Safeguarding

At Ark Boulton Academy we take our duty to 'safeguard and promote the welfare of children' very seriously. We strive to create an environment in which children feel safe, secure and respected. 

We encourage them to talk openly about anything that worries them, and help them to feel confident that they will be listened to. 

Adults in our school take all welfare concerns seriously, are alert to the signs of abuse and neglect, and trained to follow our robust procedures to ensure that children receive effective support, protection and justice.

If you have any concerns about the health and safety of a child at this school or feel that something may be troubling them, you should share this information with an appropriate member of the school staff straight away. Some issues, such as concerns about a child’s appearance, lack of hygiene, or behaviour, should be shared with a member of the academy’s Pastoral team. 

Do not worry that you may be reporting a matter which seems small – we would rather you tell us something which does turn out to be a minor issue than miss something that forms part of larger, more worrying situation. 

If you think the matter is very serious and may be related to a child protection issue, including physical abuse, sexual abuse and / or harassment, emotional abuse (including child-on-child abuse), or neglect, you must talk to the academy’s Designated Safeguarding Leads as shown below as soon as possible.

Any allegations against, or a disclosure involving a member of staff or a volunteer in the academy must be reported directly to the Head of School, unless it involves the Head of School, in which case it should be reported directly the Executive Principal. 

Safeguarding legislation and government guidance says that safeguarding means:

• Protecting children from maltreatment
• Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
• Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
• Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes

Our priority is your child’s welfare and therefore there may be occasions when our concern about your child means that we must consult other agencies – including the Police – even before we contact you. Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership and West Midlands Police have laid down the procedures that we have a duty to follow.

If you would like to know more about these procedures, please speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Ms Savage.

In addition, there may be occasions where staff become aware of or feel the need to become involved in situations where there is a risk of children being involved in any of the following:

• Self-harming
• Causing injury to other children, staff, parents and visitors
• Causing damage to property.

In these situations, staff will make dynamic or planned risk assessments to help keep all children safe.

The Children Act 1989 makes it clear that in any decision involving a child, “the paramount consideration must be the child’s welfare”.

Please refer to our Behaviour Policy for a list of items prohibited from the academy for the safety and welfare of pupils, staff and visitors.

Thank you for your support.