Safeguarding
Our first priority is your child’s welfare and therefore there may be occasions when our concern about your child means that we have to consult other agencies even before we contact you.
The procedures we follow have been laid down by the Birmingham Children’s Trust. If you want to know more about this procedure, please speak to our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs):
Senior DSL (Assistant Principal): Mrs Jackie Mace j.mace@fairfax.fmat.co.uk
Deputy DSL (Operational): Mrs Jen Colbourne j.colbourne@fairfax.fmat.co.uk
Deputy DSL (Safeguarding Support): Mrs Naomi Walsh n.walsh@fairfax.fmat.co.uk
Deputy DSL (Early Help): – Mrs Angela Franks a.franks@fairfax.fmat.co.uk
If staff become aware of, or have a need to become involved in, situations where a child may be at risk of hurting themselves or others, or if the behaviour of a child seriously disrupts good order in the academy or causes damage to property, staff may need to take steps to intervene physically. In such circumstances staff will follow the academy’s policy for dealing with such situations. Any parent/carer wishing to have further information on this matter or wish to view this policy may do so on request.
All policies relating to safeguarding may be found on the Academy Policies page by clicking HERE
Sometimes families need extra support, and you may hear about “Early Help” in meetings with our staff. Early Help means getting additional, timely, and practical support to children, young people, and families who need it as early as possible. It aims to enable children to flourish and to prevent costly, long term and adverse outcomes.
We will consider starting an early help assessment if we cannot resolve the young person’s worries and issues within the full range of universal provision and where our assessment shows that we need to get additional external support to help families. We will always complete an Early Help Assessment and Plan with the full consent of parents and carers
We promote positive wellbeing for all of our students through our PSHE curriculum, assembly programme and awareness weeks.
We ensure all our students are given regular e-safety advice during Tutor Time, PSHE lessons, as part of their Computing Curriculum and in assemblies. This includes:
Online reputations
Cyberbullying
Access to inappropriate materials (such as pornography and violence)
Sexting and sharing images
Sharing personal information
The risk of exploitation
E-Safety | https://thinkuknow.co.uk/parentshttps://www.nspcc.org.ukhttps://www.activefence.com |
Anti-Bullying | https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.ukhttp://www.bullying.co.uk/ |
Child Sexual Exploitation | www.stop-cse.org |
Female Genital Mutilation | http://integrateuk.orghttps://forwarduk.org.uk/ |
Extremism & Anti-radicalisation | |
Self-Harm | https://calmharm.co.ukwww.selfinjurysupport.org.uk |
Mental Health | www.kooth.com |
Sexual Health & Wellbeing | https://www.brook.org.uk/ |
We all work together at Fairfax School to help with any problems you may have in or out of school. If you have any issues you want to talk to someone about, please visit the site on the link below.
Sharp system: http://fairfax.thesharpsystem.com
Fairfax is committed to keeping our students safe, both in school and the wider community. As part of our safeguarding arrangements, we have a two-way information sharing agreement in place with West Midlands Police, and we are also active members of our local constituency Police & Schools Panel.
The agreement is compliant with Crime & Disorder Act 1998, Data Protection Act 2018 – 2021 Update and United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK-GDPR); and focuses on preventing young people from becoming involved, or further involved, in crime and anti-social behaviour (as either a victim or offender) or those who have been reported as missing that may be vulnerable as a result.
This joint approach helps us to intervene early; provide additional support, and share up-to-date safety messages with students and their families/carers. If you have any queries about this partnership work please contact Mrs J Mace, Assistant Principal – DSL.
Operation Encompass
Dear Parent/Carer
I am writing to inform that Fairfax School is working in a joint operation involving Birmingham Children’s Trust, Birmingham City Council, and West Midlands Police. This is formally known as Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass has been established to help schools provide in-school support to children who have been present at, exposed to or involved in any domestic abuse incident.
We know that children can be significantly harmed, physically and/or emotionally, during these situations, and that it also negatively affects their learning and behaviour in class.
Therefore, as part of the Operation Encompass procedure, and to help mitigate the resulting negative impact, the school receives a confidential phone call or email from West Midlands Police before 9am the morning after a child or young person has been witness to, or involved in, any reported domestic abuse incident.
Here at Fairfax we have a dedicated and child-focused Safeguarding Team. They are specially trained to effectively use the information the Police share, in confidence, and enable the school to provide the right support to any child and their family.
We always endeavour to offer the best support possible to our pupils and believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.
More information can be found at https://www.operationencompass.org/
However, if you have any concerns or questions regarding Operation Encompass, please don’t hesitate to contact me, and I will be happy to discuss them with you.
Yours faithfully
Sean Castle
