervised at all times.
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 Principal. Should you feel that your concerns have not been dealt with appropriately by the school or Academy Councillors you should contact the Designated Officer for Allegations (DOFA).
07795 092 692
[email protected]
Academy Site
If you have any concerns regarding the safety of the school site, please contact a member of the school’s safeguarding team.
Safeguarding in the Curriculum
Click here to view how safeguarding is taught in the curriculum, in addition to the wider curriculum vision documents.
HVA Anti-bullying Policy for children
HVA Child-on-child Policy for children
HVA Complaints Policy for children
HVA Online Policy for children
HVA Privacy Policy for children
HVA Safeguarding Policy for children
E-Safety
Children at Haywood Village Academy use the internet on a regular basis as part of their learning. In school we have regular E-Safety activities to remind children of the importance of keeping themselves safe online. When using the iPads and laptops children are continually reminded of how to keep themselves safe and get the best from the amazing resources of the internet. The CLF uses Impero to help us monitor the use of the internet and immediately alerts us to any inappropriate content.
Below are a few links to some very useful information regarding E-Safety for parents, carers and children in different languages:
Supporting Young People Online
Supporting young people online (in Polish)
Children’s internet safety quiz
The ‘Thinkuknow’ website has been designed by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, who you may have seen commenting on issues in the News. This is a valuable source of information for children, parents, carers and teachers for learning about E-Safety and has some top tips on issues such as social networking. Jessie & Friends is a new series of three animations which aims to give 4–7-year-olds the knowledge, skills and confidence to help them respond safely to risks they may encounter online. To visit the Think U Know website click here:
‘Childnet’ provides useful links to websites relating to E-Safety for parents and carers.
Prevent Strategy
Haywood Village Academy takes its Prevent duty seriously. The Prevent duty became law back in 2015. This is a duty on all schools and registered early years providers to have due regard to preventing people being drawn into terrorism. To protect children in our care, we must be alert to any reason for concern in the child’s life at home or elsewhere.
The following website has a wealth of information about this subject:
Incidents of extremism and radicalisation are rare and as such when they do occur, make the news. As with all safeguarding issues, it is important to be vigilant, and not complacent, but also not to panic.
Further support can be found on the Counter terrorism website ‘Act Early’
The purpose of the ‘Act Early’ site is to increase awareness of the signs of radicalisation, where to go for help and support and to increase understanding and confidence in the referral process.
There is now more emphasis on making sure parents / carers can spot the signs in your children and how to safeguard them.
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’.
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
Child exploitation
Sexual exploitation can take many forms from the seemingly ‘consensual’ relationship where sex is exchanged for attention/affection, accommodation or gifts, to serious organised crime and child trafficking. What marks out exploitation is an imbalance of power within the relationship. The perpetrator always holds some kind of power over the victim, increasing the dependence of the victim as the exploitative relationship develops.
The NSPCC has useful information, follow this link to find out more-
Domestic abuse
Next link provide a range of services for parents who may be experiencing domestic abuse, follow this link for more information.
Other useful websites for supporting parents to safeguard children
Department for Education
Support for parents and carers to keep children safe online.
CEOP Education Team
Provides advice from the National Crime Agency (NCA) to help protect children and young people from online child sexual abuse.
Parent Info
A collaboration between Parentzone and the NCA providing support and guidance for parents from leading experts and organisations.
Internet Matters
Provides age-specific online safety checklists, guides on how to set parental controls on a range of devices, and a host of practical tips to help children get the most out of their digital world.
Let’s Talk About It
Advice for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation.
UK Safer Internet Centre
Tips, advice, guides and other resources to help keep children safe online, including parental controls offered by home internet providers and safety tools on social networks and other online services.
