Safeguarding

The aims of our Safeguarding policy are Prevention, Protection and Support in line with Child Protection guidelines. The Academy safeguarding procedures ensures that we:

• Support our students' development in ways that foster security, confidence and independence.
• Raise the awareness and importance of recognising and reporting safeguarding, and of moral and professional responsibilities amongst all stakeholders including support and teaching staff, governors, students, visitors and parents.
• Provide high quality training and awareness campaigns for staff, and to ensure that the SLT/DSL/DDSLs undertake appropriate training (including biannual level 3 training and safer recruitment training).
• Provide a systematic means of monitoring all students, particularly those who are vulnerable or known to be ‘at risk’ of harm.
• Emphasise the need for excellent communication between staff, students, parents and external agencies (including the Police, PREVENT duty teams, Social Services, Youth Offending teams and other key agencies and workers involved in supporting our students and families).
• Develop, implement and review structured procedures within the Academy so that they are effective and can be understood and consistently followed by all members of the Academy community.
• Maintain vigilance and an ‘it could happen here’ attitude, and that we build a holistic picture of each child’s needs by paying attention to each factor or piece of information.

Parents and members of the local community can contact the Safeguarding Team via the Academy telephone number 020 8981 2680 or by email on safeguarding@harrisscienceeastlondon.org.uk.

Members of the public are also able to make direct referrals to Social Care. Please find below details of Children’s Services in our local area.

For Newham residents

• TEL: 020 3373 4600 during office hours (Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm)
• OUT OF HOURS TEL: 020 8430 2000
• EMAIL: childrenstriage@newham.gcsx.gov.uk
• LINK: Newham MASH referral form can be accessed here

For Tower Hamlets residents

• TEL: 0207 364 5006 option 3 (Monday-Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm)
• OUT OF HOURS TEL: 0207 364 4079
• EMAIL: MASH@towerhamlets.gov.uk 
• LINK:  Tower Hamlets MASH referral form can be accessed here

The Newham LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) dealing with allegations against members of staff is Nick Pratt and Alex Mihu who can be contacted on 0203 3733803 / 0203 3736706 and lado@newham.gov.uk 

For safeguarding concerns about an adult, contact the person mentioned in the diagram below, depending on who the concern is about.

We monitor students' use of the internet by using filters and monitoring systems (Securus). Securus is monitoring software that can monitor a wide range of devices. It monitors against an inbuilt library of keywords and phrases organised into categories with each one given a default severity rating. 

The library is developed in partnership with a number of charities and specialist organisations within law enforcement and child protection. The programme monitors both online and offline material and recognises inappropriate or harmful content, words and phrases.

A screen shot (known as a ‘capture’) plus other details is taken of every incident triggered, showing what was displayed at the time, who was involved and when the incident took place. This information is shared with the DSL and Principal, allowing Academy staff to implement further actions or interventions as required.  

We are proud to work with a number of different professionals and agencies, including the police. There are now over 450 Safer School Partnerships operating throughout England and Wales, with police officers and community support officers based in schools to work closely with staff and students.  

PC Kudliskis and PC Jackson are our Safer School’s Police Officers and work with staff, pupils and parents in the academy.

Harris Science Academy East London experiences of a wide range of guest speakers, lecturers, and visitors to enrich and augment the curriculum and learning opportunities of our students. 

However, the safeguarding of our pupils is at the forefront of everything we do.  To ensure that guests' and visitors’ information is in line with our own values and ethos the Academy completes a rigorous process of checks.  By completing these checks, the Academy is confident that we are protecting our students from extremist views such as radicalisation and homophobia while enjoying the wide benefits of external speakers.

The Academy believes and actively supports the view that all students should be protected from radicalisation and extremism. We deliver lessons on British Values to safeguard pupils against radicalisation and extremism through our Personal Development and Assembly Programmes. The Academy's designated, accredited PREVENT Duty Lead is Malini Sarkar

The PREVENT duty has two specific strategic objectives to safeguard our students against radicalisation, extremism and any actions or beliefs that are contrary to British values and our academy ethos.

1.      Respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it.

2.      PREVENT people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure that they are given appropriate advice and support.

Our Academy opposes all forms of extremism. We define ‘extremism’ as vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

The Academy works closely with the counter-terrorism referral programme “Channel”. The programme uses a multi-agency approach to identify and provide support to individuals who are at risk of being drawn into terrorism by:

• identifying individuals at risk
• assessing the nature and extent of that risk                           
• developing the most appropriate support plan for the individuals concerned.

The online world is a wonderful place for young people to explore, with unprecedented opportunities for learning and creativity. But just like the real world there are risks and dangers they should be aware of, and which we can act to protect them from. Although the Academy teaches students e-safety as part of the curriculum, it is vital that parents are aware of the risks too, and what they can do to develop a culture of e-safety in the home.

This page has some helpful resources for parents that will enable you to help your child stay safe online. If you have any concerns about your child's e-safety, there is always someone at the Academy who is available to talk to you. Simply call the school and ask for our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Malini Sarkar, or speak to any member of staff.

The Think You Know website is created by the police for parents of children at secondary school. It contains useful information about:

• what children are doing online
• how to talk to children about what they are doing online
• what risks your child might face
• what tools are there to help them stay safe.

Think You Know have also produced the Parents' Guide to E-Safety as well as the following booklets to provide parents/carers with helpful information on how to explore and monitor their children’s apps.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Kik messenger
• Musical.ly
• Snapchat
• WhatsApp
• YouTube

The term ‘sexting’ describes the use of technology to share intimate images of yourself. It’s a word-mix of sex and texting. The content can vary, from text messages to images of partial nudity to sexual images or videos. For more information and guidance for parents and children visit the Childnet website. If you have shared something online that you are now regretting you might find the So You Got Naked Online leaflet helpful, produced by the South West Grid for Learning.

School Help Advice Reporting Page System

We all work together at Harris Science Academy East London to help with any problems you may have in or out of school. Click here if you wish to contact us through Ms Sarkar, you don't have to leave your details if you don't want to.

Parents' guides to Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp and TikTok from the Online Safety Alliance. Download the guides.

List of helpful online resources produced by Childnet

www.childnet.com – Visit the ‘Know It All’ Section for an interactive guide about online safety

www.getsafeonline.org – Free up-to-date security advice

www.ceop.police.uk – Website of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre

www.bbc.co.uk/onlinesafety – guidance about how to make the most of being online while staying safe.

www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/share-aware - the NSPCC has launched the Share Aware campaign which provides straightforward advice to parents on how to keep their 8-12-year-olds safe on social networks

https://coramvoice.org.uk/ - Coram Voice is for any child in care, leaving care, or who has a social worker or needs one. Coram Voice can tell you about your rights, make sure you get the help you need and get your voice heard. You can also call their Advocacy Helpline 0808 800 5792. Download the Get Your Voice Heard leaflet.

Squid Games -  What Parents Need to Know

Download 'Online Safety Tips for Children', from National Online Safety. Right-click on the image and choose 'save as...' to download.

Download a '9 Top Tips to Get Smart About Children's Devices', from National Online Safety. Right-click on the image to download.

Contextualised safeguarding

‘Contextual safeguarding’ is an approach to understanding, and responding to, young people's experiences of significant harm beyond their families. It recognises that the different relationships that young people form in their neighbourhoods, schools and online can feature violence and abuse. At HSAEL we place our approach to safeguarding within the context of the community safety strategies and priorities of the London boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets. You can find a range of support offers from Newham on the Parent Connect monthly newsletter found at the bottom of this page.

Contextualised safeguarding in action

Different contexts appears to have different ‘weights of influence’. For example, the influence of peers may outweigh that of parents/carers. There is also an interplay between different contexts and relationships. For example, the impact that young people’s experiences have on their relationships in school, and vice versa.

Diagram: Contexts of Adolescent Safety & Vulnerability (Firmin 2013)

Young people’s engagement in extra-familial contexts can also inform, and be informed by, what is happening in their homes. Therefore, when young people are exposed to violence or exploitation in their school, community or peer group it may fracture their family relationships and undermine the capacity of their family to keep them safe.

Gangs

A gang can be summarised as a group who see themselves and are seen by others as a gang, and for whom crime and violence are a central part of their activities. Children and young people face all sorts of pressures, including possibly feeling pressure to follow friends who may be in a gang. If you have any concerns or questions about gangs please do contact our safer schools police officers (see above). You might also like to read the Home Office leaflet Gangs: You and Your Child which gives advice to parents on gangs and how to help children make the right choices. Westminster Council have also produced a leaflet with advice and guidance to parents and carers about serious youth violence, knife crime and gangs.

What is a Money Mule?

More young people across the UK are being approached by criminals who want to use their bank accounts or pin numbers for criminal purposes. This is called being a ‘money mule’. A ‘mule account’ is used to hide money that comes from illegal activities. The young person may be asked to transfer money, allow access to their account or open up a new one. Sometimes criminals will try and force young people to become mules or they might offer financial incentives such as cash or mobile phone credit.

We need your support to help educate young people around this issue. Has your child been approached or asked for their bank account to be used? Check any bank statements. Is there money going in and out that cannot be accounted for? Ask questions if you are unsure about anything.

Bank accounts are private and must only be used by the account holder.  Any misuse could not only be criminal but could cause serious credit issues for the account holder. Police are working in partnership with many schools across London to combat this issue. If you have any concerns, speak to your Safer Schools Police Officer (see below) and/or Action Fraud (www.actionfraud.police.uk) on 0300 123 2040.

Drugs networks ('County lines')

The National Crime Agency, the UK body charged with fighting organised crime, is very concerned that crime gangs are taking over drug networks using telephone hotlines (called 'county lines') and recruiting vulnerable people, often children, to act as couriers and to sell drugs. Please see our information sheet about 'county lines' and 'cuckooing' - the practice whereby professional drug dealers take over the property of a vulnerable person and use it as a place from which to run their drugs business.

What parents need to know about MOMO

Momo is a sinister ‘challenge’ that has been around for some time. It has recently resurfaced and once again has come to the attention of schools and children across the country. Dubbed the ‘suicide killer game’, Momo has been heavily linked with apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, and most recently (and most worryingly)... YouTube Kids. The scary doll-like figure reportedly sends graphic violent images, and asks users to partake in dangerous challenges like waking up at random hours and has even been associated with self-harm. You can download a guide for parents about MOMO, published by National Online Safety.