Safeguarding

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mrs S Goscombe

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Ms C Powell

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mr B Novis

How we manage concerns

Should a member of staff be concerned about a specific student or incident, they will complete a record on an online portal: MyConcern. This is immediately highlighted to the safeguarding team who will then act in what they believe to be the best interests of the child.

This is likely to involve speaking to the student and where appropriate contact with family is made to discuss any concerns or highlight something that has happened. We recognise that sometimes the news may come as a shock or surprise, but it is important that we deliver this information. We may also seek advice from either the Education Safeguarding Advice Service or from the Local Support Team. If there is a need to contact families, it may be that we need to pass on advice or request that you consider engaging with support from an external agency or a medical professional. At no time do we ever judge. Please also be assured that the information is kept confidential and only shared with the necessary staff to ensure appropriate support can be provided.

In certain situations, we may also need to escalate the situation to Staffordshire Children’s Advice and Support Services. The team we contact will directly advise us regarding next steps. Should we disagree with their advice, there is an escalation process that we can use, although that is rarely the case.

Filtering and Monitoring

At Rugeley John Taylor School we also utilise online monitoring services on all school devices and those that access our network which is compliant with the UK Safer Internet Centre standards. For any children who use school devices at home, it is important to be aware that usage is also monitored by the service. To avoid conversations that students may find tricky, please ensure that school devices are only used for school purposes and remain the responsibility of the allocated student. It is strongly advised to avoid allowing others to use the laptop at home.

For all school devices, data capture includes any internet site used, anything that is searched for, pictures and anything that is typed – this is even if it is NOT saved, or it is deleted. Anything that is considered not to be appropriate or could be a potential safeguarding concern will be identified, and a report will be sent to the safeguarding team on a weekly basis – or sooner (immediately) if there is thought to be a significant concern. The system will also monitor any ‘off-task’ activity e.g. time spent listening to music, time not working when on a laptop, use of games etc.

Online Safety

We aim to ensure that all members of our community are able to work in a safe and secure environment, this includes when accessing the internet. Rugeley John Taylor School does not accept or tolerate inappropriate use of our ICT network.

We will raise awareness and educate students on safer online practices through our RISE curriculum including lessons and assemblies. Students will be taught about potential risks, how to report concerns and how to make decisions that will keep them safe online.

At Rugeley John Taylor School, we have a system which monitors all members of our community when accessing any of our ICT network. Any use of our network, which does not comply with our Acceptable User Agreement will be followed up by staff. Please read more about this in our monitoring and filtering section.

Parents can also support staff and students by monitoring their child’s use of social media, checking that they are safe by ensuring privacy settings are appropriate and set to ensure that children can only communicate with people they know, checking the nature of posts made online, paying regard to the digital footprint that is being created when your child posts online and ensuring that interactions online are not in any way negative. Most social media platforms have age restrictions, and we strongly advise parents to pay due regard to these. Where incidents occur relating to inappropriate use of social media, it may be appropriate for the school to involve external agencies to support children and parents.

Useful Link for parents: Keeping children safe online | NSPCC