“Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility”

Children have a right to be cared for and protected, protecting them is everyone’s responsibility. Here at Ysgol y Bedol we have a duty of care to ensure that all users of the school are kept safe from harm. We are committed to provide a secure and supportive environment in which children can develop and grow into mature and responsible people. Safeguarding children is an essential part of our holistic approach to ensure that children are protected from abuse and neglect and that every child reaches their full potential.

The school’s staff, volunteers and service providers have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children as a shared responsibility with parents and other carers. To support this statement, the school may signpost to services that are specialised to promote opportunity, prevent problems, act early and effectively if and when concerns arise. Therefore, whilst we do not want to worry you, we will report to Children’s Social Care if we have any reason to believe that a child may be at risk of suffering abuse or neglect.

If you have any concerns please speak to the Designated Child Protection Officer or the Deputy Child Protection Officers 

Attendance and Punctuality

“Attendance matters…”

School Processes

• If a child is absent, parents need to inform the school on the first day of absence.

• If a child is absent and no message has been received by 9:30am, then the school will contact the home.

• The school will update parents on their child’s attendance every term.

• If attendance causes a worry, then the school will invite parents to discuss the issue and how best to support good attendance.

• If attendance drops below 80% then the school is required to refer this to the LEA.

• It is important that children arrive on time. If you arrive late then you will need to sign a late log to note the reason for being late

• The late log will be monitored and should the school notice any patterns then you will be invited into the school to discuss reasons and ways to support you to improve punctuality.

As a school we aim to:

• Maintain parents’ and pupils’ awareness of the importance of regular attendance.

• To raise attendance

• Improve punctuality

• To raise level of achievement

• Maximise opportunities both in school and in later life

Good attendance is important because:

• Statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and poor attendance

• Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically

• Regular attenders find school routines and school work easier to cope with

• Regular attenders find learning more satisfying

• Regular attenders have an easier transfer to secondary school

E-Safety / Online Safety

10 useful tips / ideas for staying safe online

1)  Don’t ban your child from using technology

The media is full of scary stories about online risks for young people. However, it’s important to not let potential problems stop you from letting your child use technology for their education and personal interests.

Risks can be minimised when the whole household agrees to some solid strategies. Read on!

2) Take an interest in your child’s online world

Talk to your child about what they’re doing online. Take an interest in their interests and consider co-viewing or co-creating with them from time to time.

3) Remember, you’re in charge

At the end of the day, remember you’re the parent. Set boundaries and consider using filtering software and parent controls on devices (but be aware that this is only part of the solution).

4) Create a family media agreement

Create your own internet/device rules for your household and have your child agree to adhere to them.

5) Help your child learn about privacy

Teach your child to keep personal information private online. YAPPY is a useful acronym to remind children of some of the personal information they should not share on public online spaces (blogs, forums, social media, etc.).

YAPPY stands for: Your full name, Address, Phone number, Passwords, Your plans and birthday.

6) Help your child to think critically when they’re online

Remind your child that not everything you read or see on the web is true, and not everyone online tells the truth.

7) Keep the lines of communication open

It’s crucial to talk to your child regularly and openly about what they’re doing online.

Encourage your child to tell you if they ever have a problem online. Help them come up with a plan of attack if they ever see anything online that makes them feel worried or unsure (e.g. tell an adult, close the tab, etc.).

8) Strive for balance in your household

Encourage your child to balance their screen time and green time, and encourage offline interests.

9) Be aware of age restrictions

Many popular sites (YouTube, Instagram, etc.) have age restrictions, and these are in place for a reason: to keep young people safe.

Don’t allow your child to sign up for sites if they’re underage or not ready.

10) Educate yourself

Explore reliable resources for parents so you can educate yourself and protect your children.

A key message that underpins all of the above is: be a role model. Our own digital habits, like being constantly distracted by our own devices, are noticed by children. 

Prevent Statement

What is the Prevent strategy

Prevent is a Government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes.

The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent Islamist groups and other causes.

How does the Prevent strategy apply to schools?

From July 2015, all schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism.

This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views the same way we protect them from any other harm.

Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues, at an appropriate level so they better understand how to protect themselves.

Preventing Radicalisation in School

Building resilience in our young people and the promotion of fundamental British values is at the heart of preventing radicalisation. We do this by providing a safe place in which children can discuss issues, and we aim to give them the knowledge and confidence to challenge extremist beliefs and ideologies.

Our new prevent duty is carried out under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, which legally requires us to take steps to prevent pupils from being drawn into terrorism.

We recognise that we play a vital role in keeping children safe from harm, including from the risks of extremism and radicalisation, and in promoting the welfare of children in our care.

What we do if there is a concern

If we have a concern about a particular pupil we will follow the school’s normal safeguarding procedures, including discussing with the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead and Prevent Lead, Gethin Richards, or a member of the Safeguarding Team where deemed necessary, with children’s social care.

We may also contact the local police force or dial 101 (the non-emergency number). They can talk to us in confidence about concerns and help us gain access to support and advice.

Operation Encompass

Anti-Bullying

Rationale

Ysgol y Bedol is committed to a policy of inclusion, equality and justice. We provide a warm, caring and safe place for all our children so that they can learn and play in a relaxed and secure environment.

We believe that bullying of any kind is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our school. We take all incidents of bullying seriously. No one deserves to be a victim of bullying. We believe that where bullying is challenged effectively pupils will feel safe and happy and we will demonstrate a school that cares. Everybody has the right to be treated with respect and pupils who are bullying others need to learn different ways of behaving.

At Ysgol y Bedol, we acknowledge that bullying can and does happen from time to time and that bullying can happen to adults in the workplace. When bullying does occur, everyone should feel able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively in accordance with our school anti-bullying policy.

All children and young people have the right to be protected from physical, emotional and mental violence; a right enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children also have the right to learn, live, travel and play in a safe environment where they can thrive and achieve their full potential.

Our bullying policy should be read in conjunction with our school’s behaviour policy.

What is bullying?

In Ysgol y Bedol we define bullying as follows:

Bullying is when an individual or group deliberately hurts another or makes them feel unhappy. Bullying behaviour will be repeated over a period of time and is difficult for the victim to defend against. Bullying may be racist, sexist, or homophobic. People can be bullied for any reason; because of the way they look, because of their religion, their age, because of a learning or physical disability for example.

Bullying is a blight on the lives of our children which inhibits full participation in education and learning, cultural, social and leisure activities. Whatever the reason, bullying is never acceptable and will not be tolerated in Ysgol y Bedol

Bullying can take many forms, but three main types are:

• Physical – hitting, kicking, spitting, demanding money or belongings.

• Verbal – name calling, insults making racist, sexist, homophobic or offensive remarks.

• Indirect – excluding or ‘blanking’, spreading gossip, damaging property, offensive or abusive emails, text messages or posts on websites – known as ‘cyber bullying’. We believe that bullying someone by email or text messages is still hurtful and will be dealt with in the same manner.

Bullying is not:

It is important to understand that bullying is not the odd occasion of falling out with friends, name calling, arguments or when the occasional trick or joke is played on someone. It is bullying if it is done several times on purpose (STOP).

Children sometimes fall out and say things because they are upset. When occasional problems of this kind arise, although unkind, it is not classed as bullying. It is an important part of children’s development to learn how to deal with friendship breakdowns or a childish prank. We all have to learn how to deal with these situations and develop skills to repair relationships.