Schools are charged with maintaining a safe, supportive environment which protects the rights and needs of children at all times. School staff have regular contact with children and young people, and a responsibility to help to identify signs of children in need of additional support or protection accordingly.
Together, these responsibilities are called safeguarding.
At Highfields Spencer Academy, the safety and welfare of our children is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise our safeguarding responsibilities to include:
- creating a safe environment for children and young people through robust safeguarding practices;
- ensuring that adults who work in school, including volunteers, are able to work with children safely, and are properly trained and equipped to do so;
- teaching children and young people to stay safe; and
- maintaining an environment in which children feel confident to approach any member of staff if they have a worry or problem.
As part of our safeguarding delivery Highfields Spencer Academy follows the procedures set out by the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (www.ddscp.org.uk) and take account of guidance issued by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (in particular Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education 2007).
CEOP Reporting
To make a report to CEOP, click the image on the right or follow this link.
Unsure if you should make a report? Get more information here.
Highfields is a National Online Safety School
Click here for our online safety letter to parents and information on how to download the app.
Click here for further information on the NOS app.
Safeguarding Contacts in School
- Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Anna Jones, Principal
- Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Rachel Huntingford, EYFS Lead
- Safeguarding Governor: Paula Evans, Vice Chair of Governors
- Online Safety Lead: Rachel Wardle, Computing Co-ordinator
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Team: Laura North and Catherine Thompson
- Whistleblowing contact for Spencer Academies Trust: Sarah Macaneny
To contact the team, please email safeguarding@highfieldsspencer.co.uk.
Download our safeguarding team poster here.
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
Real Love Rocks is a healthy Relationships and Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) programme that is part of Barnardo’s, a UK based charity working to protect, support and nurture the UK’s most vulnerable children. Our Year 6 team will be trained to deliver the Real Love Rocks programme on behalf of Barnardos. All Year 6 children will receive this training in the Summer Term.
For more information see the parent information sheet attached here.
Early Help Offer
Early Help means taking action to support a child, young person or their family early in the life of a problem, as soon as it emerges. It can be required at any stage in a child’s life from pre-birth to adulthood, and applies to any problem or need that the family cannot deal with or meet on their own.
Please click here to find out more about our Early Help Offer at Highfields.
Safeguarding Policies
- Click here to view our safeguarding policy.
- Click here to view our safeguarding policy addendum for COVID-19.
- Click here to view our additional policies which also offer further safeguarding support (please see our behaviour, anti-bullying, e-safety, RSHE, safer recruitment, whistleblowing, volunteers in school and complaints policies).
Prevent Strategy
The PREVENT approach at Highfields Spencer Academy is very much part of our curriculum, culture and processes. We see it as an integral aspect in promoting the safeguarding and well-being of our children.
Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. At Highfields Spencer Academy we also believe that this work extends to supporting children’s thinking skills so that they grow up without developing extreme views.
The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent Islamist groups and other causes.
Click here to find out more.