Everyone who works in our school has a responsibility to make sure that all our students are safe.
Wycombe High School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, trustees, supply staff, visitors and volunteers to share this commitment. We listen intently to our students and any concerns they may have, and take seriously what they tell us. We work in partnership with parents/carers to enable our students to enjoy school, achieve their full potential and make a positive contribution to the wider aspects of school and community life.
To ensure a safe school environment, our selection and recruitment policy includes all checks on staff and regular volunteers’ suitability, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, as recommended by Buckinghamshire Council, in accordance with current legislation.
In accordance with our responsibilities under section 175/157 of the Education Act 2002 and ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ September 2022, we have a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for safeguarding and child protection, Mrs Jonsmyth-Clarke, Deputy Headteacher, who has received appropriate training for this role. It is her responsibility to ensure that all staff in contact with children receive Child Protection awareness training on a regular basis.
We pride ourselves on working closely with our students and their parents/carers. Sometimes we need to contact other agencies regarding concerns about a child. On occasion, Social Care or another external agency may want to speak to a child without a parent’s/carer’s knowledge, for example, whilst undertaking an investigation under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989.
The procedures that we follow have been laid down by Statutory Guidance and the Local Safeguarding Children’s Partnership, and the school has adopted a Child Protection Policy based on the Local Authority model.
A national campaign launched in 2018 by the Department for Education to encourage members of the public to report child abuse.
The campaign’s main message is that if you’re worried about a child or think their safety might be at risk, then it is important to tell someone. You don’t have to be absolutely certain about whether a child is being abused; if you have a feeling that something’s not right, talk to your local children’s social care team who can look into it.
Everyone has a role to play in helping to protect children. All children have a right to be safe and should be protected from all forms of abuse and neglect.
It is not just up to social services, doctors and the police to spot the signs of abuse and neglect. It is important that we all look out for children and young people within our community who may be experiencing abuse or neglect. Members of the public, and particularly other parents, are in a unique position to spot concerns among children with whom they have contact – which may not be apparent to professionals.
Some of the signs of abuse or neglect include changes in:
A third of people who suspect child abuse, do nothing. Some people don’t act on their suspicions because they’re worried about being wrong. It is better to help children as early as possible so that action can be taken to help the child and support the family concerned.
In 2014/15 more than 400,000 children in England were supported because someone noticed they needed help.
Listed below are website links which may be of interest to you/your child. Please be aware that reference to these links does not imply endorsement of, or support for any of the linked information, services, products, or providers and that we are unable to verify, or exert any editorial control or influence over information on the website pages shown. Users of the websites are therefore responsible for independently verifying all information.
www.cruse.org.uk – Information for bereaved people.
www.childbereavementuk.org – Bereavement support for children and young people.
www.eatingdisorderssupport.co.uk – Local self-help group.
www.b-eat.co.uk – Eating disorder charity and information service.
www.ceop.gov.uk – Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP).
www.thinkuknow.co.uk – CEOP website for children and parents.
Online safety home activity worksheets
Online safety toolkits (thinkuknow.co.uk)
www.getnetwise.org – How to be wise on the net.
www.saferinternet.org.uk – Online safety site for teachers, parents and children.
www.childnet.com / www.kidsmart.org.uk / www.digizen.org – Help to make the internet safe for young people.
Follow the TALK checklist to help keep your child safe online (Internet Watch Foundation). The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) tells us that ‘since the start of the pandemic, the amount of ‘self-generated’ child abuse imagery has increased dramatically. In 2020, the IWF confirmed 68,000 cases of such imagery, a rise of 77% on the year before. It accounts for nearly half (44%) the imagery we took action on last year. in 80% of these cases, the victims were 11-13 year old girld’. The IWF has created a resource to help parents and carers understand the risks of ‘self-generated child sexual abuse imagery’ using the acronym ‘TALK’. To find out more please visit https://talk.iwf.org.uk/
www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/sexting/
Sexting is when someone shares sexual, naked or semi-naked images or videos of themselves or others, or sends sexually explicit messages. They can be sent using mobiles, tablets, smartphones, laptops – any device that allows you to share media and messages. Sexting may also be called: trading nudes, dirties or pic for pic.
Read the Online privacy settings from Barnardo’s R U SAFE.
OnlyFans – Important information for parents regarding OnlyFans- parentzone.org.uk/article/onlyfans-%E2%80%93-what-parents-need-know
www.bucksfamilyinfo.org – (Bucks County Council) – Free, impartial information for families with children aged 0 to 19 (or up to 25 years with SEND) / Young people and professionals
www.youthgambling.com – Support with gambling addiction and other high risk behaviours.
www.gamcare.org.uk – Support with gambling addiction.
www.actionforhappiness.org – Ideas for how to help individuals improve their own wellbeing as well as helping to build a happier and more caring society.
www.nutrition.org.uk – Information to support healthy eating and lifestyles.
www.nhsinform.scot – NHS website with information on healthy lifestyle choices.
The National Sleep Helpline helps anyone with sleep issues including adults, parents and young people. The helpline is available from 7pm and 9pm, Sunday to Thursday on 03303 530 541. Poor sleep can affect anyone and it can be a major stress for parents whose own sleep can be impaired by their children’s difficulties getting to sleep, staying asleep or staying in their own bed, leading to greater stress.
Having a sleep issue is surprisingly common. At any given time this affects up to 40% of adults and 50% of children (this rises to 80% with a SEND diagnosis). These problems are typically persistent and do not resolve themselves without intervention. Families often don’t know where to seek help and yet issues can often be nipped in the bud with basic and accessible interventions.
Mental health and counselling
www.youngminds.org.uk – Charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people.
www.minded.org.uk – Educational resource on children and young people’s mental health for all adults.
http://way-in.uk – Counselling – free & confidential plus sexual health, young addiction, young carers.
www.getselfhelp.co.uk – Self-help on a wide variety of topics.
www.yeswycombe.org – Free and confidential support, information and counselling to young people (13-25) in the High Wycombe area.
www.bbc.co.uk/parenting – Information for parents.
www.familylives.org.uk – A national charity that works for, and with, parents.
www.parentinfo.org – Parent Info is a free website and newsfeed for parents and carers.
www.selfharm.co.uk – Helping young people with self-harm.
www.harmless.org.uk – Supporting young people with self-harm.
www.tht.org.uk – Terrence Higgins Trust – sexual health.
www.fpa.org.uk – UK’s leading sexual health charity.
Sexual Abuse Learning Programme – Parents Protect
www.wearewithyou.org.uk – Young Addaction Buckinghamshire – substance misuse for young people.
www.cranstoun.org/service/switch-bucks/ – Switch Bucks is an alcohol and drug service for young people in Buckinghamshire.
www.drinkaware.co.uk – Developing a healthy approach to alcohol.
www.alcoholeducationtrust.org – Helping young people develop a healthy relationship with alcohol.
Cannabis Edibles – Over the summer there was some media reporting about ‘sweets’ laced with cannabis, amongst other things. Here are some resources that you might find useful:
The Surrey Safeguarding Partnership and Catch-22 have produced this helpful leaflet: Edibles: Information for Parents & Carers https://cdn.catch-22.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SYPSMS-Edibles-Information-for-Parents.pdf
Ealing Grid for Learning has a ‘toolkit’ about edible cannabis, which includes a powerpoint presentation from the Metropolitan police, here: Safeguarding alert: Edible drugs disguised as sweets https://www.egfl.org.uk/news/2021/03/safeguarding-alert-edible-drugs-disguised-sweets
Another resources is: Cannabis Edibles Information Sheet (SORTED) https://safeguardpro.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Edibles-Info-Sheet-SORTED.pdf
NHS guidance on smoking and how to quit
www.quitshisha.com – Build awareness about the effects and harms of smoking shisha.
www.talktofrank.com – Information about drugs for parents and children.
www.wearetheloop.co.uk – The Loop that aims to promote health and minimise harms in nightclubs, bars and festivals.
County lines – www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-is-county-lines
Children as young as 12 are being put into danger by criminals who are taking advantage of how vulnerable these young people are. Criminal exploitation is also known as ‘county lines’ and is when gangs and organised crime networks exploit children to sell drugs. Often these children are made to travel across counties, and they use dedicated mobile phones ‘lines’ to supply drugs.
www.techaddiction.ca – Information and support on the issue of excessive video game and internet use.
www.nspcc.org.uk – Prevention of abuse, source of support for parents and young people if you have concerns about abuse and wellbeing, including e-safety.
www.childline.org.uk – A free, private and confidential service for young people where you can be you. Whatever your worry, whenever you need help, however you want to get in touch. We’re here for you online, on the phone, anytime.
www.themix.org.uk – The Mix is a UK based charity that provides free, confidential support for young people under 25 via online, social and mobile.
www.papyrus-uk.org – Prevention of young suicide. Hopeline UK for confidential support and practical advice 0800 068 4141
www.samaritans.org – Available 24 hours a day for someone to talk to about any concern.
Breast ironing – www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-47695169
The practice involves ironing a girl’s chest with hot objects to delay breasts from growing, so she does not attract adult attention.
If you don’t know, don’t go (West Yorkshire Police) – We’re coming towards the party season now (Christmas 2021), and many young people will be heading out to celebrations, often in the home of friends’ or acquantances. Although many of these parties will end with nothing worse than a sore head, other events may lead to greater problems, including sexual exploitation, drug use or risky behaviours. West Yorkshire Police has informed young people about the potential dangers of house parties on its website, and how to keep themselves safer. For information and a poster please visit: https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/party
www.nhs.uk/conditions/female-genital-mutilation-fgm/
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-47131052
www.28toomany.org/what-is-fgm/
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, but where there is no medical reason for this to be done. It is also known as “female circumcision” or “cutting”, and by other terms such as sunna, gudniin, halays, tahur, mergrez and khitan among others.
www.ltai.info/what-is-prevent/ – Channel provides support across the country to those who may be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. The overall aim of the programme is early intervention and diverting people away from the risk they may face. Channel uses existing collaboration between partners to support individuals and protect them from being drawn into terrorism.
Prevent is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. Prevent is 1 of the 4 elements of Contest (Counter Terrorism strategy), the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
www.youngcarersbucks.org – Support for young carer
Protecting children from trafficking and modern slavery | NSPCC Learning
If you have a Safeguarding concern and wish to speak to a member of the Safeguarding Team at Wycombe High School please call Reception on 01494 523961 between 8.15am and 4.15pm during term time.
If you have a serious concern for the immediate safety or wellbeing of a student please contact the police on 101 or 999, or Social Care on 01296 383962 (daytime) or 0800 999 7677 (out of school hours).
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