Pastoral and Safeguarding Information Booklet 2024 by methody

Pastoral Care and Safeguarding

The safety and well-being of our pupils is of paramount importance in the College. We all want to support our pupils and help them to develop into resilient and responsible young adults, who look after themselves and each other. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the pastoral support that is available in the College.

If you wish to discuss an issue regarding the educational welfare or academic progress of your child, please contact the tutor in the first instance or the relevant Head of Form/Deputy Head of Form. If you have a more serious pastoral concern, because of family or personal difficulties affecting your child, please contact the relevant Deputy Head of Pastoral Care:

Senior School – Mrs H Parker

Middle School – Mrs M Cooney

Junior School – Mrs K Steenson

Urgent or highly sensitive safeguarding issues should be brought to the attention of one of the Designated/Deputy Designated Teachers:

Mrs A Kennedy - Designated Teacher

Mrs A Logan, Mrs H Parker, Mrs M Cooney, Mrs K Steenson, Mrs J Marrs - Deputy Designated Teachers

Attendance and Educational Welfare Service

We are committed to ensuring that pupils attend school regularly as it is a key factor in improving achievement. Our staff work with pupils, parents/carers, and outside agencies to secure this aim. We recognise the crucial importance of early intervention and staff quickly respond to issues which might lead to non–attendance.

We know that occasional absence from school is sometimes a sign that additional support may be needed. This is why we work closely with the Education Welfare Service to support and encourage good attendance.

I meet regularly with our link Educational Welfare Officer and any attendance concerns are addressed. If a pupil’s attendance falls below 85%, we have an obligation to inform the Education and Welfare Service and our Educational Welfare Officer may contact you to offer support in improving your child’s attendance.

Pastoral Curriculum

Our pastoral curriculum and support systems within the College aim to promote mental and physical wellbeing amongst our pupils, whatever their individual needs. We want pupils to develop the core skill of keeping mentally and physically well and we place a strong importance on pupils looking after their wellbeing at all times, rather than just if they are finding things difficult. Throughout the College we focus on pastoral themes and our assemblies convey and reinforce these messages. This term we have focused on safeguarding, leadership, and responsibility.

During adolescence some young people may struggle with navigating their mental health. When their mental health is good, they feel motivated and able to take on challenges and new experiences. However, when their mental health is not so good, they can find it much harder to cope.

As well as support in school there are a lot of great online resources to support young people. The Young Minds and Children and the Youth Wellness Web websites have comprehensive online resource libraries that cover a lot of relevant themes for young people and their families who may be experiencing difficulties in this area.

Tooled Up

Tooled Up Education creates evidence-based resources, for parents and teachers, on all aspects of parenting, education, and family life. Some of you may already be enjoying the “Wednesday Wisdom” articles which contain many useful tips for parents/carers. If you haven’t yet signed up to access these useful resources, please scan the QR code to set up your free account.

Online Safety

Ensuring the online safety of young people, especially when it comes to the use of their mobile phone, presents one of the toughest challenges for parents and schools in today's digital age. In partnership with you, we want to continue to educate our pupils on the correct and safe use of their devices, so that they can stay safe online. This term, pupils have been reminded about the importance of understanding the potential dangers of the internet and they have been given direction on what to do if they have any online concerns.

WhatsApp:

This week we reminded pupils about the importance of not creating or joining large group chats, especially with people they do not know. In these situations, they can often be exposed to inappropriate content and images. We would ask you to be particularly vigilant and discuss the potential dangers of joining large online groups/communities with your child. Further advice on WhatsApp

Instagram:

Young people should be over 13 years of age to set up an Instagram account. It can be used to post photos and videos as well as send direct messages, make voice/video calls and send disappearing messages. Users can also upload to ‘Stories’ (which disappear after 24 hours), broadcast live and upload reels (short videos).

Instagram has introduced Teen Accounts to try and create a safer experience for young people. With a Teen Account, a young person’s contacts are limited and the content they can access is set to the most restrictive setting to reduce exposure to sensitive content. More information on Teen Accounts.

CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre):

The National Crime Agency's CEOP Education team aims to help protect children and young people from online child sexual abuse. They do this through their education programme, providing training, resources and information to professionals working with children, young people and their families. It may be beneficial for you to familiarise yourself with the CEOP education site and how to report online issues in case you have any concerns in the future.

Snapchat:

Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media platforms and young people use it to communicate with their friends every day. As adults, it is important for us to understand what Snapchat is, how it works, and how it can impact a young person’s online experience. The article below aims to address some common questions and provide important information to help you navigate Snapchat in the context of your family.

Could you delay when your child is given a smartphone with Smartphone Free Childhood?

In this webinar and article, Dr Weston talks about the rationale behind smartphone free childhoods and how we might explain such an approach to our young people. She also discusses screen free time and includes some useful tips for parents/carers to help ensure their children have a positive digital experience.

https://members.tooledupeducation.com/resource/webinar/what-exactly-is-a-smartphonefree-childhood-and-how-might-parents-implement-one

Safer Schools NI App:

This App, which is provided by the Department of Education and INEQE Safeguarding, provides information, guidance, and support on how to educate and protect our young people while they are online. If you or your child has not yet downloaded the Safer Schools NI App, we would encourage you to do so. Please find below instructions on how to do this.

Safer School NI App Pupil & Parent Codes

For further information on the Safe Schools App NI please visit https://saferschoolsni.co.uk/

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are delighted to invite you to download our new Safer Schools NI App, provided to your school by the Department of Education and INEQE Safeguarding Group. (Downloaded Safer Schools last year? This new and updated App replaces it!)

Did you know?

92% of children in Northern Ireland use video sharing platforms, with 53% using social media and 65% accessing messaging apps (Ofcom, 2020). If your child hasn’t already been using these platforms, they soon will be! Therefore, it's more important than ever to be aware of how to keep your child safe.

How will your Safer Schools NI App help you?

Provides you with easy-to-follow steps to make your home and devices safer. Check this out in the Need-to-Know section, it’s a great place to start!

Keeps you up to date with the current online trends, threats, and risks to young people. This information is sent directly to your device!

Provides you with the information you need to know on social media and gaming platforms, helping you understand the latest buzzwords and learn how to set privacy and parental settings on platforms like Call of Duty, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok

Offers expert guidance to help you navigate important issues such as bullying, managing mental health, image sharing and harmful content. You will be given practical tips on how to approach these conversations with your young person

Gives you access to your school’s latest news, updated policies, and calendar all within your App

To download and login to your Safer Schools NI App, follow the steps below! Make sure to enable your push notifications when prompted to keep up to date with the latest safeguarding alerts and your school news.

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Downloading your App

Step 1

If you are using an iOS device, go to the Apple App Store and search ‘Safer Schools NI’. If you are using an Android device, go to the Google Play Store and search ‘Safer Schools NI’.

Step 2

Select ‘Download’.

Please follow the below instructions.

Creating An Account:

Step 1

Click 'Parent/Carer' on the login screen of your App.

Step 2

To create an account, click 'Register here' and input your full name, email and password you wish to use. You'll also be asked to confirm your password. Once you're ready, click 'Register' and this will create your account.

Step 3

After you register, you will be asked to read and agree to the Terms and Conditions. After reading and scrolling to the bottom, the ‘I agree’ button will be available to select.

Step 4

Time to pick your school! To add your school, simply type it in within the search bar and click 'Continue'

You will then be asked to input the Entry Code that you have received from your school that is relevant to your role. Type in your code and click 'Submit'

You'll be asked to confirm this by clicking 'Continue' To scan a QR Code instead of your Entry Code, click 'Scan QR Code'.

Logging into your App:

Step 1

Top Tip: Did you know that your App features Multi-School Login? This means that you are a Staff member in one school with a child in another, or if you are a Parent/Carer of children in different schools, you have access to multiple schools without having to log in and out of the App.

To add another School, simply repeat Step 3! You can also view all of your added schools under your name.

When you have opened the App, you should input your email address and password that you used to create your account. Once you're ready, click 'Log In'.

Step 2

When you log in, you will see your chosen school(s) that you have added to your account. Simply click the school that you would like to view!

Counselling

Action Mental Health has been awarded the new contract to provide the EA HOPE Schools Counselling in the College. All pupils have access to this counsellor and it is a vital part of our pastoral provision. If a pupil wishes to meet with the counsellor, they can speak with any member of staff, drop a note in the pastoral post box (opposite reception in A Block) or selfrefer on the Action Mental Health website. If you would like to find out more information about this provision, please follow the link below or contact me. https://www.amh.org.uk/services/counselling/

Useful Contacts and Numbers

Please find below a list of useful contact details for supportive organisations. You may like to contact one of these services if you have a worry or concern about a young person. These contacts have also been shared with our pupils.