School Police Officer
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Prevent Statement
On 1st July 2015 the Prevent duty (section 26) of The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 came into force. This duty places the responsibility on local authorities and schools to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.
Alexandra Park School is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its pupils. As a school we recognise that safeguarding against radicalisation is as important as safeguarding against any other vulnerability.
All staff are expected to uphold and promote the fundamental principles of British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. We believe that children should be given the opportunity to explore diversity and understand Britain as a multi-cultural society; everyone should be treated with respect whatever their race, gender, sexuality, religious belief, special need, or disability.
As part of our wider commitment to our safeguarding and child protection obligations we fully support the Government’s Prevent Strategy. The guidance is set out in terms of four general themes: risk assessment, working in partnership, staff training, and IT policies. Further information can be found here:
Revised Prevent duty guidance: for England and Wales - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
You may find these websites useful if you have any concerns or questions:
Educate Against Hate - Prevent Radicalisation & Extremism
Haringey's Leaflet on Radicalisation and Extremism
Home Office Briefing on how Social Media is used to Encourage Travel to Iraq and Syria
Expectations of Parents and Carers
We, the Governing Body, Headteacher and all members of staff, strongly believe that our school should be a welcoming and safe place for our children, staff, parents and visitors alike and that our parents share that belief. We have legal responsibilities for the safeguarding and wellbeing of children and staff, and a duty of care to all users of our school.
All adults who enter our school site at any time set examples of behaviour and conduct which influence children and young people and we believe that they should therefore demonstrate high standards of conduct in order to encourage our pupils to do the same. Parents and carers must show respect to all other parents and carers, children and staff. Please read our safeguarding leaflet for parents and visitors.
Behaviour which is regarded as unacceptable includes:
- Physical abuse, threatening, oppressive or aggressive behaviour or use of offensive language towards other adults, staff or children
- Entering the school site under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Smoking anywhere on the school site (this includes e-cigarettes)
- Bringing dogs, with the exception of Assistance Dogs, on to the school site without the explicit permission of the Headteacher
- Mobile phone use on the school site, without the explicit permission of the Headteacher (or in the case of an emergency)
- School-related issues which parents or carers have concerning school, pupils or their families must be brought to the attention of a member of staff. Parents or carers must not try to resolve any issues themselves by direct action on site. If issues cannot be successfully resolved by speaking to a staff member, parents’ and carers’ correct course of action is use our Complaints Procedure as appropriate
We expect all communication between parents and the school to be conducted in a polite and respectful manner. Communication may be similarly restricted if it becomes unacceptable.
The Expectations of Parents and Carers Policy can be viewed in the Policies section of our website.
Mental Health and Wellbeing including Physical Wellbeing
At Alexandra Park School, we aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for our whole school community (children, staff, parents and carers), and recognise how important mental health and emotional wellbeing is to our lives in just the same way as physical health. We recognise that children’s mental health is a crucial factor in their overall wellbeing and can affect their learning and achievement. All children go through ups and downs during their school career and some face significant life events.
The Department for Education (DfE) recognises that: “in order to help their children succeed; schools have a role to play in supporting them to be resilient and mentally healthy”. Schools can be a place for children and young people to experience a nurturing and supportive environment that has the potential to develop self-esteem and give positive experiences for overcoming adversity and building resilience. For some, school will be a place of respite from difficult home lives and offer positive role models and relationships, which are critical in promoting children’s wellbeing and can help create a sense of belonging and community.
Our role in school is to ensure that children are able to manage times of change and stress, and that they are supported to reach their potential or access help when they need it. We also have a role to ensure that children learn about what they can do to maintain positive mental health, what affects their mental health, how they can help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues, and where they can go if they need help and support.
Our aim is to help develop the protective factors which build resilience to mental health problems and to be a school where:
- All children are valued and know that they are all unique.
- Children have a sense of belonging and feel safe.
- Children feel able to talk openly with trusted adults about their problems without feeling any stigma.
- Positive mental health is promoted and valued.
We offer different levels of support:
Universal Support – To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum. For example developing resilience for all.
Additional support – For those who may have short term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.
Targeted support – For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such as wellbeing groups or personal mentors
Useful Wellbeing Resources
The following information and supporting documents from MIND may also be useful.
Drugs and Alcohol Awareness
The school provides a range of information in Relationships Sex Health Education (RSHE) lessons on drugs and alcohol and the dangers associated with both. The school works closely with Humankind and provides on-site drug and alcohol counselling support. The following links will provide support and understanding on drugs and alcohol for both parents and students
Insight Platform – Humankind (humankindcharity.org.uk) If you are under 21, would like to improve your health and wellbeing and make informed choices about drugs, alcohol and smoking in Haringey then we can help.
Honest information about drugs | FRANK (talktofrank.com) FRANK is a free service providing advice to people of all ages about drugs and information about local support services. Tel: 0800 77 66 00
Drug addiction: getting help - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Health, Eating, Mental health and Wellbeing
If you are concerned about your child’s weight, disordered eating habits, excessive exercise or possible eating disorder, it is important to seek medical guidance and advice as soon as possible. Of course, let a member of staff at school know so that we can support your child but staff are not medically trained and it is important to see your GP.
If you are concerned about your child’s mental health, possible self-harming, depression or more serious mental health concerns, please contact your GP who can advise further. If you become very concerned about your child, please attend A&E or call 999.
School has a linked school nurse and referrals for more general health concerns may be considered via a referral by school staff.
School has recommended many platforms for our students to read about and discuss their mental health and wellbeing.
Home - Kooth
Childline | Childline
https://opendooronline.org/
Haringey CHOICES
The links below may also be of help.
Home | Mind, the mental health charity - help for mental health problems
The UK's Eating Disorder Charity - Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk)
Help for suicidal thoughts - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Self-harm - what you need to know. (rethink.org)
Useful Resources for Parents
Humankind
Humankind’s INSIGHT Platform also work with parents
Insight Platform – Humankind (humankindcharity.org.uk)
Papyrus UK
Papyrus is a charity that campaigns for and supports young people and their families with issues around suicide. They provide confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person through their helpline:
Hopeline - 0800 068 4141
CALM
Campaign Against Living Miserably.
The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against male suicide, the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK.
London Helpline - 0808 802 5858
Young Minds
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity championing the wellbeing and mental health of young people.
YoungMinds champions children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing across the UK. Driven by their experience YoungMinds creates change so that children and young people can cope with life’s adversities, find help when needed and succeed in life.
Parents' Helpline - 080 8802 5544
Would you like to chat through your worries with another parent, who has personal experience of a child with mental health problems?
YM Parent to Parent is a new telephone listening service providing emotional support to parents and carers with concerns about their child's mental health and behaviour. It provides a vital opportunity for your voice to be heard, share your current difficulties, or simply offload.
APS Guide to Well-being
At Alexandra Park School we aim to look after all of our students academically, emotionally and socially; keeping minds and bodies healthy.
We are aware that students feel the pressure of modern society and need support in a variety of ways. The APS Guide to Well-Being is intended to provide students, parents, carers, family and friends with some easy ways to maintain all-round well being; mentally, physically and by eating well.
View all articles at ParentInfo; lots of useful digital resources provided by CEOP and ParentZone.
Conversations 4 Change
If you and your family are struggling to cope and need some practical support to move things forward, help is at hand.
Families can face challenges with a range of issues and Haringey's Early Help service can offer advice and guidance as well as practical, hands-on support, with a whole family approach.
Choices
There are many great community organisations and other services in Haringey to support emotional wellbeing.
CHOICES engage with these local organisations to provide you with a range of opportunities depending on your needs and your interests.
Strengthening Families Parent Programme
Haringey early help and prevention service and Coleridge Primary school are delivering Strengthening Families & Communities Parent Programme.
See Flyers for more information.
Does your child know more than you?
Parent GCSE pack
Useful Resources for Students
Online Safety Advice for Parents and Students
If you are concerned with your child’s online safety please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead on roriordan@alexandrapark.school or your child’s Director of Studies for support. Students can report concerns via the school website. Click here to report a concern.
We are committed to ensuring that students are safe when using the internet at Alexandra Park School. We ask parents/carers to be interested and supportive when monitoring their children’s use of the internet. This page has been designed to give you information that will support you in this role.
The internet is an amazing resource if used properly. If not, it can be a minefield. As a parent, it is very difficult to stay on top of social media, apps, online gaming, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snap Chat and the latest online crazes. More importantly:
- Do you know what your child is doing online?
- Do you know who they are talking to? Do you know what they are posting?
- Do you know how to take control and so ensure your child’s online safety?
What is my child doing online through social networking?
When online, children and young people can learn new things, get help with their homework, express themselves creatively and connect with friends and family. There are also risks, but by understanding and talking about the dangers you can help keep your child safe online.
We have put together some resources that will help you understand more about the risks to young people online and how you can help your child to stay safe:
Online Safety Factsheets on the following can be found by clicking on the relevant name:
We have put together some resources that will help you understand more about the risks to young people online and how you can help your child to stay safe:
If you are a parent or carer, please read this useful guide about cyberbullying , produced by Unicef. The guide tells you how to prevent and report cyberbullying.
Please also visit the Think u know website , created by CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre), which has advice for parents and carers about a wide range of issues, including the risks that children face online and how you can minimise them. You can also read this online safety checklist for parents and carers , produced by CEOP.
Barnardos has produced an interesting report on Digital Dangers
Online Safety Tips for Parents
The following tips will help you to keep your child safe online.
E-Safety Resources (alexandrapark.school)
- If you are a parent of a Year 7 or Year 8 child under the age of 13 it is illegal for them to have a Facebook profile or be on Instagram as the minimum age is 13. The profiles must be deleted.
- Make sure your child uses their online privacy settings at all times to keep their personal information private.
- Make sure your child regularly changes their password and does not share this with friends.
- Make sure your child knows not to share personal information like their name, address, mobile number, email address online.
- Inform your child that they should not post anything online that they wouldn’t want you to see. The Golden Rule is that if they wouldn’t want their parents to see it, don’t post it.
- Monitor their selfies. Ask them to show you what they are posting.
- Make your child aware that whatever they post online may come back to haunt them at a later date, whether it’s college or university leaders checking them out before offering a place or employers checking them out before a job interview. Once it is posted, there is no going back.
- Make sure your child only talks to real life friends or family on social media sites and in chatrooms.
- If your child talks to a stranger online or games with them online, please make them aware that they could be talking to or playing with anyone pretending to be something else, such as pretending to be a member of the opposite sex, pretending to be younger or older than they say they are, pretending to have a different job to the one they have.
- Ensure your child knows not to make arrangements to meet up with complete strangers online.
- Make sure that your child is not sharing their geo-location when they are online. Ensure they have geo-location disabled to keep their whereabouts private.
- Make sure your child knows that any messages and photos shared on Snap Chat no longer disappear but can now be saved. The sender is then informed that the recipient is saving what they have posted.
- Monitor that your child uses secure and legal sites to download music and games.
- Monitor that your child only uses online games, apps, films and social networks that are appropriate for their age. Age ratings come with all online games, apps, films and social networks.
- Is your child an internet gaming addict? Do they play for hours at a time? Do they talk about online gaming non-stop? Do they get defensive or angry when asked to stop? Are their sleep and meal times disrupted because of online gaming? Do they have red eyes, headaches, sore fingers, back or neck? Discuss with your child how long they play for. Set rules on how long they play for. Ban tech in their rooms after lights out or remove all tech from their rooms so they can’t play all night long when you think they are asleep. Arrange offline activities such as sports or clubs to get your child out of the house and away from the online games.
- The best way to find out what your child is doing online is to talk to them about it and to ask them to tell you and show you what they do, what sites they access, what things they post online.
- Ask your child how many followers do they have? Their followers should be only family and friends. Explain that some followers may not be who they say they are.
- Ask your child if they are taking part in online streaming. Online streaming is the process of delivering continuous multimedia forms, such as music and films. Paedophiles can use this to contact your child and abuse them by asking them to do a variety of things.
- Ask your child if they are being cyberbullied. Make sure they know how to block abusive comments and report content that worries them. This can be done on the CEOP website Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre (CEOP) at Thinkuknow - home
- Parents can gain a greater control of online safety at home by ensuring that parental controls are set on home broadband and any internet devices, including your child’s mobile phone. Parents can find out how to do this at your broadband provider’s website. Additionally, Google provide information and advice on how to set up online safety at home at Google Safety Centre – Stay safer online
- Talk to your child about the benefits and risks of social networking before they join any sites. Let them know that anything they upload, email or message could stay around forever.
- Make your child aware that using public Wifi might not filter inappropriate content, so they should look for friendly Wifi symbols when they are out and about.
- Inform your child that they should check attachments and pop ups for viruses before they click or download anything.
- Have a family agreement about where your child accesses the internet. If they are accessing it in their bedroom, do you really know what they are doing? Would it be better to place devices in the living room only so you can monitor your child’s online activity? Can your child use their mobile phone in your living room only?
- Have a family agreement about how much time your child spends on the internet and stick to it or reduce it, especially if they are not completing all their school work.
- Have a family agreement about the sites they can visit. Ask them to show you.
- Have a family agreement about the type of information they can share online. Ask them to show you information before they post it. Ask them to show you recently posted information.
- Make sure they know that they can come to you if they are upset by something they have seen online.
- Talk to your child by explaining that if they are talked into bullying someone on line or send inappropriate images it may get reported to us at school and even to the police.
- As we would say to our children in life, treat others as you would like to be treated, it is the same principle online. Talk to your child about not sharing anything online that can hurt others. Tell thin to THINK BEFORE THEY POST.
- Parents can download free online safety resources at: Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre (CEOP): Thinkuknow - home
- Information, Advice and Support to Keep Children Safe Online (internetmatters.org)
- Childnet - Childnet
- Home | Parent Zone
- NSPCC | The UK children's charity | NSPCC
- Top tips for staying safe online - TalkTalk Help & Support
- Safety and security on your Sky products | Sky Help | Sky.com
- Information, Advice and Support to Keep Children Safe Online (internetmatters.org) . Internetmatters.org are a not-for-profit organisation with the aim of empowering parents and carers to keep children safe in the digital world.
Thinkuknow Campaign
CEOP have produced a short film to watch:
Romeo and Juliet: The world changes. Children don't. - YouTube
