Our Cottingham specific Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy can be found here and on our Statutory Information page.

Safeguarding 

We strive to ensure that all our students feel safe, cared for and supported at school, according to our duty of care and our role in loco parentis.  We are always here to listen and to discuss your or your child’s fears, worries and concerns. We place student wellbeing at the heart of everything we do.  

Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is available via a link below, along with some useful resources and links.

There are four main elements to our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy: 

Prevention 

We promote a positive school atmosphere and provide pastoral support to children and young people through safe and appropriate working practices. 

Protection 

We follow agreed procedures and make sure our staff are fully trained and supported to respond appropriately and sensitively to child protection concerns. 

Support 

We offer support, advice and guidance to students and staff in situations where young people may be at risk of abuse or have been abused. 

Collaboration 

We work together with all our young people, parents and agencies to encourage safeguarding and wellbeing for all our students. 

Introducing our pastoral and safeguarding team. 

If your concern is of a child protection or safeguarding nature, please contact reception and ask to speak to our Designated Safeguarding Lead, in the first instance.   

Useful links and resources for parents/carers, children and young people: (please also see attachments at the bottom of the page)

Anti-bullying - https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/  

• Bullies Out
• Kidscape
• Stop Bullying
• http://notinourcommunity.org/

Bereavement - Winston's Wish - www.winstonswish.org

Child Criminal Exploitation - Contact the Child Protection Officer

Be Aware is an online knowledge and information hub all about child exploitation. The resources and information on this page have been designed alongside parents and carers from across our county to give you the information you need about child exploitation so you can Be Aware of the potential risks. Click on the link below to access the information.

NYSCP North Yorkshire

Child Sexual Exploitation - Contact the Child Protection Officer  

Domestic Violence - Domestic violence - adults (eastriding.gov.uk)

Drugs and alcohol REFRESH - www.refreshhull.org.uk

• Talk to Frank
• Drugsline
• Drugfree.org 

Female Genital Mutilation - Contact the Child Protection Officer 

Gaming - www.internetmatters.org

LGBTQ - Contact Cassie Bishop LGBTQ Lead via email: CBishop@cottinghamhigh.net 

• Stonewall
• Cornerhouse

Mental Health and Wellbeing - Contact Vanessa Clucas - Student Wellbeing Lead via email:  Clucas.V@cottinghamhigh.net 

• www.youngminds.org.uk

MESMAC - sexual health and LGBTQ+ - www.mesmac.co.uk

On-line Safety

• CEOP
• Get Safe Online | Free, online security advice
• Action Fraud

Prevent 

• ACT Early | Prevent radicalisation
• Lets Talk About It - Working Together To Prevent Terrorism (ltai.info)

Sexual Harassment and child-on-child abuse - Contact the Child Protection Officer 

• Preventing Child Sexual Abuse & Keeping Children Safe | NSPCC

Support in school

• The school nurse is available at a weekly session to offer support on a variety of issues such as internet and social media safety, sleep, anxiety, stress and emotional wellbeing.

Tik Tok - Social Media Guidance for Parents 

• The TikTok Guardians Guide which provides an overview of their safety and privacy features. This also includes the Five Tips mentioned in the webinar.
• TikTok’s online challenges page which includes a section on how to talk to young people about challenges.
• Praesidio Safeguarding's report on the dangerous challenges research project.
• TikTok’s wellbeing page including information on screentime tools and tips.
• Internet Matters' report on the screentime project:
• TikTok has also collaborated with Internet Matters on a guide to TikTok for parents.

Helplines

• Childline – 0800 1111
• NSPCC Helpline – 0808 800 5000
• Parentline Plus – 0808 800 2222
• Kidscape – 020 7730 3300

Support for parents

• East Riding Early Help and Safeguarding Hub - tel 395500

• Hull Early Help and Safeguarding Hub - tel 448879

• Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and Support Service - tel 396469.  Email address - sendiass@eastriding.gov.uk

• School Nurse Chat Health - text 07507332891

• Hull and East Riding MIND - email mind.org.uk or tel 240200

• CAMHS Crisis Team - tel 301701

• Refresh Drugs Support - tel 331059

• SEEDS Support for Eating Disorders - tel 344084

Use of WHATSAPP

Whatsapp is often used by our learners to stay in touch with one another as its functionality allows 1:1, large group and community chats in one place. The minimum age for Whatsapp has recently decreased from 16+ to 13+ meaning we are seeing more of our learners accessing the platform.

Due to the fact that Whatsapp allows anyone in a chat to invite others into it, there is an impact on how many people can access your child's number. Similarly, over the last couple of years, there have been a rise in "add everyone" Whatsapp groups where young people are invited to upload all of their contacts. Often these chats ill state "no grown ups!" or similar in their profiles. Whilst more often than not these groups are seen as a fun activity by our learners to connect with other young people all over the world, there have been cases nationwide where these groups are also used to target young people and share with them inappropriate or indecent content.

Please continue to monitor your child's phone regularly. If you have any concerns around social media content, this can be reported to CEOP (CEOP Safety Centre) and the police. You can also speak to our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Claire Cassidy, by emailing claire.cassidy@cottinghamhigh.net