Safeguarding
We all have a statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children and young people in our care. Tapton School takes all safeguarding situations seriously. The school ensures its safeguarding duty is discharged effectively in all matters. We have safeguarding policies and systems in place to ensure everyone feels safe. Any concerns should be reported to our Designated Safeguarding Lead Kath Tabani. Her email is ktabani@taptonschool.co.uk.
We are committed to working closely with parents and carers for the benefits of our pupils/ students. We also work with a range of professionals to support our pupils/students and their families to get the right help at the right time.
Out of Hours
Our school’s opening times are 8.00am until 4.00pm Monday to Friday. Outside of these times, and during school holidays, you will not be able to contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead or the Designated Safeguarding Deputies; any messages left will be responded to when we return to school.
If you have any concerns about the welfare of a child or young person during these times, please contact the Sheffield Safeguarding Hub on 0114 273 4855 (24-hour service). If you think a child or a young person is in immediate danger, please call the Police on 999 at any time.
If you are a child or young person and are worried or feel unsafe then you can get help from Childline a free, private and confidential service. You can chat online or on the phone, 0800 1111, any time.
Online Safety
Children and young people use the internet regularly and may be involved in more online activity than their parents and carers. Some children and young people may have greater technical knowledge than their parents and carers, but they may be unable to identify the risks of giving too much personal information online, and may be unable to spot scams as readily as adults. So, take time to get involved with your child’s or young person’s internet use and teach them about online safety which includes the following.
More detail is on the information commission website https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/online/social-networking/
Staying Safe Online
1) Don’t post any personal information online – like your address, email address or mobile number.
2) Think carefully before posting pictures or videos of yourself. Once you’ve put a picture of yourself online most people can see it and may be able to download it, it’s not just yours anymore.
3) Keep your privacy settings as high as possible
4) Never give out your passwords
5) Don’t befriend people you don’t know
6) Don’t meet up with people you’ve met online. Speak to your parent or carer about people suggesting you do
7) Remember that not everyone online is who they say they are
8) Think carefully about what you say before you post something online
9) Respect other people’s views, even if you don’t agree with someone else’s views doesn’t mean you need to be rude
10) If you see something online that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or worried: leave the website, turn off your computer if you want to and tell a trusted adult immediately.
Useful Information and Links
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass is an initiative which enhances communication between the police and schools where a child or young person is at risk from domestic abuse. The purpose of the information-sharing is to ensure schools have more information to support the safeguarding of children and young people. By knowing that the child has had this experience, the school is in a better position to understand and be supportive of the child's needs and possible behaviours. Operation Encompass will complement existing safeguarding procedures. Please see the link below for further details:
Sheffield Children Safeguarding Partnership
The Sheffield Children Safeguarding Partnership works to ensure:
- Every child and young person in Sheffield grows up free from fear of abuse or neglect
- Improvements in the safety of all children and young people in Sheffield.
The joint leaders of the partnership are:
- Sheffield City Council
- South Yorkshire Police
- Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group
Sheffield Children Safeguarding Partnership - scsp (safeguardingsheffieldchildren.org)
CEOP – Online Safety
If children or young people or parents or carers are worried about the way someone has been communicating with a child or young person online, you can visit Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command online to make a report and seek support using the link below:
Mental Health & Wellbeing
Please click on the link below to access a range of mental health and wellbeing resources.
Tapton School Academy Trust - Health and Wellbeing (taptontrust.org.uk)
At Tapton we care for each other and value everyone. We know that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and we all have a role to play in prevention, protection and support for our students. Our culture of care is well established and we ensure we keep up to date with the latest developments and changes to safeguarding legislation. Regular training for the whole staff takes place alongside enhanced training for our inclusion team.
All of our safeguarding policies comply with Keeping Children Safe in Education and our staff have read and understand its contents.
Please be aware that during weekends and school holidays you will not be able to contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Designated Safeguarding Deputies. If you have any concerns about the welfare of a child or young person during these times, please contact the Sheffield Safeguarding Hub on 0114 2734855 (24 - hour service).
If you think a child or a young person is in immediate danger, please call Police on 999 at any time.
If you are a child or young person and are worried or feel unsafe then you can get help from Childline a free, private and confidential service where you can be you. You can chat online or on the phone, 0800 1111, any time.
To view our online safety newsletters and our safeguarding newsletter please go to our letters page or press this link.