If your concern is outside of school hours or during the school holidays, you can contact the Single Point of Advice team at East Sussex County Council by calling 01323 464222. For out of hours and serious concerns that cannot wait until the following day, contact the Emergency Duty Service on 01273 335 906 or 01273 335 905.
If a child is in imminent danger, then please contact the police via 999.
Unexplained Absences
Our school has a legal safeguarding responsibility for all our students, and as part of this, we will investigate any unexplained absences. Our leadership team takes this responsibility very seriously.
Our school works closely with other schools and Children’s Services to ensure that children do not go missing from education. No child of compulsory school age is removed from the school roll at the academy without the authorisation of the designated safeguarding lead and without confirmation from the school the student is joining, or without the academy notifying the local authority.
Nationally, students with an average school attendance of 90% or less are considered persistently absent and therefore at risk of becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET) or being the victim of abuse or exploitation. We will work with families where students are at risk of becoming persistently absent to improve their attendance.
Operation Encompass
The academy works in partnership with Sussex Police, as part of Operation Encompass.
Operation Encompass has been designed to provide early reporting to schools and colleges of any domestic abuse incidents that occur in which a child was present or ordinarily resides at the incident location or with an involved party. We know that children can be significantly affected through witnessing or being exposed to domestic abuse and this operation will allow us to better support our students and their families.
The safeguarding team will be able to use information that has been shared with them, in confidence, to ensure that the right support is available should it be required by a child and/or their family. If you have any concerns or questions, then please contact the safeguarding team and we will be happy to discuss this further.
Tackling Extremism and Prevent
All adults at the academy play a vital role in protecting young people from extremist groups or individuals who deliberately try to radicalise or recruit them using the internet or social media. Furthermore, the academy is dedicated to serving the local and national community by promoting the fundamental rights and values that characterise British society.
The academy’s internet filtering system effectively prevents students from accessing dangerous websites and students receive regular lessons and assemblies on online safety. All teaching staff have completed Prevent training to help them spot students in danger of radicalisation and new staff receive training as part of their induction. The academy works closely with the local police to offer support to any students identified as being at risk.
