Safeguarding at Woodlands Academy of Learning

At Woodlands Academy of Learning, safeguarding is our highest priority. We are fully committed to creating a safe, caring, and supportive environment where every child can thrive, feel protected, and be confident that their wellbeing is valued. Safeguarding underpins all aspects of school life, and we work proactively to ensure all our pupils are safe, both in school and beyond.

We have a strong, experienced safeguarding team in place who are trained to respond swiftly and effectively to any concerns. Our team works closely with children, families, staff, and external professionals to promote the best outcomes for all pupils.

Meet Our Safeguarding Team:

Tamsin Newton– Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
Responsible for overseeing all safeguarding and child protection procedures across the school.

Jayne Graham – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)

Catherine Macpherson – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)

Julia Jackson – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)

Lynne Edmunds – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)
 

Katherine Evans – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)
 

Lindsey Pedley – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)
Our DDSLs support the DSL in all aspects of safeguarding and are key points of contact for pupils, staff, and families.
 

Sally-Ann Dickson – SENDCo
Ensures that safeguarding practices fully reflect the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Sarah Harvey – Online Safety Lead
Leads our approach to digital safeguarding and promotes safe, responsible use of technology among pupils.

If you have any concerns about a child's safety or wellbeing, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our safeguarding team. We are here to listen and to help.

We can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work with parents to ensure the Online Safety message is consistent. It is important that parents speak to their children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online.
It’s essential to be realistic - banning the internet or technology will not work and it often makes a child less likely to report a problem. Education around safe use is essential.

Keeping Children Safe

During times when schools are closed, you may wish to talk to someone about concerns you have.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child, you can also contact the following:

MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub) 0300 555 2866 or out of hours on 0300 555 2922.

NSPCC - 0808 800 5000 or report online at NSPCC Helpline | NSPCC

Childline - 0800 1111 or online at https://www.childline.org.uk/

School Nursing Service

Our Single Point of Access (SPA) is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. 

Parent/carers can text a School Nurse and get advice and support on our Parent ChatHealth Text service on 0752 063 4909 or call our SPA on 01922 423349 and speak with a nurse.

Young People can also text a School Nurse on our Teen Chathealth 07480 635 363 The young person can text anonymously and advice is confidential.

Think before you share

Young people are sharing nudes for all kinds of reasons- with people they know and people they don’t. Those images are ending up in places they shouldn’t - with people who have no right to see them, let alone share them. When that happens, we are here to help:

https://www.thinkbeforeyoushare.org/

Other useful websites

GoCompare have compiled a guide to broadband parental controls and internet safety for children. Click on the link to find out more:

 https://www.gocompare.com/broadband/parental-controls/

Virgin Media O2 want internet users of all ages to enjoy all the wonderful things the web has to offer, safely. That’s why their experts have created a children’s internet safety test to help build awareness for parents and children of all ages to ensure they are better protected online.

https://www.virginmedia.com/blog/online-safety/childrens-internet-safety-test 

This website has some very useful guides for parents:

Back to school online safety guides - Internet Matters

Social Media Guide. Find out more about the safety features available on these popular social networks. 

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/social-media-guides

CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the abuse and exploitation of children in the real and ‘e’ world. Often it is referred to as an online 999. By clicking on the button, young people and parents can get advice on a range of issues such as viruses, hacking and dealing with bullying online.
Vodafone have produced a Digital Parenting Magazine which informs parents about the various technologies children are accessing today. There is information on Facebook settings, Xbox 360 settings, Blackberry settings, jargon busting and many more 'How to Guides'. They are well worth a read and some are attached below for you to download. 

The “Thinkuknow” website is brought to you by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre.

Recently, we have looked at the dangers of sexting and sending/posting inappropriate messages.

Click on the link below to take you to the thinkuknow website:

Kidsmart gives you lots of advice on how to stay safe online.
 

Internet Matters is a new online portal designed for parents to access simple, easy and practical advice about online safety for their children, right through from pre-school to teens. It provides tips on protecting children from online grooming, cyberbullying, privacy and identity theft and inappropriate content. Internet Matters is a not-for profit organisation set up by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media. 

ParentINFO is a collaboration between ParentZone and CEOP.  There are useful guides and articles on helping your child stay safe online.