Safeguarding Newsletter - Issue 12

Safeguarding Newsletter

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

Delyth Lynch Deputy Head (Safeguarding) Biology 07825 419190

Deputy DSL David Walker Deputy Head (Pastoral & Wellbeing) Physics 07717 765343

Deputy DSL

Ed Venables Director of Admissions Economics 07766 168286

Senior Deputy DSL Jess Goves P&R teacher Former HM 01344 751774

Deputy DSL Gaby Moretti Chambers Operations Manager (Wellington Health & Fitness Club) 01344 444243

If you are concerned for a child’s welfare, health or safety or if you have concerns

member of staff or member of the general public – please contact the

A note from the DSL

Over the last few months, I have immersed myself in reading about culture and the links between the biases which are often exhibited in teams or groups (particularly those which form in schools) and the resulting safeguarding implications. Recently, I shared these with staff because many experts believe that schools may be particularly prone to ‘groupthink’: where there is a suspension of critical thinking that preserves group cohesion at the expense of encouraging challenge and discussion. This has significant implications for safeguarding as it can lead to a culture whereby concerns and observations about inappropriate behaviours go unchallenged in the staff body – and it can also be mirrored in the student body.

It is important to consider where individuals in today’s society learn what it is they are supposed to do and what rules they are allowed to follow. They first learn this in their families growing up; they will follow the family rules (even when family members are saying one thing and doing something else entirely) and these rules are very powerful for children giving rise to ‘family myths’ which the child will start to argue vociferously for, even when

they might be transparently preposterous. They will abide by the rules over and over again, even if it is causing them pain and distress. They will ‘go along, to get along’ and be silent in order to avoid conflict because that conflict might upset individuals within the family.

Similarly, when parents are not really honest about what is going on in a family, the young people get the message that “we don’t talk about that”, or “we pretend that things are fine even though they are not.” This idea is reinforced by parents who want to make everything look fine and appear normal – even when everyone knows they are not.

Another example of Family Groupthink occurs when the young people within that family are only allowed to think and believe as their family thinks. Examples of this could be everyone having to support the same political party or follow the same religion. No space is made for unique perspectives or different approaches from what the heads of the family (usually parents) deem the ‘norm’.

about the behaviour of any adult – parent,

Designated Safeguarding Lead or a Deputy immediately.

The consequences of this concept within families has obvious implications. Double messages, an inability to speak about feelings openly, and a continuation of often inappropriate thoughts and feelings which are expressed not only at school but in future generations of the same family.

The first thing that individuals should do is become aware of their own family dynamics and simply become conscious of the concept and observe. How are different points of view greeted within the family and discussed?

Are all given an opportunity to use their voice? Is there a need for individuals to remain silent in order to achieve a group consensus or keep the peace? Children and adolescents are especially vulnerable to groupthink because of their partially developed brains; what modelling is going on around them which is influencing their developmental trajectory?

My advice to staff focussed around:

• Allowing others to express an opinion first

• Consider what others would think if they were looking in from the outside

• Ask a neutral observer – someone you trust

• Observe and become aware – if you observe, everything is your teacher

There is a brilliant book which takes a deep dive into the concept of groupthink in a variety of different settings – ‘Wilful Blindness’ by Margaret Heffernan. Students also look at this within their wellbeing lessons; much work is done on ascertaining their character strengths and how these might be used in a ‘groupthink’ situation.

PS – I became aware of groupthink recently in two very polar ways. On holiday with my aunt and uncle over the summer, I was tasked with making the packed lunches. My aunt watched with a quizzical look on her face. “Why are you only buttering one piece of bread?” she asked. I replied, “because you are only allowed to butter one slice.” Who knew that it was ok to butter both pieces of bread?

The second has much more profound and far-reaching consequences. Ellie and Genny Porter were students in the Combermere when I was HM. They recently recorded this podcast for the Ann Craft Trust. You can listen to their moving story about coercive control here

IN THE SPOTLIGHT – Results from the annual ‘Staying Safe’ survey

Each year, students complete a ‘staying safe’ survey which is undertaken by the safeguarding team in order to ascertain if students feel safe at the College, find out what the would do if they found themselves in different situations as well as take a deep dive into any trends and patterns particularly around peer on peer abuse. The results are used to inform the safeguarding ADP and highlight areas of concern within the College. The survey has now been running for 4 years and this year, with the agreement of Bracknell Forest Safeguarding Board, we also asked some questions about sexual harassment. An overview of the findings from this year and some of the resultant actions (which have been shared with students, staff and Governors) can be seen below. I have also included some of the statistics.

• Students showed a greater willingness to be honest. Students openly shared their own experiences and were willing to share concerns about their friends and other groups of students.

• Passive by-standing has decreased. Overall students felt more confident about challenging inappropriate behaviour and language when they see it. When they do not, they are also more willing to share their concerns with an older student or staff member compared to previous years.

• Students want action: there is a thirst to end inappropriate behaviour and comments by staff and students. There were some excellent ideas on how to do this.

• Student awareness about safeguarding and who the team are had increased. However more work is needed to dispel myths about what happens if a student confides in a member

of the safeguarding team and this is being address by the team visiting all houses to speak more about their role.

Action points:

• Greater levels of training need to be given to senior pupils and staff on how to listen and respond appropriately so that all students feel heard and are not concerned about speaking about an issue or be worried that it will be escalated disproportionately.

• Lighting – several pupils shared that there were some unsafe and dark areas on campus. A group of students has been set up to review this with our Head of Security and Head of Works – Brian Cannon and Ed Wai. The results of their light study around the campus will be shared in due course.

• Staff need to be better at picking up on inappropriate comments, particularly homophobic and racist comments that students are making about other students and not ignoring them. A booklet has been written for staff called “Notice It”. Input on content was received from staff and students.

• All students have been reminded about using ‘Whisper’ to report concerns anonymously

• Wristbands – several students mentioned that these were an issue. As a result, the College has reverted to using biometric fingerprint control.

•

The sexual harassment results have been shared with Emma Simms who is working alongside Dave Walker on our sexual consent education programme. The highest types of sexual harassment reported by Wellingtonians was:

• Inappropriate sexual banter

• The sharing of nude images (4th and 5th form especially)

• Pressure to have sex when they did not want to (6th form)

• Regular surveys – some students said that a shorter, lighter touch but more regular survey would be good. This is currently being looked into and several houses are currently trialling apps.

Further statistics:

How safe do you feel at Wellington? (out of 10) 8.5

• Boys are much more likely to ignore an incident than girls. HMs have spoken about this to their houses. If we are to decrease unkindness in College, all need to step up and show courage.

• Dr Rachelle Kirkham’s work with Coco the College therapy dog was raised as being an excellent addition to the pastoral care in the College.

A full breakdown and analysis of all results by gender, year group and ethnicity was carried out and please do speak to Delyth or Jess if you would like to know any other information from the survey.

What would you do if you saw a student being unkind to another student? %

How likely are you to report another student for being unkind to you (out of 10)? 5.7 (yearly trends are increasing: 2018: 4.5 2019: 4.7 2020: 5.0)

89% students said they were respected and treated fairly by their peers and older pupils (the 5th form and U6th were the year groups who felt least respected) How likely are you to report a member of staff being unkind to you (out of 10)? 6.4

not? Would not be believed It would make the situation worse It might just be a one-off It wouldn’t be worth the hassle

87% students said they felt they were respected and treated fairly by staff (82% last year)

Nothing – I would ignore it 3 I would speak to the individuals concerned at the time 37 I would speak to a friend 26 I would speak to a member of staff 15 I would speak to a family member 7 I would speak to an older pupil 12

What would you do if you knew someone was unhappy because another student was being unkind to them on a regular basis? %

Nothing – I would ignore it 1 I would speak to the individuals concerned at the time 33 I would speak to a friend 21 I would speak to a member of staff 26 I would speak to a family member 7 I would speak to an older pupil 12

What would you do if someone is being racially abusive to an individual in your house or year?

Nothing – I would ignore it 1 I would speak to the individuals concerned at the time 27 I would speak to a friend 16 I would speak to a member of staff 38 I would speak to a family member 7 I would speak to an older pupil 12

What would you do if a member of staff does or says something which makes you feel uncomfortable?

Nothing – I would ignore it 7 I would speak to the individuals concerned at the time 6 I would speak to a friend 33 I would speak to a member of staff 27 I would speak to a family member 16 I would speak to an older pupil 10

WHAT’S GOING ON? An insight into the world

Departmental visits

Delyth Lynch (DSL) and Jess Goves (Senior Deputy DSL) have now started departmental safeguarding visits, attending a different academic department every fortnight. Earlier this year all departments completed safeguarding audits and so these are discussed as well as any other pertinent issues which the mem bers of the department would like to address. The visits so far have been incredibly insightful and a number of good ideas have been raised by staff which have been taken forward. Visits will be undertaken to all College staff departments once the academic departments have been completed.

Safeguarding curriculum

This year, Jess Goves was set the almost impossible task of looking at every aspect of safeguarding and putting together a ‘safeguard ing curriculum’. Having reviewed the current provision across curriculum subjects, year group talks, the wellbeing programme and what might be covered in houses, Jess has created a brilliant overview document. The next phase of the project is to put to gether a 5 year plan of education for all students at Wellington so that they leave having a high level of understanding of safeguard ing matters including areas which they might not think are directly relevant to them such as FGM, county lines and modern slavery.

A culture of better practice – lessons learned

The safeguarding team always works with a healthy approach to challenge. After a particular case, a discussion is held to think about any lessons learned and these are recorded and enacted. Some recent discussions have addressed the issue of where the boundaries between College and parental responsibility lies and increasing the BMI threshold when a student returns following a period of time away from College due to an eating disorder.

If you ever feel that a safeguarding matter could have been han dled differently or better, please do let a member of the safe guarding team know. It is incredibly important that we learn and be prepared to look differently at a problem. We value feedback from parents, staff and students.

of safeguarding at Welly

VBA interviewing – award

The College recently won a very prestigious national award. Wellington scooped the SACPA (Safeguarding and Child Protection Association) “Outstanding Safe guarding Initiative” award for VBA interviewing. This is down to the dedication and commitment to the interviewing team and the HR department. The judges said:

“Frankly, an application that blew us away because of the way in which the college have responded to an adverse situation and created a system and legacy for safer recruitment practice. The safeguarding team evidenced that they are using a very tight system rooted in the evidence base. A clear winner.”

Free2Be

We are delighted to announce that we have just joined forces with Nicky Ryan who is Co-founder and Director of the organisation Free2Be. Nicky is going to provide an additional layer of support for the pastoral team, work ing alongside our LGBTQ+ students in order to provide a safe space for them to speak about issues that they might be dealing with and offer support. Nicky will be assisting Tim Holmes with the running of the LGBTQ+ Society, offering 1:1 mentoring for students, staff training and work with parents who may need some support and additional guidance. Nicky will have her own College email address; this will be NickyRyan@ external.wellingtoncollege.org.uk Do feel free to contact her if you would like to meet with her.

You can read more about Nicky’s work here

e-guarding

The TALK checklist - help keep your child safe online (from the IWF)

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) tells us that ‘since the start of the pandemic, the amount of ‘self-generated’ child abuse imagery has increased dramatically. In 2020, the IWF confirmed 68,000 cases of such imagery, a rise of 77% on the year before. It accounts for nearly half (44%) the imagery we took action on last year. In 80% of these cases, the victims were 11- to 13-year-old girls.’

The IWF has created a resource to help parents and carers understand the risks of ‘self-generated child sexual abuse imagery’ using the acronym ‘TALK’.

To find out more, go to: https://talk.iwf.org.uk/

#AskTheAwkward

Thinkuknow has launched #AskTheAwkward, a resource for parents and carers of secondary-aged children to help them have regular conversations with their children about online relationships. The resource includes three short films and a series of help sheets covering themes raised in the films including: exploring sex, sexuality and identity online; starting new relationships online; sharing nudes and semi-nudes; and unwanted sexual contact online.

Access the resources: #AskTheAwkward

WeProtect

WeProtect Global Alliance has published a report outlining the scale and scope of child sexual exploitation and abuse online around the world. The report includes findings from a survey of more than 5,000 18- to-20-year- olds in 54 countries around the world who had regular access to the internet as children which include: 54% of respondents had experienced at least one online sexual harm during childhood; 34% were asked to do something sexually explicit online they were uncomfortable with during childhood; and 65% of respondents who identified as LGBQ+ experienced an online sexual harm, compared to 46% who didn’t identify as LGBQ+. A survey of technology companies showed most are using tools to detect child sexual abuse material, but only 37% currently use tools to detect online grooming. Read the news story here

Gambling (Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust)

Parents can often feel overwhelmed in a world of constantly advancing technology and YGAM is keen to provide simple, usable resources to help parents have honest and open conversations with their children around the topics of gaming and gambling.

The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) has excellent resources for parents and can be found here

Safer Internet Day

On the 8th February, the College celebrated Safer Internet Day by asking all houses to complete an online challenge of their choice which was designed to decrease their screen time or time on social media on that day. Some houses came up with some brilliant ideas and the winning house was given a pizza party.

As a parent, it is vital that you keep up to date with current online trends and are fully aware of how to keep your children safe on line –whatever their age. There are some excellent resources from the Safer Internet Centre here

Other sources of useful support

The Anna Freud Centre Youth Wellbeing Directory can be accessed here.

A current parent has teamed up with a mindfulness coach to create a podcast for parents of teenagers. It’s called Teenagers Untangled. You can listen here

Feedback has been excellent and Rachel is keen to hear from you about any topics you think it would be worth them covering, or resources you think they should be using.

The things I wish my parents had known An excellent new resource released from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner draws together advice from 16 to 21-year-olds on how parents should manage tricky conversations around sexual harassment and access to inappropriate content, including pornography. You can access this invaluable guide here .

Self-harm guidance to include advice for schools and prisons

Last month, the BBC reported that staff in schools and prisons in England and Wales are for the first time to be included in draft guidance on how to identify people who have self-harmed. The experts behind it said everyone was responsible for tackling the growing problem of self-harm – not just mental health professionals and that the guidance would empower teachers to support young people.

One in five girls and one in 10 boys aged between 17 and 19 have self-harmed or attempted suicide, according to a major survey from 2017. And among 11 to 16 -year-olds, 7% of girls and more than 3% of boys are affected – with those with mental disorders more likely to have self-harmed. However, experts say the figures could be an underestimate because few go to hospital and the problem is often hidden.

Professor Nav Kapur, an adviser on the guidelines and professor of psychiatry and population health at the University of Manchester, said: “Self-harm can occur at any age and present to any setting. “This new guideline is an opportunity to make things better, particularly from the point of view of assessment and aftercare.”

Advice about self harm can be found below, however do please contact the College Health Centre (TColes@wellingtoncollege. org.uk) or Jenny Griggs (Head of Student Emotional and Mental Wellbeing) JGriggs@wellingtoncollege.org.uk if you have concerns about your son or daughter and wish to talk about it or seek some support.

• Young Minds: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/a-z-guide/ self-harm/

Self-harm is when somebody intentionally damages or injures their body to try to cope with emotional distress or to feel in control, but there are many reasons why people do it.

• Children1st: https://www.children1st.org.uk/help-for-families/ parentline-scotland/guidance-advice/understanding-self-harm/

• We are with you: https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/help-andadvice/advice-friends-family/self-harm-advice-parents/

INTRODUCING... Ilona Varey, PA to the Safeguarding Team

Tell us your story! You have been my PA since October but what did you do before thatboth at Wellington and prior to working here?

My first ‘proper’ job was working as an Administrator in the Pharmaceutical Industry and then as a PA in a Pharmaceutical Recruitment office. I then took a 12-year career break to raise our 3 daughters and during that time my husband’s work moved us to California and Texas! After returning to the UK, I was offered a role at Reddam House school as the Head’s PA – it was a busy role liaising with HR and dealing with recruitment and staff training as well as the usual PA duties. Life sometimes sends you curve balls and our middle daughter suddenly had to spend a lot of time in hospital, so after a lot of thought I decided to look for a part-time role. A role at Wellington came up and I started here originally looking being a PA to Iain Henderson and look after the Child Protection & Safeguarding training register.

What is interesting about working in a school for you?

I love it; although I left school a long time ago, I am constantly learning new things.

There are so many cogs that make a school function and the support behind the scenes is key. I think that the lockdown in March 2020 showed how the overall team of the College pulled together to make things work and continue providing an education for the pupils. Wellington is a great community to be part of.

What are the best and worst bits about looking after me and the safeguarding team?

A PA’s role is to ensure the smooth day to day running of the office, to problem solve and give support in many ways. A big part of supporting you is making sure the Child Protection & Safeguarding training register is up to date. I am always more at ease when this is up to date and the best bit is when the final person completes the yearly KCSIE quiz! That is a MAMMOTH challenge. A big part of my role is organising your diary and the toughest part of my job is finding time as you are quite busy…! But there is never a ‘quiet’ day, every day is different, and I am enjoying the role very much. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and there is so much work that goes on behind the scenes that no one really realises or appreciates.

What do you enjoy doing, when you are not working?

I love going for walks with my two dogs Alfie and Austin. A walk is good for the soul and the first thing I do when I get in from work in the afternoons is to go straight out with the dogs. I also love to bake and I have found a love for gardening over the last couple of years. My project this year is to grow our own veg! I also volunteer for our local church, often with the youth.

Tell us one thing that no one at Wellington knows about you!

When I left school, I wanted to be a dental nurse. Considering I am a bit squeamish and not good with blood, I am glad I took the admin route and it’s led me to where I am today!