Welcome to Co-op Academy Southfield’s half-term newsletter July 2024. 

We believe it is important that everybody understands their safeguarding responsibilities. We want you to stay up to date with all the changes and learn about how we take care of your children, because they are what make Southfield an amazing place.

Each issue focusses on different areas of Safeguarding. If, after reading, you have any questions please feel free to contact a member of the safeguarding team who will be more than happy to speak to you. For contact information, please see the previous issue. 

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, every day. 

 

What do we do at Southfield to keep children safe?

Our first priority is to keep your child safe by ensuring all staff are up-to-date and trained. We have safeguarding notices around the school to remind staff of our policies. 

We also have a team that are DSL trained who make up the safeguarding team. Please see the previous newsletter for more information. 

We are committed to working with all our parents and students, actively promoting and safeguarding the welfare of all our students. We are here to work with you, not against you.

Useful Safeguarding Acronyms you may find in the newsletters
DDSL - Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead	DSL - Designated Safeguarding Lead	CPOMS - Child Protection Online Management System		KCSiE - Keeping Children Safe in Education

Over the summer holidays…

If over the summer holidays you need to raise a concern about a child, whether this is your own or someone else’s, please use the following option on the Co-op Academy Southfield website. It is on the top right-hand corner of the homepage. Click on ‘report a concern’ and follow the instructions.

                

 

If you choose ‘talk to us online’, there is a form to complete. These responses are monitored by the Co-op Academies Trust team during holiday times.

On this page you will also find a link to the Bradford Children’s Social Work Services page on the Safer Bradford website. Here you can find all more information on reporting different types of concerns. On this website there are a variety of useful resources that parents/carers can take a look at. 

Coming back to our website, there is a section with different links in where else you can get support. These links include the NSPCC, Childline and YoungMinds. 

Another website that offers a range of resources, services and information is the Bradford Local Offer website, please see the link: Bradford SEND Local Offer 

Family Hubs and Early Help offers during the holidays

A message from FYI Bradford:

Summer holidays can be a difficult time – the pressure to keep children entertained can actually cause additional stress for families. We would like to let you know about some of the exciting FREE or low cost events, activities and support services available across our district over the summer.

The fyi.bradford.gov.uk website has information and advice pages, a service directory and a What’s On calendar of free and low cost events. Just enter your postcode and how far you can travel to find out what’s happening! One of this summer highlights will be 70 free fun day events in parks across the district. All the details are at What's On Search Page - Bradford FYI 

If you have a child or children with Special Educational Needs you can visit the www.localoffer.bradford.gov.uk website to find information pages and a service directory. Here you can also find the Parents Forum Summer Newsletter and the AWARE summer activities guide.

Our Family Hubs continue to support families over the summer period. There is lots on offer including free sensory room sessions, school nurse drop-ins, school uniform swap shops, benefits advice, SEND support drop-ins , as well as coffee mornings and fun days…it’s all going on! To find out more go to the family hub timetables on the FYI website.

As well as events and activities, the Family Hubs, which are welcoming centres located across the Bradford District, offer family support and advice, which can be a welcome lifeline especially when school is closed. You can email them any time or give them a call or drop in on a weekday for a friendly chat. For all their contact details, visit the family hubs pages on the fyi website.

 

 

Safeguarding message from the Trust

Dear Families,

We know that children are more likely to face online risks during holiday periods. Here are some links to help you keep your child safe online:

• UK Safer Internet Centre provides tips, advice, guides and resources to help keep your child safe online

    https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers

• Educate Against Hate provides practical advice and support on protecting children from extremism and radicalisation

    https://www.educateagainsthate.com/category/parents/

• Childnet provides advice for parents and carers to help support children and young people in their safe and responsible use of the internet.

    https://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers/

If your child has a Co-op device that they have been given to use at home, systems are in place to monitor harmful content. However, the school staff who usually check on pupils who have tried to view harmful content will not be in school, so we may not pick this up as quickly as usual. Therefore, it's even more important that parents and carers take responsibility for their children’s online safety when the academy is closed.

 

We wish all parents, carers, pupils and colleagues a happy and safe summer break.

 

Kind regards,

Regional Safeguarding Leads

 

And from Co-op Academy Southfield…

We have had a great year with lots of fun and memories made. We have welcomed new students and said goodbye to others. We wish the students who have left the best of luck for the future. To everyone, have a great fun-filled summer, and we will look forward to another year in September.