Safeguarding
Safeguarding at East Bergholt High School
At East Bergholt High School we are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all staff and students. Safeguarding children and young people is the responsibility of all staff and we carry out regular training to ensure they are all confident of identifying and reporting when a young person requires support. We fully believe in the principles set out in the Government’s Keeping children safe in education (2021) statutory guidance, which states:
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all practitioners should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.
In addition, all of our students are educated about how they can keep themselves safe and the responsibility that the school and its staff have in relation to safeguarding young people. We deliver regular content relating to safeguarding in daily registration periods, fortnightly PSHE lessons and throughout the curriculum. Relationships and sex education and online safety are embedded throughout a variety of subjects and reinforced with recurring age appropriate content. For example subject content relating to the dangers of online safety or how to have positive relationships will mature with the age of the students.
As a school we work together with external agencies to ensure safeguarding
Who do I contact if I have a concern?
If you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Form Tutor in the first instance using the following email address:
Should you have an urgent safeguarding concern, where a young person is at immediate risk of harm, please telephone the school and ask for a member of the safeguarding team. Alternatively you can email the team using the address below, which is monitored throughout the school holidays:
Safeguarding Team at EBHS
Mr J Lee - Deputy Headteacher - Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mr S Mallard - Assistant Headteacher - Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs B Dearling - Student Support
Mrs E Barnes - Student Support
Mrs R Johnson - Student Support
Mrs J.Kennell - SEND and Safeguarding Administrator
Online Safety
Rapidly changing technology and advancements with the internet means that young people are exposed to so much more at a younger age than previous generations. At East Bergholt High School we deal with incidents of poor online behaviour on a daily basis. Incidents such as sexting, posting nudes and semi-nudes, cyber-bullying and scams (as well as many others) require significant time and support from our pastoral team. To a lesser extent the dangers of grooming and sexual exploitation are rife online.
There is far more pressure on parents to understand the technology their children are using and take responsibility for both policing and supporting their children when using devices and consoles.
Useful Links
Mental Health
More and more young people are struggling with their mental health, which is no surprise given that one in four adults suffers with poor mental health throughout their life. It is quite normal for young people to experience forms of anxiety, low mood and insecurities, many will also take to some minor self-harm. However, these problems can develop significantly if young people are not supported to manage their feelings and develop resilience and coping skills. Some young people will develop more severe mental ill health and require specialist support, such problems include:
- Self-Harm
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Suicidal Thoughts
- Self-Isolation
- Gender Issues
If you feel your child is experiencing mental ill health, it is important to let us know at school so we can support your child. It might also be worthwhile arranging a GP appointment or we could refer your child to the school nursing team or emotional wellbeing hub.
Useful Links
New Emotional Wellbeing Gateway – information and support to help families stay mentally well.
Anna Freud Centre - our mission is to transform the experience of children, young people and their families with mental health.
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people
NHS Children and young people - Consent to treatment
NSPCC Mental Health Advice for Parents