Greyfriars Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its pupils.
Safeguarding Statement – Our school aim to work in close partnership with parents to support the children in every way possible.
However, there is a clear responsibility to ensure we work together with other agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children. As a result, if concerns are raised within the school, or a child or parent reports a situation involving possible abuse, we are required to refer such matters to the appropriate Children’s Services, in line with Government and Norfolk County Council policy.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Consequently all adults working in our academies are required to complete a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) Enhanced Police Check.
It may be helpful for parents to know that the Local Authority requires Heads of School to report any obvious or suspected case of child abuse which includes non-accidental injury, severe physical neglect, emotional abuse and/or sexual abuse.
This procedure is intended to protect children at risk and schools are encouraged to take the attitude that where there are grounds for suspicion it is better to be safe than sorry. This does mean that Heads of school risk upsetting some parents by reporting a case, which on investigation proves unfounded. In such circumstances, it is hoped that parents, appreciating how difficult it is for Heads of School to carry out this delicate responsibility, would accept that the Head of School was acting in what were believed to be the child’s best interests.” You can discuss concerns about your child with your child’s class teacher but if you have concerns about another child you can contact the following designated staff in our academies:
Head Teacher & DSL – Mr Aidan McGovern – head@grf.unity-ed.uk 01553 773087
Assistant Head Teacher & Lead DSL – Mrs Janet Moyle – jmoyle@grf.unity-ed.uk 01553 773087
Sendco & DSL – Mrs Samantha Howlett – sjoyce@grf.unity-ed.uk 01553 773087
Cromer Class Teacher & DSL – Mrs Amy Wright – awright@grf.unity-ed.uk 01553 773087
Parent Support Advisor & DSL – Miss Susan Pedalino – spedalino@grf.unity-ed.uk 01553 773087
Keeping Children Safe
Online Safety
The safety of our pupils is of paramount importance to us. We believe in supporting parents to keep children safe in all aspects of their life, especially online.
The best way to keep children safe online is to be armed with information so please use the links below to find out all you can to help protect your child at home when using the internet.
Talking to your child about staying safe online – NSPCC
In school, we follow a strict e-safety policy and teach children how to be responsible internet users during Computing lessons.
Safe Search Kids is a custom search engine using Google’s SafeSearch features with additional filtering to block more potentially harmful material.
The Children’s Commissioner’s Digital 5 a day
Easy to follow, practical steps for children and parents to achieve a healthy and balanced digital diet
The digital 5 a day provides a simple framework that reflects the concerns of parents/ carers as well as children’s behaviours and needs. It can also act as a base for family agreements about internet and digital device use throughout both the holidays and term time.
Based on the NHS’s evidence-based ‘‘five steps to better mental wellbeing’, the digital 5 a day campaign gives children and parents easy to follow, practical steps to achieve a healthy and balanced digital diet.
Connect
The internet has enabled everyone to maintain friendships and family relationships no matter where they are in the world and children often say that chatting with friends is the best thing about social media.
It’s important to acknowledge that this is how children keep in touch but it’s also important to have a conversation with them about who they are connecting with and their privacy settings. Remember to keep a dialogue open and talk to your child to understand how they’re spending their time and so that they can come to you for help should they need to.
Be active
Activity is very important for mental wellbeing and all children should have time to switch off and get moving.
Children don’t have to be an athlete to be active. Find something that they enjoy – be that swimming, walking, dancing or yoga – begin at a level that works for them and make it a regular activity.
Researching an activity or place online before going out is a good way of combining the two and provides an opportunity for you to use the internet together.
Get creative
The internet provides children with unlimited opportunities to learn and to be creative. From learning to code to building complex structures in Minecraft to creating video content, the summer can be a great opportunity for children to build their digital skills. Time spent online doesn’t have to be spent passively consuming content. It can be educational, creative and can provide opportunities to build skills for later life.
Give to others
As well as using the internet to learn about how to get involved with local and national charitable schemes, children can give to others through their everyday activities.
Remind children that by giving positive feedback and support to friends and family as well as reporting the negative behaviour of others, children can help the web make a positive place for everyone.
Be mindful
We hear that children often feel pressured by the constantly connected nature of the internet. While they might want to do other things, it can be difficult for them to put their phones down when apps are encouraging them to engage. Being mindful about the amount of time that your child is spending online – and encouraging them to be mindful about how this makes them feel – is important.
Encourage children to come up with ways of managing this i.e. keeping a diary as way of logging the amount of time they are spending online or downloading an app that helps them manage their notifications.
Online Safety
Roles and Responsibilities
E-Safety is an important aspect of strategic leadership within our school. The Headteacher and Governors have ultimate responsibility to ensure that the policy and practices are embedded and monitored. The named E-Safety coordinator is Sharon Nour. It is the role of the E-Safety Co-orindator to keep abreast of current issues and guidance through organisations such as Becta, CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) and Childnet.
We do promote the use of safe Internet practices throughout school and encourage these as the children leave our gates. We strongly advocate family involvement in how their children use the Internet and other means of electronic communication.
Throughout school, there are age appropriate signs explaining how we can be E-Aware. Everyone is encouraged to report misuse of the Internet and anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. Similarly, if staff find any cause for concern it will be tackled immediately and in line with school policies.
E-Safety in the Curriculum
We are continually updating how we teach children to stay safer online. We use Childnet to support children’s E-learning with specific reference to the Kidsmart website and actively promote the age restrictions for social media platforms and games.
How families can help support their children
We offer information events for families about how we teach computing and what the children are learning. We strongly recommend families and children use the CEOP website, Think U Know website, NSPCC Net Aware website to support E-Safety at home. These have information for families to help support and guide children as well as giving information about the minimum ages for social media and other apps.
We recommend that families follow the advice and guidance given on the CEOP website that covers a range of concerns and behaviours families may want to explore with their children.
