Designated Safeguarding Lead: Sarah Haley (DHT)

For any safeguarding concerns, contact Sarah Haley (DSL)

safeguarding@michaelfaraday.southwark.sch.uk

Deputy Safeguarding Lead: Jacqui Lamport (SENCO), Ann Dowie (SBM)

Designated Safeguarding Governor: Isabella Boman-Flavell (Co-chair)

Riana Gouws (HT) oversees Safeguarding, in her role as headteacher, and safeguarding matters are reported to the Governing Board.

We work closely with a range of outside agencies, including Children’s Social Care.  Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies, when there are concerns about a child's welfare.  We will ensure our concerns about our pupils are discussed with parents/carers first, unless we have reason to believe that would be contrary to the child's welfare.

We actively support the Government's Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism.

See Safeguarding Policy in the policies section

If members of staff, volunteers or governors have any concerns about people working in a paid or unpaid capacity with children, they have a duty of care (and in some cases a professional duty) to inform management accordingly. This can be done in writing or verbally and such issues will be managed with sensitivity and the necessary degree of confidence.

The school follows the Local Authority’s policy on whistleblowing and a copy of the School Whistleblowing Policy is available on the school website or from the school office.

All members of staff are trained to support parents/ carers in the event that help is needed.  Michael Faraday takes a proactive approach and want to work with families to offer support where we can or refer to partner agencies who may be able to specific and specialist assistance.  This type of support is called Early Help.  If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to seek guidance from Sarah Haley (deputy) or you can also approach your child’s class teacher, or any member of the staff team as all will be pleased to help.  You can also contact a member of the senior leadership team who will be able to assist you to support your child.

We are always happy to support parents and carers who would like guidance with managing their child’s behaviour. Parenting can be rewarding but also challenging at times and it is important to seek advice when needed. We can help signpost you to a range of support services and practical strategies.

When emotions are running high, it can help to:

• Pause and take a few deep breaths before responding.
• Remind yourself that you are the adult in the situation.
• Think about how your words might sound from your child’s perspective—language matters.
• Take a moment to count to 10 (or longer if needed).
• Give your child some quiet time to calm down, using age-appropriate time-out as a guide.
• Take a break yourself if needed—step away and reflect on what is driving your reaction.
• Reach out to someone you trust for support or perspective.
• If possible, take a short walk or have a moment to yourself to reset.
• Use simple calming strategies such as music, fresh air, or relaxation techniques.

You can also access external support:

• Family Lives – confidential helpline: 0808 800 2222
• YoungMinds Parent Helpline – 0808 802 5544

Promoting positive behaviour (No physical punishment)

We strongly believe that physical punishment is not an appropriate way to manage children’s behaviour. It may provide a short-term release of frustration but does not support long-term positive outcomes for children.

Parenting is one of the most important roles, and it can feel overwhelming at times. The following approaches can help manage behaviour in a calm and constructive way:

• Offer choices: Giving children limited choices helps them feel a sense of control within clear boundaries. This can encourage cooperation and support their decision-making skills.
• Take a pause: If emotions are running high, it is okay for you, as the parent, to step away. You might say, “I’m feeling too upset right now—we will talk about this later.”
• Seek support: If you feel overwhelmed, ask another trusted adult to step in. A calm, less emotionally involved person can help de-escalate the situation.
• Teach expectations: Rather than focusing only on what went wrong, show children what they should do instead. For example, “Next time, please hang your uniform up—how can I help you remember?”
• Recognise positive behaviour: Make a conscious effort to notice and praise what your child does well. Positive reinforcement encourages those behaviours to continue.
• Use time-out effectively: A calm, consistent time-out can help children regulate their behaviour. A useful guide is one minute per year of age, in a quiet space without distractions. Begin the time once your child is calm.
• Use logical consequences: Link consequences directly to the behaviour so children can understand the impact of their actions. For example, if they cannot follow expectations in the shop, they may need to stay home next time.
• Choose your priorities: Focus on the behaviours that matter most. This helps children understand clear boundaries without feeling corrected constantly.
• Set clear boundaries: Explain what will happen rather than repeatedly telling children what to do. For example, “We can go to the park once your chores are finished.”
• Use positive language: Frame requests around what children can do, rather than what they cannot. This approach often reduces conflict and increases cooperation.

As parents, we often show love in the way that feels natural to us—for example, using lots of praise and encouragement. However, our children may experience love differently. A child who hears kind words may still be seeking more time together or physical closeness. Taking time to reflect on different “love languages” can help us better understand what makes our child feel truly valued and secure.

There are five main ways children tend to experience love:

• Words of affirmation – kind, encouraging words
  Examples: praising effort (“I’m really proud of how hard you tried”), leaving a kind note in their bag, telling them what you enjoy about them
• Quality time – focused time together without distractions
  Examples: playing a game together, reading a book at bedtime, going for a walk or having a chat without phones or interruptions
• Physical touch – closeness and affection
  Examples: hugs, sitting close together, a reassuring hand on the shoulder, cuddling during story time
• Acts of service – helping and supporting them
  Examples: helping them with a tricky task, fixing a toy, preparing their favourite meal, supporting them with homework
• Receiving gifts – thoughtful tokens that show you are thinking of them
  Examples: a small treat, a note or drawing, picking up something you know they like, making something together

Children’s preferences are still developing and there is no fixed rule - most children benefit from a balance of all five. However, noticing what your child responds to most can be helpful. When children feel loved in ways that matter to them, it can strengthen their sense of security, confidence, and wellbeing.

How did you teach your child to cross the road? – Did you talk to them once and then let them get on with it? Of course, you didn’t! Just as we guide our children in their offline lives, we must ensure we guide them through their online life too. You may not be the expert in the technology, but you are the expert in keeping them safe.  Online safety is huge and it can be difficult to know where to start.

Here are some basic rules:

1) Communicate with your children about their online life from an early age. Make it a normal part of your dialogue. The sooner you start this, the better.

2) Children need to know that they can talk to you (or another trusted adult) if they come across anything online that makes them feel uncomfortable. They must know that they can do this without fear of being reprimanded.

3) There are 3 basic things to consider when your children are online: content (what they can see), contact (who they may come into contact with) and conduct (their own behaviour online).

For more information about this, please see the following: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers/what-are-issues

4) Come up with a family agreement around technology use. Do this together with your child, the more invested they are in creating the agreement the more likely they will adhere to it. See the following link for support with how to draw up a family agreement: https://www.childnet.com/resources/family-agreement

Where can I go for support and help?

The amount of resources out there can be very overwhelming for parents. Here are some of the best:

1) The NSPCC has fantastic resources for online safety: WWW.NSPCC.ORG.UK/PREVENTING-ABUSE/KEEPING-CHILDREN-SAFE/ONLINE-SAFETY/

2) Alan Mackenzie is an online safety adviser who releases a half termly newsletter for teachers and parents. You can visit his website to sign up to receive this: https://www.esafety-adviser.com/

3) Common sense media https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ has a fantastic ‘Parents need to know’ section. This includes really helpful guides for frequently used apps etc.

4) CEOP (Child Exploitation Online Protection) has a wealth of resources for parents. This website is unique, as CEOP is informed by up to date information received by the National Crime Agency so all the information reflects current trends and issues. https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/ and https://parentinfo.org/.

5) Confused with all the different social networking sites which children can access? We’ve found this great resource from the NSPCC which describes the most popular sites and offers plenty of information and top-tips for each site (including recommended age limits). https://www.net-aware.org.uk/  You can also read reviews written by other parents.

6) Is your child into gaming? If they are, this website is a very useful resource WWW.ASKABOUTGAMES.COM/     WWW.COMMONSENSEMEDIA.ORG/ WWW.THINKUKNOW.CO.UK/PARENTS/

7) Please have a look at these resources for our youngest pupils, designed to protect them from being coerced or tricked into exposing themselves while online

https://youtu.be/G3M3FisOqrA

https://lgfl.net/sites/default/files/LgflNet/downloads/digisafe/LGfL-DigiSafe-undressed-lyrics.pdf

Use this fun, interactive and downloadable board game to support your KS2 child with learning key concepts related to online safety. As they make their way around the game board, children will encounter scenarios that they have to think about and respond to, as well as opportunities to discuss their own online safety behaviour. https://landing.lgfl.net/hubfs/SafeguardED/LGfL-Digital-Explorers-Online-Safety-Game.zip

If there is an emergency or you think a child may be in imminent danger, please call 999.

Encompass

We work closely with Operation Encompass which directly connects the police with schools to secure better outcomes for children who are subject or witness to police-attended incidents of domestic abuse.  Rapid provision of support within the school environment means children are better safeguarded against the short, medium and long-term effects of domestic abuse. This enables us to support you and your children immediately after an incident.

Safe Space

Southwark Safe Spaces are for those experiencing or recovering impact of domestic abuse. We understand that many people experiencing domestic abuse are unable to make a safe phone call from home or on a mobile phone.  A Safe Space is a confidential, private and safe room for people who are experiencing domestic abuse, where they can access resources for support and make a phone call to get help. There are 72 Safe Spaces rooms across the Southwark, they will carry the Safe Spaces logo. Please note, our Federation is also a registered Safe Space for anyone experiencing domestic violence If you wish to access or find out more about this service please come to the reception and ask about ‘Safe Space’ Safe Spaces. Find more information and support if you’re experiencing domestic abuse.

NSPCC: 0808 800 5000 or help@nspcc.org.uk

NSPCC – THE PANTS RULE

What does the acronym PANTS mean?

PANTS is a simple and clever acronym devised to teach children the underwear rule:

Privates are private.

Always remember your body belongs to you.

No means no.

Talk about secrets that upset you and

Speak up, someone can help.

Why is it so important to talk PANTS?  It’s important that your child understands these rules and knows how to stay safe. We understand that conversations like this can be difficult for both you as a parent and for your child. You don’t want to scare or upset your children, and you may feel it’s too soon – but PANTS has been created specifically to make sure these conversations are as easy and appropriate as possible for children between the ages of 4-11. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/pants-underwear-rule/

Samaritans:

Phone Number: 116 123

Social Care

It is important to note it is unlikely that emails will be read outside of the school’s working hours (8.30am – 4.30pm, Monday – Friday term time), however, you should receive a response within 48 hours during term time.

If you require support with an urgent safeguarding concern that cannot wait until we are back in school you may find it helpful to contact one of the following agencies:

Southwark Multi Agency Safeguarding Team (MASH) 02075251921

Lewisham Multi Agency Safeguarding Team (MASH) 02073146660

In accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), Michael Faraday has appointed Data Protection Officer, who will oversee the data protection at our school. 

Data Protection Officer

Name: David Powell

Email: david@sapphireskiesrestorative.co.uk

GDPR

The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 aims to ensure all personal data is protected and the organisations who work with such data are held accountable for its protection.

At Michael Faraday we have always been committed to data privacy and protection.  As an education provider, with data collection at the core of many of our services, safeguarding personal data is of the utmost importance to us.

In order to become compliant, we have carried out the following:

Personal data review

• Reviewed all existing data policies and procedures to make sure they adhere to new legislation and uphold the highest standards of privacy and protection of personal rights
• Audited all data held and processed in the school, to confirm and record

          -Nature and purpose of processing

          -Categories of data subject

          -Types of personal data held and processed

• Identified the lawful basis for all our personal data processing

Transparency

• Our Privacy Notices align with the Data Protection Act 2018
• All our procedures are aligned with the individual’s rights as specified under GDPR
• Our subject access request procedures are regularly reviewed and updated in line with Data Protection law

Processes, suppliers and employees of our school

• Our processes covering data procedure reporting are in line with UK GDPR requirements.
• Implemented the necessary Data Protection Impact Assessments for projects that may involve high risk processing as covered under UK GDPR.
• Contacted existing suppliers to ensure all parties take account of their respective obligations under UK GDPR, including any data storage and transfers outside of the UK and EEA e.g. to the USA.
• All staff are trained and regularly updated on the new legislation to complement their existing training on data protection.