Safeguarding & Child

PROTECTION

We take safeguarding very seriously. The Academy has clear policies and procedures to safeguard and promote the welfare of young people.

All adults who regularly work on our site are required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to prevent unsuitable people from working with pupils. All visitors are closely supervised when on site.

Key Staff
Designated Safeguarding Leads (also Designated teachers responsible for the educational achievement of Looked After Children and PREVENT Leads) Bridie McLoughlin
Brid.McLoughlin@tong.staracademies.org
01274 681455
Child Protection Officer

Sadra Afzal
Sadran.Afzal@tong.staracademies.org 
01274 681455

 

Johannah Cook 
Johannah.Cook@tong.staracademies.org
01274 681455

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads
 
Carl Seale 
Carl.Seale@tong.staracademies.org
01274 681455

Johannah Cook 
Johannah.Cook@tong.staracademies.org
01274 681455

 

Sadra Afzal 
Sadran.Afzal@tong.staracademies.org
01274 681455

Rukhsana Saeed
Rukhsana.Saeed@tong.staracademies.org
01274 681455

Lead Governor for Safeguarding and Child Protection

Paul Urry

C/O Tong Leadership Academy

01274 681455

Trust Safeguarding Link

Bushra Kamal
Bushra.Kamal@staracademies.org 

 

0330 313 9901

We ensure staff have the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to keep children safe through provision of regular training on child protection issues. Qualified Designated Safeguarding Leads (Child Protection Officers) within the Academy provide support to staff members to carry out their safeguarding duties and liaises closely with other services such as children’s social care.  We also have a designated lead Governor for safeguarding/child protection on the Governing Body.

Our staff are trained to be vigilant for all kinds of safeguarding concerns, including bullying, online safety, emotional or other abuse or extremist behaviour. We have clear procedures in place where any potential safeguarding concerns are identified. We share information with other public bodies – within agreed protocols.

As part of the Academy’s safeguarding measures, we also ensure our pupils are not exposed to inappropriate political or controversial messages. Through our pursuit to develop exemplary citizens, we promote fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.  In line with this, we ensure all expressed views and actions contrary to these values are challenged. We are alert to the indicators of radicalisation and take steps to protect those who may be susceptible to messages of violence. All concerns are reported and, where necessary, referred to external agencies.

Online Safety – Advice for Parents

Whilst our Academy has comprehensive safeguarding arrangements in place to ensure our pupils’ online safety, it is equally as important for parents to talk to their children about online safety and monitor their internet usage at home, using age-appropriate parental controls to restrict their access to unsavoury material. Parental controls can be activated on home broadband, search engines, YouTube, mobile phones and games consoles.

Whilst it may not always be easy to talk to your child about challenging issues such as sexting, cyber bullying, and pornography, if you are open and honest with them about the dangers they may encounter online, it may encourage them to confide in you in the future. If you are concerned that your child is being secretive or spending too much time online, it may be worth moving their computer into a communal family area so that you can keep an eye on them.

You should encourage your child to act responsibility online, and treat others as they would wish to be treated. You should also warn your child that they should never hide behind an anonymous user name to make unkind comments, or say something they would be reluctant to repeat during face-to-face interactions. Remind your child that the comments they make and the pictures and videos they post online may end up having a wider audience than they anticipated – and even if they delete them, there’s no guarantee that someone hasn’t already saved, downloaded or taken a screen shot of their post.

Children under the age of 13 should not be using social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr – this is stipulated in the sites’ terms and conditions – but it easy for them to set up an account by claiming to be older than they actually are. If your child does have a Facebook or other social media account, it is important to encourage them to use enhanced privacy settings, so that only their friends are able to search for them and see what they are posting. Warn your child that they must never accept friend requests from strangers or people they don’t know very well. You should also encourage your child to accept you, or a trusted friend/relative, as their “friend” or “follower,” as this will enable you to monitor – at least to some extent – their online posts, conversations, and the friends they are choosing to accept.

Parents should also be aware that content filters may not always work if a child is using public Wi-Fi, so it is important to ensure their access to unprotected Wi-Fi is limited.

Click here to view an advice leaflet for pupils.

Click here to view an advice leaflet for parents.

If your child has been targeted online, the website Internet Matters offers detailed advice about who to report the incident to. Links to other websites that you may find useful are included below:

The Centre

Someone to talk to…

The Centre is in Zone 5C (near the 6th Form and SLP areas). It offers a confidential* service for all students, with advice and counselling on a wide range of issues, such as; Anxiety, Health Lifestyle, Positive Relationships, Bullying, Friendships, Internet Safety, Quit Smoking Information, Self -Harm, Anger Management, Bereavement, Sexual Health, Self Esteem, Body Image, Depression and more…

*The only reason we may have to discuss passing on confidential information would be if a pupil or someone else may be in danger or at risk of harm. We would always try to talk about this with the individuals concerned first.

Many of The Centre’s services are run during lessons and by appointment only.

There are drop in session for all students in school and this runs every break and lunch time. This allows students to “drop in” for advice or information without having an appointment. Opening Times for Drop In:

  • Break Time
  • 1st Lunch (7,11, 6th form)
  • 2nd Lunch (8,9,10)
Mental Health and Wellbeing 

At Tong Leadership Academy we understand that in order to achieve our mission of educational  excellence, character development and service to the community, our young people need strong and resilient mental health. We know that to achieve strong mental health, the education surrounding the topic is paramount and must include an understanding of the signs and symptoms of mental health issues and strategies to improve it. To ensure this is achieved, knowledge and understanding of mental health and wellbeing are at the heart of our curriculum and pastoral support. We are committed to ensuring the correct signposting is always in place and that support is readily available when needed. Our mental health and safeguarding page is updated regularly with resources and information to ensure that our families have an overview of the local and national services that are available along with strategies that can be used to support our young people’s mental health. If you would like any further support on services and support available, please contact the school and ask to speak to the Deputy Safeguarding Lead or a member of the Child Protection and Safeguarding Team.

We have prepared a Powerpoint presentation which contains lots of useful numbers for support with mental health and wellbeing issues. 

 
Title
Keeping Mentally Healthy
    Quotes from Pupils

    “The Centre boosted my confidence and I don’t know what I would have done without the support.” – Year 10 Student

    “The staff have been so helpful, don’t be afraid to tell them any of your problems.” – Year 7 Student

    “Coming to see Carol has helped me control my anger, I enjoyed doing the anger management programme.” – Year 8 Student

    “Coming to The Centre is good it has helped me stopped smoking.” – Year 11 Student

    “Thank you for talking about periods and girls things with me.” – Year 9 Student

    “Carol & Kirsty have helped me through so much in my time at Tong, without The Centre I think I would probably still be angry with everyone and everything.” – Year 11 Student