Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility Meaningful pupil voice and its impact across the curriculum and in the world

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility

Michelle Prosser Haywood

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play. To fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child. (Keeping Children Safe in Education 2020) Providing a safe environment for children to learn, identifying children and young people (CYP) who are likely to suffer significant harm and taking appropriate action with the aim of making sure they are kept safe both at home and in an educational setting is the cornerstone of the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) policy documents. Your school will have translated them into their Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy (see for example, https:// www.woodhouse.priacademy.co.uk/images/ image_gallery/large/1605519936.pdf ). As a teacher you will be expected to be familiar with these policies, which are revised annually in line with changes to KCSIE. Familiarisation and knowledge of policy guidance will form both part of your initial induction when you will be taken through the policy, as a new member of staff and through regular updates and reminders to all school staff, throughout the academic year. In school we have an understanding that that abuse can ‘happen here’, and the ‘here’ can be your school or within the community which surrounds your school, which is why we need to be aware of what we are looking for, in order to keep children safe from harm.

Types of Abuse

Firstly, it is key that you know the signs and types of abuse to look out for, • Physical abuse can include evidence of hitting, shaking, throwing, scalding and drowning and children may find it difficult to explain the injury • Emotional abuse, leads to a child feeling worthless and unloved, and indicators may be self-harm, evidence of insomnia, depression, passivity and resignation • Sexual abuse, is defined as forcing or persuading a child to take part in sexual activity. Children who have been sexually abused can self-harm, flinch at physical contact and have feelings of guilt and shame • Neglect is the failure to meet a child’s basic physical needs and may include, insufficient food, inappropriate clothing, lack of personal care and appropriate supervision Many of the high-profile cases we see in the media, lead us to be believe that offenders are not known to children (see for example, Iain Huntley), and that their behaviour was extraordinary (see for example, Jeremy Forest, who took a pupil to France, and made national

headlines, or baby P (Peter Connelly) who had 50 recorded injuries, at the time of his death and led to a public inquiry in the London Borough of Haringey). Well publicised cases, bring safeguarding to the public’s attention, and can prompt changes in practice, through serious case reviews, but this publicity can sometimes mask, the familiar, normal and ordinary, which we should all be aware of, when keeping children safe. It should be noted that, • child abuse is committed by someone known to the child, not a stranger • it occurs in every sector of society, • both males and females have been known to commit abuse, • children are at risk of abuse from other children (peer on peer) • children don’t often disclosure abuse at the time it happens • some types of abuse not be disclosed at all, i.e., neglect.

Reporting Concerns

If you have any concerns about a child, you should act on them immediately. This will usually be a conversation with the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) or their deputy (and their timetable should be known to all staff, as a requirement that a DSL is available at all times) in your school to agree a course of action. In some schools your concern may be reported through the Management Information System (i.e., SIMS, Bromcom or CPOMS) or through a separate system such as ‘myconcern’ or using a paper system, which is stored in a secure location. Whichever way your school records concerns, you should make yourself familiar with the reporting process, to support the DSL to form a chronology of incidents and concerns, so that further help and support can be accessed. When you have made your concern known, it may be due to confidentiality, that you are not made aware of the outcome of your concern. This is not unusual and nothing to be worried about. There are several times, when you can contact children’s social care and/or the police directly yourself, in cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) (as this is a criminal offence), it is advised that you contact the police. However, I would recommend discussing it with the DSL before doing so, as different arrangements are in place when FGM is suspected. If your concern has come from a disclosure rather than an observation, then it is your duty as a teacher, and act in the child’s best interests to report it in the same way to your school DSL, as you would an observation (i.e., dirty clothes, bruising or forgotten lunchboxes) remembering that you should never promise a child that you can fix it or that you will not tell anyone else.

Well publicised cases, bring safeguarding to the public’s attention, and can prompt changes in practice, through serious case reviews, but this publicity can sometimes mask, the familiar, normal and ordinary, which we should all be aware of, when keeping children safe.

Contextual Safeguarding

As a teacher you should be aware that particular safeguarding incidents can be associated with factors outside the school and/or can occur between children outside of the school environment, but these concerns will still need to be reported to the DSL. These may involve groups of children from your school and neighbouring schools in county lines drug dealing, criminal and sexual exploitation, serious youth violence and bullying. Please note if you have raised a concern and you do not feel it has been actioned or taken seriously, then you can refer to your school whistleblowing policy or The NSPCC whistleblowing helpline is available for staff who do not feel able to raise concerns regarding child protection failures internally. Staff can call 0800 028 0285 – line is available from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday to Friday and email: help@nspcc.org.uk https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-you-can-do/ report-abuse/dedicated-helplines/whistleblowingadvice-line/

Michelle Prosser Haywood is the chair of nasen’s 0-11 group and the founder of @reserachSEND, hosted by the University of Wolverhampton’s Multi-Academy Trust.

Meaningful pupil voice and its impact across the curriculum and in the world

Penny Lamb

Every week, VotesforSchools creates resources for teachers to have informed debates and discussions about issues of the day. The children then have a chance to vote and leave comments. These are then made public - massively raising the awareness and impact of pupil voice. “Primary platform for VotesforSchools was never part of the initial plan,” says Kate Harris, cofounder and CEO of VotesforSchools. “I knew, with all my experience in Secondary provision, that it would fly from years 7 up, but I knew little about the Primary setting.” Kate started VotesforSchools out of a passion for supporting teachers in having informed conversations with their children about the world around them; and the firm belief that the pupils’ opinions and thoughts needed to be not only valued, but heard and have real impact. She knew that young people could really have agency in the world around them.

“Within a couple of months of launching, we had a regular call for the platform to be extended to Key Stage 2, and even Key Stage 1,” says Kate, “But with topics ranging from social media, to extremism, to environmental issues, to crime, how on earth do we get Primary-aged children involved in this?”

Enter a team of Primary specialists onto the staff. “It’s not as tricky as it sounds,” says Amy from the Content Team. “We follow curriculum guidelines and adapt topics so they are age-appropriate.” So, for International Women’s day, while Secondary voters are debating “Does gender bias cause problems for everyone?”, KS2 were talking about “Will gender stereotypes affect your future?”. By comparison, in KS1 they were looking at “Is it important to play with a variety of toys?” While a range of questions is often necessary, it is great when they can ask all ages the same question, as that gives some powerful data. “My recent favourites,” says Amy, “are probably: “Would you like to be a politician right now?”, and “Will cinemas disappear in your lifetime?”. Suffice to say, the Primary platform really took off. Younger children love talking about the issues of the day as much as teenagers, and we shouldn’t underestimate what children are able to understand, digest, and comment on when it’s presented in an age-appropriate way. Judith, a former teacher at Packmoor Ormiston in Stoke-on-Trent was thrilled to walk in on a conversation going on between a Year 5 and an Ofsted inspector about whether education should be a priority in the time of conflict. The class had just had their VotesforSchools session on how to talk about the conflict in Yemen, which that week had been developed with help from UNICEF UK. Not only this, but Judith herself loved VotesforSchools so much she joined the team as a Content Developer!

“What also has blown us away,” says Kate, “Is how it all comes alive in Primary schools. There are wall displays showing this week’s topic and last week’s vote results; ballot boxes in reception areas; Year 6s in charge of collecting and counting votes; assemblies where “No” voters leave one door with “Yes” voters leaving the other; dinner ladies wearing badges saying: “This week, I’m voting YES!” – the list goes on... The Home Information Sheet in the pack each week also enables these conversations to take place at home - a vital tool in community cohesion.

It was partly with this in mind that Barking and Dagenham School Improvement Plan (BDSIP) subscribed all their Primary schools to VotesforSchools. Ben from BDSIP says: “VotesforSchools is a brilliant programme, which is engaging young people across Barking & Dagenham in politics and building a strong community where schools communicate with one another and tackle difficult issues.”

Teachers love using VotesforSchools. The lessons are created fresh every week, delivered on a Thursday ready to be debated the following week. They give confidence to those tasked with talking about such a huge variety of subjects; and are also provided ready to go, with zero preparation. The weekly assembly, which gives a roundup of current affairs and introduces the topic of the week, is a godsend to those usually tasked with writing an assembly on a Sunday evening. Different schools use VotesforSchools is different ways. It lends itself particularly well to UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools programme. Gabrielle from Ormiston South Parade says: “We start the week with the VotesforSchools topic and make that the focus of the week. Every week we have a gold star stamp which references which Right that VoteTopic covers, and the kids track it themselves. It is brilliant.”

Other schools use is as a perfect tool for Oracy, a writing starter, or for a citizenship or PSHE lesson. The well-received Cross Curricular Guide shows teachers where they can use the debate in lessons throughout the week in Maths, Humanities, Art, or Computing. Whatever the context, the weekly debate and vote builds skills and habit of critical thinking, listening to others, tolerance of others’ view, and taking part in the democratic process. All lessons are mapped to Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural education; Sustainable Development Goals, British Values and Prevent.

“The Prevent agenda is something we can really support schools with”, says Kate. “We work closely with the Counter Terrorism Police, and

have a commendation from the Metropolitan Police for our work in countering extremism.” It seems an unlikely fit, but by giving children a space where they can learn critical thinking and have regular opportunities to listen to a plurality of views goes a long way in starting the process of safeguarding them from extremist views. Lou, from the Counter Terrorism Polices loves what the platform is able to do. “I can’t say enough good things about VotesforSchools. Their engaging and thoughtprovoking sessions broaden pupils’ knowledge on key issues and encourage critical thinking, this is vital when building stronger communities and preventing vulnerable people being radicalised.” “On a practical level,” says Kate, “schools love the fact that the data the votes create for the schools each week provides not only an insight into the hearts and minds of their children, but instant evidence to Ofsted or the Independent Schools Inspectorate of quality provision throughout the whole school of SMSC, Prevent and British Values.”

This is summed up by the Head of Delves Primary School: “We had only had VotesforSchools for four weeks when we were inspected. The children spoke very enthusiastically about the topics they had been debating. No further evidence of SMSC, Prevent or British Values was needed.”

But, of course, education is so much more than box ticking, and it is what happens to the vote data that really makes VotesforSchools special. Each week, the data is collected passed on to those of influence who then respond to the children. “This is absolutely key,” says Lizzy, Head of Impact. “The children need to know that their voice is being heard and acted upon, or they will lose faith in the whole process. Our data has gone on to influence policy and practice in a range of areas, from domestic abuse with The Children’s Society, to social media with Place2Be.” “Working with other organisations is very exciting”, says Penny, Director of Partnerships. “By working closely with organisations such as The Children’s Commissioner, UNICEF UK, The Refugee Council, The Black Curriculum, and the Anti- Bullying Alliance, we can draw on their expertise to make sure we are on the right track - and they are always very keen to see the results.” Despite the powerful data, it’s important to note that VotesforSchools is not a poll; it goes further than this. The children are only invited to vote and leave comments when they have had the discussion or debate. This is all about informed decision-making, not trigger-happy reactions. A new partnership with the British Council is particularly exciting, as schools are using VotesforSchools materials to have conversations with their counterparts in Nepal. Their biggest venture to date is that they are inviting all schools to get involved. In the lead up to COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November. They want to get 100,000 children’s voices about climate change and its effect on their rights. There will be a FREE pack of resources including assemblies, Home Information Sheets, and lessons, along with a chance to vote and leave comments. The results of these debates will go right to the top. It seems only right that the last word comes from the children:

“I think that this was a really good topic - all of your ideas are! Thank you for making my learning funner.” “I think votes for school helps as you can say your opinion instead of everyone else voting for you”

Penny Lamb is the Director of Partnerships for VotesforSchools

For more information or to book a demo for your school https://votesforschools.as.me/schedule.php For free examples of debate resources https:// www.votesforschools.com/downloads/

To sign up to get your school involved in COP26 project https://mailchi.mp/votesforschools/ cop26-100-000-childrens-voices The children need to know that their voice is being heard and acted upon, or they will lose faith in the whole process.