Safeguarding/Child Protection
The health, safety and welfare of all our children are of paramount importance to all the adults who work in our academy. Our children have the right to protection – regardless of age, gender, race, culture or disability. They have a right to be safe in our academy.
The academy is required to have rigorous policies and procedures in place to safeguard children. The academy has several members of staff who have undertaken specialist training and take on the roles of Designated Senior Person (i.e. to deal with safeguarding and child protection concerns).
It may be helpful to know that the law places a duty on the Principal and her staff to report any obvious signs or suspected cases of child abuse – which include non-accidental injury, neglect, emotional abuse and/or sexual abuse. The procedures are intended to protect children at risk and all schools and academies nationally are expected to take the attitude that where there are grounds for concern it is better to be safe than sorry. This does mean that the academy staff risks upsetting some parents/carers by reporting a case which, on investigation, proves unfounded. In such circumstances, it is hoped that parents and carers would accept that the staff acted in what were believed to the child’s best interests of the child.
In line with government requirements the academy maintains a central list of checks on appointed staff and adults who work in or visit the academy. Any volunteer or parent working in the academy is subject to full background checks. The academy has an agreed Safeguarding (including Child Protection) Policy.
OTCA Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
OTCA Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy COVID Addendum 8th March 2021
Focus Trust policies on
- Managing Allegations Against Staff and Volunteers
- Whistleblowing
can be found here.
Trafford Children’s First Response
Trafford Children’s First Response is Trafford’s single point of contact for all professionals and members of the public to report concerns, request advice and share information about a child and/or family.
If the child is at immediate risk of harm call the Police on 999.
If you are a member of the public who has a concern about a child, and they are not at immediate risk of harm, you should call Trafford Children’s First Response on 0161 912 5125 during office hours (Mon – Fri 8:30 – 4:30) or 0161 912 2020 out of hours (Emergency Duty Team).
Website link Trafford First Response
Keeping Safe Online
Parental controls
Follow the link below to NSPCC advice on parental controls. This takes you to a collection of advice including how to set parental controls on different devices, and guidance on lots of apps such as Tiktok.
NSPCC guidance on parental controls
Our key messages to children
Using the internet at home is different to using the internet at school. At school we have special filters that make searching for things safe and you may not have these on your home computers. Here are some ways to keep you safe on the internet.
Think SMART and follow these rules when using the internet (Taken from KidsSmart).
SAFE
Keep safe by being careful not to give out personal information when you’re chatting or posting online. Personal information includes your email address, phone number and password.
MEETING
Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. Only do so with your parents’ or carers’ permission and even then only when they can be present. Remember online friends are still strangers even if you have been talking to them for a long time.
ACCEPTING
Accepting emails, IM messages, or opening files, pictures or texts from people you don’t know or trust can lead to problems – they may contain viruses or nasty messages!
RELIABLE
Someone online might lie about who they are and information on the internet may not be true. Always check information with other websites, books or someone who knows. If you like chatting online it’s best to only chat to your real world friends and family
TELL
Tell your parent, carer or a trusted adult if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, or if you or someone you know is being bullied online.
Are you aged 5 – 7 years old? Here is a website that will help you keep safe on the internet:
http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/5_7/
Are you aged 8 – 10 years old? This website will give you ideas and strategies to keep safe on the internet:
http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/8_10/
If you need anymore information please ask your parent or your teacher at school.
Operation Encompass
Our academy is part of a project, which is run between Trafford Local Authority, schools and Greater Manchester Policy. The project is called Operation Encompass and has been designed to provide early reporting of any domestic abuse incidents that occur outside schools, which might have an impact on a child in school. This is communicated through a secure email to school following an incident.
The project ensures that at least one member of the academy staff, known as the Key Adult, is available to liaise with children’s services and the police, and to use the information that has been shared, in confidence.
In this way, we aim to support each child who has been involved in, or witnessed, a domestic abuse incident.
The Key Adults at Old Trafford Community Academy are the Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and Assistant Headteachers.
If they receive an Encompass notification they will make sure that a person the child trusts is available to help – if the child needs this. Most of the time this support is silent; keeping a careful eye on him or her and making sure the child has a calm school day. The confidential information is ordinarily not shared with all staff, just an agreement on how to help, if needed.
All schools have a duty to share any information with other organisations if they feel a child is at risk of being hurt. The Key Adult may contact other organisations.
The sharing of information from the police allows the academy to be ready to help the child straight away, and it means that parents are aware that the Key Adult knows that something has happened. Parents can come and talk to our Key Adult. The Key Adult can point parents towards other people that can help.
This initiative will contribute to our current safeguarding procedures, to enable us to protect and support children’s well-being.