At The Halley Academy we take our responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children seriously. The academy plays an important role in the wider safeguarding system for children and all of our staff receive appropriate and ongoing training. Safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility and we know how important it is that children are happy and safe.
The Halley Academy Safeguarding Team
As of June 2023:
- Mrs Cronin – Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Mr Kamya – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Ms Wilson – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Mr Russell – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (Principal)
- Ms Harrington – Safeguarding Administrator
Safeguarding at The Halley Academy
- We know what our roles and responsibilities are to keep you safe.
- We take all allegations, suspicions and concerns seriously and report them properly.
- We talk to other people about any concerns to develop the best way to help you.
- We complete risk assessments to ensure that all potential dangers in learning activities have been identified.
- We have assemblies, lessons and action days where we learn about safeguarding such as online safety, sexual harassment and violence and anti-bullying.
- We treat everyone fairly with dignity and respect.
- All adults will listen to what you have to say with an open mind.
- Adults will not ask leading questions so that you have to reveal more details.
- If they are worried about your safety, they might invite another professional to talk to you.
- Adults will never stop you from freely talking or sharing about significant events
- Adults will ensure that all concerns are recorded.
- Adults will not promise to keep secrets.
- They will explain that they have a responsibility to report what has been said to someone else if they are worried about your safety.
- All adults will immediately tell the Safeguarding Team if they are worried about your safety.
- Speak to an adult at school if you are worried about something, it could be a teacher, your tutor, your Director of Progress, your Small School Manager or one of the Safeguarding Team.
- Be aware that you are not alone and that people will always help you.
- Be aware that there are lots of support services available.
If you are in immediate danger contact the police on 999.
Further Information
Safeguarding Websites and Links
- NSPCC
- Greenwich Safeguarding Children Partnership Information for Families and Schools
- ChildLine
- Kooth – mental health and wellbeing
Online Safety
- Thinkuknow – Ask the awkward
- Thinkuknow
- GOV.UK – Internet Safety
- Parent zone
- ChildNet
- National Online Safety – parents receive a weekly online safety guide sent via the academy. Please contact your child’s small school for details to log in as a Halley Academy parent.
Sexual Violence and Harassment
- Guidance – Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges
- Brook.org.uk
- UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS)
- The law on sex – Factsheets – FPA
- Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people | GOV.UK
- Sexual consent – The Mix
- Abuse in young people’s relationships | Safe lives
- Resources to help identify and engage young people at risk of sexual abuse and exploitation | Barnardos
- ItsNotOkay.co.uk
- Friends, relationships and sex | ChildLine
- Preventing Child Sexual Abuse & Keeping Children Safe | NSPCC
- Myths about rape | Rape Crisis
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass is a national scheme that operates jointly between schools and all police forces. Operation Encompass means that our academy will be told, prior to the start of the next school day, when police have attended an incident of domestic abuse where there is a child or young person who attends our academy who is related to any of those involved in the incident.
We have ensured that a member of our staff, (Designated Safeguarding Lead) known as a Key Adult, has been trained about Operation Encompass procedures. This allows us to use the information that has been confidentially shared with us by the police, to understand how a child may be impacted by domestic abuse and to then offer support to the children in our care.