Child Protection and Safeguarding

Child Protection and Safeguarding at Ravens Wood

Ravens Wood School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Enhanced DBS checks are carried out on all staff.

 MJF Miss Megan McKenzie
Mr French
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Single Point of Contact for all
Prevent Referrals
Miss McKenzie
Deputy Designated
Safeguarding Lead

The school will ensure that all staff have updated knowledge about safeguarding so that we can:

We follow the procedures set out by the Bromley Safeguarding Children Board and the London Safeguarding Children Board and take account of guidance issued by the Department for Education:

Further information regarding our school policy can be found by clicking the following link:

School Policies Page

Emotional Health and Wellbeing

At Ravens Wood School we understand that there may be times when students need some support in managing new and often difficult situations. If your son or daughter is experiencing a specific medical condition please contact the school office or their Head of Year in the first instance. This will ensure an appropriate care plan can be created in line with their needs. Emotional health and wellbeing is taken seriously at Ravens Wood School. Below you can find more information about our school counselling service and details of other organisations that can offer support.

Available Support:

Online Counselling

The NHS have provided children with an online counselling service to support their emotional well-being, called Kooth. This is a free, safe and anonymous online support for young people which is available Monday-Friday from 12.00pm-10.00pm and Saturday-Sunday from 6pm-10pm. Visit their website for more information: www.kooth.com.

Support for Sexual Abuse

If you, or someone you know, has experienced sexual abuse in an educational setting, the NSPCC has created a dedicated helpline. The helpline is there to support anyone who has experienced sexual abuse in educational settings or has concerns about someone or the issues raised. The dedicated NSPCC helpline number is: 0800 136 663 and more information is available at:

Dedicated Helpline for Victims of Abuse in Schools (NSPCC)

Click to view a list of Youth Agencies for Emotional Support

Click to view Information on the RWS Counselling Service

Harmful Sexual Behaviour in Schools: Sexual Abuse, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence

Sexual abuse, sexual violence and sexual harassment in any form are abhorrent and it is vital that reports of abuse are appropriately investigated and victims supported and protected.

At Ravens Wood School, we take our safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously. Over the last year, there has been a lot in the media about the impact that sexual harassment and violence is having on young people. Campaigns such as “Everyone’s Invited” and “#MeToo” continue to remind us that there is more to be done to address these issues as a school and as a society.

On 31 March 2021, the Secretary of State announced that he had asked Ofsted to undertake a thematic review into sexual abuse across state and independent schools and colleges. The review was published on 10th June 2021, and looked at the processes in place within schools to allow pupils to report concerns freely, knowing these will be taken seriously and dealt with swiftly and appropriately: Ofsted’s June 2021 review of sexual harassment in schools and colleges.

A dedicated NSPCC helpline is now available to support anyone who has experienced sexual abuse in educational settings or has concerns about someone or the issues raised. The dedicated NSPCC helpline number is 0800 136 663 and more information is available at: Dedicated helpline for victims of abuse in schools NSPCC. The Children’s Commissioner has also created a guide for parents and carers on online sexual harassment and how they can support children to stay safe online.

Statutory safeguarding guidance and advice are very clear on our schools legal duties and the policies and processes already in place to safeguard children.

Part 5 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE 2023) provides schools with detailed guidance about child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment, including responding to reports of abuse and protecting victims. Part 5 also signposts to the wider specialist support that is available to us as a school.

National guidance is very clear on how we as a school should work with our local multi-agency children’s partnerships as a relevant agency and how any concerns about a child should be referred. We will always look to contact our local multi-agency children’s partnership as well as the police for further advice and support when needed.

The curriculum for Relationships, Sex and Education (RSE) has included this topic for Key Stage 3, 4 and 5. We review our PSHE and RSE curriculum annually to ensure that our students are well equipped to report and deal with sexual abuse, sexual violence and sexual harassment, whether it takes place in school or outside of school. We must ensure our students have confidence that they can report all instances to any teacher and the safeguarding team.

We always have and will continue to take these matters very seriously. The “Everyone's Invited” campaign and subsequence research and guidance documents from the government and Ofsted, has rightly served to focus our minds on the need to continue to work together to protect children.

If you have any questions, or wish to discuss this further, please make contact with the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead – Mr French.

Online Safety

Online Safety is an important aspect of safeguarding at Ravens Wood, and is covered through our Personal Development Curriculum throughout the year. We also deliver annual workshops for all students and parents around online safety, as it is an ever changing landscape and it is important that parents, carers, staff and students are kept informed and up to date. Below are some documents to help parents and carers support their children to stay safe online.

Good practices include, keeping your username and password safe and not sharing with others. Never give out personal information like your name, age, address and school. You must tell a trusted adult if someone or something has made you feel uncomfortable or worried whilst on the Internet.

> Letter Re Staying Safe Online from Sexual Harassment and Violence - 06.01.22

Online Safety Presentation 2020 for Parents

The presentation can be found here.

The post session resource can be found here.

Live Lessons at Ravens Wood

(Remote Learning via Teams)

Our safeguarding guide for Students and Parents/Carers can be found here.

Online Safety Checklists, Guides and Links

Click to view our Safer Surfing Guidance for Parents/Carers and Students

Click to view a list of Apps for Mental Wellbeing

Click to view Guidance for Parents on the subject of Child Sexual Exploitation

Facebook Checklist

Instagram Checklist

Snapchat Checklist

Twitter Checklist

YouTube Parents Guide

WhatsApp Parents Guide

Social Media Library - A Listing of Common Social Media Platforms

Staying Safer on Musical.ly (YouTube Video Guide)

Kik Guide

A Practical Guide for Parents and Carers Whose Children are Using Social Media

ThinkYouKnow - Advice from the National Crime Agency on staying safe online

Internet Matters - Support for Parents and Carers to keep their children safe online

Parent Info - Support for Parents and Carers to keep their children safe online

LGfL - Support for Parents and Carers to keep their children safe online

Net-Aware - Support for Parents and Carers from the NSPCC

Child Protection and Safeguarding Useful Links

Please click on the following link for further information issued by the Bromley Safeguarding, which also gives useful telephone numbers:

Resources for Parents, Carers & the Community


You may also find helpful information on the following links and telephone numbers:

Childline or freefone 0800 1111

NSPCC or Child Protection Helpline via telephone on: 0808 800 5000

Bromley Safeguarding Children Board or via telephone on: 020 8461 7816

Kooth Online Counselling Service

Bromley Well - Young Carers or via telephone on: 0300 330 9039

Bromley Changes or via telephone on: 020 8289 1999

Bromley Childrens Project or via telephone on: 020 8461 7259

Bromley Mencap or via telephone on: 020 8466 0790

Parentline or via telephone on: 1890 927277 or 01 8733500

 

The Bereavement Centre, Orpington can be contacted via telephone on: 01689 898979

Bromley Community Bereavement Service can be contacted via telephone on: 020 8290 6293

Bromley Primary Care Refugee Project can be contacted via telephone on: 020 8402 6998

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service can be contacted via telephone on: 020 8315 4430

Family Planning Information Line can be contacted via telephone on: 020 8658 3490

MIND Orpington can be contacted via telephone on: 01689 811222

MIND Beckenham can be contacted via telephone on: 020 8249 2986

Stepping Stones can be contacted via telephone on: 020 8289 5020

Money Advice can be contacted via telephone on: 020 8315 1850

 

Safeguarding issues can also be addressed through a member of the Safeguarding team during term time: Mr M French, Assistant Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead (mjf@rws.uk.net) or Miss M McKenzie, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (mmc@rws.uk.net).

If you have any feedback regarding any of the resources found on this page then please do not hesitate to contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mr M French at mjf@rws.uk.net