Our approach
At Ark St Alban’s Academy we want every child to be happy, healthy and safe.
At our school we have a culture of safeguarding and we know our pupils well. Our staff are able to identify emerging concerns and know when a pupil or their family may benefit from early help. They are trained to recognise the indicators of abuse and neglect. We all recognise that all young people are vulnerable to a range of safeguarding issues and that taking action to keep children safe is everyone’s responsibility.
Our safeguarding team
The safeguarding team at Ark St Alban's Academy are all trained designated safeguarding leads.
In addition, there are mental health first aid trained team members and team members who lead our work in managing the provision for children who are looked after and for children in need of Early Help. The safeguarding team can be contacted using the the email address safeguarding@arkstalbans.org.
What to do if you are worried about a child
To contact the safeguarding team directly during term time, please email safeguarding@arkstalbans.org. Emerging concerns can also be raised with the relevant Head of Year.
Our Character Programme
We teach every child about a number of topics over the course of the year which are designed to help keep them safe. This takes place through our Character programme which includes weekly Character lessons, assemblies and tutor time activities.
The curriculum teaches our pupils how to stay safe, lead healthy lives and make well informed choices about their futures. It involves the explicit teaching of character, values, worship, health and relationships & sex education.
National Online Safety Accreditation
Our school has received a National Online Safety Certified School Accreditation for its whole school community approach to protecting children in the online world. National Online Safety is a multi-award winning digital training provider with extensive resources in online safety, developed in line with the Department of Education’s statutory requirements.
You can access National Online Safety online via any device, including via the smartphone app.
To download the app, please go to:
- iPhone Link
- Android Link
- Alternatively, search for ‘National Online Safety’ in the App Store/Google Play Store.
SENSO
Each pupil at our academy is provided with their own laptop. In order to keep pupils safe online, every laptop is fitted with software which monitors exactly what pupils type. Any alerts are flagged through software called ‘SENSO’, and all alerts are then followed up by the safeguarding team.
Useful links
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Click here to find lots of advice about how to stay safe online...
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Advice and support base on "The Internet, Relationships and You"...
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Helpful information and guidance on a range of key online safety topics...
Anti-Bullying Alliance
Ark St Alban's Academy is now an official member of the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA).
This year we have worked with the Anti-Bullying Alliance to put a huge emphasis on Anti-Bullying in school. Anti-Bullying Week 2022 took place on 14th - 18th November 2022 and we marked this occasion with a whole school drive on promoting excellence in our Anti-Bullying practice.
We have started the process of becoming a “United Against Bullying” school. This is a year long programme with an overall aim of reducing bullying and improving the wellbeing of all pupils.
Useful links
Operation Encompass
Our school is part of Operation Encompass which aims to tackle incidents of domestic violence.
Emotions and Mental Health
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Place2Be is a service which is available at Ark St Albans to support you with your emotions and Mental Health.
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Kooth is a website which helps children and young people to feel safe and confident in exploring their concerns and seeking professional support
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Mental health information, apps and education are available at Stem4
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A fun emotional fitness game
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Information and advice on all things mental health
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Young peoples support service
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Support for young people struggling with disordered eating
Gender and Sexuality
Police partnership
At Ark St Alban’s Academy we work in partnership with the police to help keep our pupils and their families safe, and to inform, enrich and enhance our character curriculum.
