Safeguarding

Making sure that our students are safe is the number one priority. Our key job is to make sure we identify, help and manage any child protection concerns. For us this will include our safeguarding curriculum, that is, how we educate our students, in an age-appropriate way,
to look after themselves, physically, emotionally and mentally.

Harris Clapham Sixth Form is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of young people, and we expect everyone who works in and with our sixth form to share this commitment.

Reporting and managing any concerns

We will have a senior member of staff (called the Designated Safeguarding Lead) to oversee this aspect of safeguarding. They will also be supported by a range of different staff. Staff, volunteers and visitors have a duty to report concerns about a young person, either because the young person may be in need of additional support or if it is thought that a child may have been abused or is at risk of abuse. We know that our students may come from different boroughs and so we will share the contact details for each borough with our staff so everyone knows this important information.

Educating our students to stay safe

It is important that we teach our students, even though they are between 16 and 19 years old how to stay safe. This will reflect the contextual safeguarding risks in and around Lambeth where the academy is based. Currently, this means ensuring students particularly know about:

• child criminal exploitation, including ‘county lines’
• serious youth violence, including knife crime
• child sexual exploitation, including for boys
• protection from radicalisation, extremism and terrorism.

We will work with a variety of agencies, including the police, in helping to educate our students on staying safe. We will also have our personal, relationship, social and health education programme that will specifically map out and plan what and how students will learn to stay safe over the course of Years 12 and 13.

Students will also have their form tutor who will get to know them really well and will be the first port of call should there by any day to day welfare concerns. We will also have a counselling service as part of our welfare team that students where students will be able to self-refer.