Need help with any issue?
Email: talk@thomasestley.org.uk
You can email regarding friendship issues, incidents of unkind behaviour, low mood, issues at school, etc... A member of the pastoral team will email you back (in school hours) with advice and/or support.
If you are concerned about the safety of a child/friend at school, please email reportabuse@thomasestley.org.uk.
Keeping Students Safe
Keeping all our students safe is absolutely central to our work. As a college we work hard to ensure that all students are highly educated in how to keep themselves safe both at college and in society.
‘Safeguarding is at the heart of the school’s work including for those who follow an alternative curriculum or are at risk of it. Leaders leave no stone unturned in their quest to get the best possible care for the children under their care. Leaders know and understand the needs of children at risk and they use this knowledge to forge strong and productive relationships with them.’
- Peer Challenge, April 2018
' The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Pupils feel safe in school and are taught how to stay safe. '
- Ofsted, January 2019
A full safeguarding and child protection training programme is delivered to all staff on a three yearly basis. In addition there is refresher training at the start of each academic year and each member of staff receives a pack of information that they have to sign for. Local authority updates are shared with all staff and Governors each term.
All staff and Governors have been given full PREVENT training in response to the government’s extremism agenda. Staff are fully aware on how to identify students who may be receptive to extremist grooming of all different types.
Staff who join Thomas Estley part-way through an academic year receive 1:1 training from the Safeguarding Lead and an information pack.
All our students are encouraged to talk to an adult if they feel that they, or a friend, are at risk of harm.
Our safeguarding lead is Cathy Cornelius (Vice Principal), but in addition there are a large number of staff who are safeguarding lead trained including all pastoral leaders. This enables us to ensure that there is always someone available for young people to turn to in a time of need.
Knife Crime
An upcoming local campaign will seek to raise awareness of Knife Crime, the impact this can have on everybody involved, the community, what knife crime is and where young people can go for advice and reporting. To support this at Thomas Estley, we will be raising awareness amongst our students through tutor time and an online virtual session delivered by Leicestershire Police:
#LivesNotKnives - Anti-knife campaign | Leicestershire Police #LiveNotKnives campaign to deter people from picking up a knife in the first place by highlighting the dangers and consequences of doing so. www.leics.police.uk
Tackling Extremism and Radicalisation
The Government has launched an on-line portal of information on extremism and radicalisation. It contains support for those who are concerned about someone with content for Parents, Teachers and School Leaders. The website and its content are available at http://www.educateagainsthate.com/
If you require any further information on the PREVENT agenda please contact Mrs Cornelius
County Lines
County Lines is a national issue and involves gangs and criminal networks exporting illegal drugs into other areas of the country, often small towns, using mobile phone lines or another form of ‘deal line’ which can often be vulnerable adults or young people. The gangs often exploit children or vulnerable adults to move and store the drugs and money, and use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons as a way of trapping and manipulating them into trafficking class A drugs, specifically crack cocaine and heroin.
A hard-hitting theatre production to raise awareness about the issues of ‘county lines’ will be watched by nearly 7000 pupils at 40 secondary schools across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland from March 2022. Leicestershire Police have commissioned leading theatre company, AlterEgo Creative Solutions to deliver a series of productions to children in year 7 upwards, as well as teachers and professionals on the national drug trafficking issue. The production, carried out by three actors, will run for four weeks and aims to raise awareness of county lines, how it can affect young people, information on grooming and the similarities between Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) and Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE). The production will also educate children on where to go for help and advice if they have concerns including the forces website County lines | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk) and Making our community a safe place to live - LiveSafe.
Our students watched this production and found it incredibly powerful.
All our students have received an online raising awareness session delivered by Leicestershire police:
For additional information, please contact the designated safeguarding lead or a deputy.
Child Sexual Exploitation
Child sexual exploitation is a form of sexual abuse. Victims are manipulated or forced into taking part in a sexual act, either as part of a seemingly consensual relationship, or in return for attention, gifts, money, alcohol, drugs or somewhere to stay.
We highlight the dangers of CSE with all our students through assemblies. For example, all our students watched the ‘Chelsea’s Choice’ Production. Prior to the student performance parents and carers were invited into school for a question / answer session with local police officers.
Child on Child Abuse
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/about-us/news-opinion/2021/sexual-abuse-victims-schools-helpline/
Sexual violence and harrassment will not be tolerated at Thomas Estley. If you need to report a concern in relation to sexual violence or harrassment, please email our designated safeguarding lead directly at ccornelius@thomasestley.org.uk. All cases will be taken very seriously and addressed in line with our Policy and Procedures. Please see Policy below.
Online Safety: Keeping your child safe online
Keeping your child safe online - here are some useful links and websites, to supplement our in school education programme.
https://www.mumsnet.com/articles/how-to-keep-children-safe-online
https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/
https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers/smart-tvs
https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers
http://www.bewebsmart.com/ipod-ipad-iphone/two-ios-7-features-parents-will-love/
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201304
https://help.twitter.com/en/safety-and-security/how-to-make-twitter-private-and-public
https://www.gocompare.com/broadband/parental-controls/
Key contacts in school:
Internal support
Some of the ways we support student welfare and emotional well-being:
External Agencies
We seek extensive external support when required to ensure the emotional well-being of all our students. Working in partnership with parents and external agencies is paramount to ensure positive mental health of students at Thomas Estley.
Links
The Institute of Mental Health
All Leicestershire Schools are part of a safeguarding initiative, which aims to improve outcomes for children and families affected by domestic violence and abuse.
This scheme has been designed to provide early reporting to schools of any domestic abuse incidents that might have an impact on a child that attends their school. The approach, known as Operation Encompass is used in a number of other places across the UK and is run in partnership with Leicestershire County Council and Leicestershire Police.
All public agencies currently share information where there are safeguarding concerns or risk of harm to children and the Police currently share information on all incidents of domestic abuse in Leicestershire with Leicestershire County Council.
To further support the welfare of children this information sharing is being extended. During the school term our Designated Safeguarding Lead (Mrs Cornelius) will now be informed when any domestic abuse incident has been reported to the police and one of our pupils was in the household.
This has been introduced because domestic abuse in a household can have a big impact on children, even if they do not see what is happening.
This information will be used to ensure the school is able to provide appropriate support to our pupils. The information will remain confidential and only shared on a strictly need-to-know basis, for example with the class teacher. It will not be shared with any pupils.
If you would like to speak to someone in confidence about domestic abuse, call the Leicester, Leicestershire& Rutland Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 802 0028 or visit http://lrsb.org.uk/information-for-victims-survivor.
If you would like any further information please contact Mrs Cornelius.
Additional information
Download the full College Safeguarding policies here
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01455 283263 / admin@thomasestley.org.uk
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