Keeping Young People Safe

Our integration of Online Safety awareness across the curriculum enables us to discuss the sometimes difficult topics in a mature way that engages young people in all year groups. We are committed to ensuring the safety of our students in their use of modern technologies, including not only the PC, but also mobile phones and gaming.

We have gathered together some useful links and resources with advice for protecting you and your child online. These, along with our Online Safety Policy, can be found below.

Useful links

• Parent’s guide to Houseparty
• Parent’s guide to TikTok
• Parent’s guide to YouTube moderation
• Keeping children happy and safe online during COVID-19
• Guide to Blocking and Reporting
• Setting up parental controls for...
  • Broadband provider
  • TV and streaming services
  • Game consoles
  • Apple devices
  • Android devices

General advice

• internetmatters.org
  Lots of support on all aspects to do with parents keeping their children safe online.
• Common Sense Media
  Independent parental advice on the benefits and dangers of apps, games, movies etc.
• Parent Info
  Lots of support/advice on all social media apps and games.
• Thinkuknow
  Advice from the National Crime Agency on how to stay safe online. It includes sections for parents and students and advice on reporting.
• Net Aware
  NSPCC site giving guidance and advice on all social media apps and games.
• UK Safer Internet Centre
  Consortium of charities to raise awareness and offer advice to parents and students.
• Childline
  Includes advice on how to report abuse.
• NetSmartz
  Age-appropriate videos and activities to help teach children be safer online.

Landau Forte Charitable Trust and its academies fully encourages the use and access of the following website for parents, staff and school leaders, http://www.educateagainsthate.com/

This important site brings together the best advice, support and resources available for parents, teachers and school leaders who want to learn how to protect young people from extremism and radicalisation. This site provides helpful guidance and support to the information on this academy’s website about how tackle radicalisation and extremism and how to tackle signs of both. What is so important about this resource is that it does not just offer information for teachers and schools - but parents as well. While schools may be able to spot the signs of radicalisation, the truth is much of it takes place beyond the school gates, in families or friendship groups, in communities and increasingly online. That means parents must be equipped to help protect their children from extremism. They need to understand the threat that extremist organisations pose, how radicalisation happens, what the warning signs look like and who to turn to for support if they are ever worried. The information and advice available on Educate Against Hate will be an invaluable resource in helping them to do that and all are encouraged parents to visit the site and familiarise themselves with the information it provides.

Our academies also play a key role in spotting the signs of radicalisation - just as they do when young people experience other threats or difficulties, such as CSE [child sexual exploitation], eating disorders, mental health problems or drugs. Our academies can pick up those behavioural changes which may signal that a student is being radicalised before their peers or even their parents have spotted them. That is why it is so important that academies see protecting children from radicalisation as part of their safeguarding duties. The vast majority of staff in schools do this already and want to play their part. This website, Educate Against Hate is set to become a tool that helps schools do that.

This website provides up-to-date, practical advice that will help heads and governors understand the procedures their school should have in place to robustly tackle the threat, and will help teachers facing these issues in the classroom to understand radicalisation, its warning signs, and crucially where they can get further support.

We have well established safeguarding policies and procedures in place and we actively promote the welfare of everyone on our site. We recognise that safeguarding against radicalisation and extremism is no different from safeguarding against any other vulnerability.

All of our staff are expected to uphold and promote the fundamental principles of British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Although the Academy is situated in Tamworth, we have come across an excellent document for parents and carers produced by Tower Hamlets Council.

If any parent/carer has a concern about radicalisation and extremism, the Academy can be contacted on 01827 301800, contact can be made with Staffordshire Police by calling 101 (ask for M.A.S.H. (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub)), or alternatively the national anti-terrorism hotline is available on 0800 789 321.

Our Safeguarding Policy is available for your reference below:

The DfE have recently reinforced the need

“to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”

The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, these values have been reiterated in November 2014 in the DFE document “Promoting fundamental British values as part of SMSC in schools”. These values are reinforced through our Tutorial System as well as through the curriculum. Citizenship is delivered throughout key stages 3 and 4 during PSHE, RE and Philosophy and Ethics learning sessions.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures involving the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or any other injury to the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons. FGM is considered a grave violation of the rights of girls and women.

If you have concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a young person, please contact Staffordshire County Council on the numbers below:

• First Response Service
  Monday - Thursday from 8.30am – 5.00pm
  Friday from 8.30am – 4.30pm
  0800 1313 126
  [email protected]
• Emergency Duty Service
  All other times
  0845 6042886

If there is an imminent threat of harm to others call 999.

If you would like to discuss a matter with the Academy , then please contact Mrs Nikki Howley via email ([email protected]) or by calling the Academy on 01827 301800.

Further details about how we deal with safeguarding issues, incliding FGM, is available in our Safeguarding Policy below:

Below is a link to help, advice and support for any young person who thinks they may be subject to a forced marriage. A forced marriage is defined as when one or both people do not consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used.

Please always dial 999 if you think you are at imminent threat of harm.

• Forced Marriage Unit