BISJ Safeguarding 2023 08

Amy is a single mum to Henry who has been attending school for just over a year. Amy is looking very tired, is always in a rush and is not taking as much notice of the feedback given at the end of the day. Today when collecting Henry (aged 3), you notice Amy shouts at him when he is slow in putting his coat on and says “come on, we don’t have time for this”. Henry seems upset by this and says “you are shouting again mummy, it makes me sad”. You approach and ask if everything is ok. Amy advises she is fine but has had a bad day and still has lots of work to do. She advises she is also currently carer for her elderly mother who has had a fall.

• Definitely a safeguarding concern

• It has the potential to be a safeguarding concern

• Not a safeguarding concern

Answer explanation

This is not a safeguarding issue but…

it is advisable to log the incident and to keep an eye on Henry and mum. It is also recommended that Amy is invited in for a chat to see if there is anything ‘we’ can support her with or, if possible, direct her to outside support / advice.

In recent days you notice that Lily is on her own and not with her friends as usual. At a school evening event, you notice Lily's parents walking around with Lily a few paces behind all the time and they do not seem to be talking to her.

• Definitely a safeguarding concern

• It has the potential to be a safeguarding concern

• Not a safeguarding concern

Answer explanation

This is not a safeguarding issue but…

it is advisable to keep an eye on Lily and have a check-in to see how she is doing and how things are at the moment.

Zaraiya is known for being an inquisitive and chatty member of the class. Recently, however, you have noticed a complete change in her behaviour. For the last couple of weeks, Zaraiya has been much quieter and withdrawn. You also notice that although it is a very hot summer and Zaraiya wore dresses a few weeks ago, she has recently been consistently wearing clothes that cover her whole body.

• Definitely a safeguarding concern

• It has the potential to be a safeguarding concern

• Not a safeguarding concern

Answer explanation

This has the potential to be a safeguarding issue.

Here, you have no evidence that Zaraiya is at risk of harm. You have your suspicions that Zaraiya's drastic change in personality may be a result of physical abuse occurring. This is coupled with the fact that Zaraiya is standing out wearing what is considered winter uniform in hot temperatures when a few weeks before she was wearing summer dresses.

You know that Bob is an avid online gamer. One morning he shows you a single screenshot of a chatroom conversation where some quite horrific language has been directed at Bob, allegedly by some students who are in Bob's year group. He said this is the first time it has happened and he no longer wants to come to school.

• Definitely a safeguarding concern

• It has the potential to be a safeguarding concern

• Not a safeguarding concern

Answer explanation

This has the potential to be a safeguarding issue.

Clearly this needs investigating as it has the potential to be peer-on-peer abuse. There is no initial evidence that the other students are from BISJ nor can you see the rest of the conversation... all of which could imply that it is not a safeguarding concern. However, best to err on the side of caution. We also need to remember that our students/parents do sign an acceptable use policy and what has occurred may in breach of this.

Tariq is a friendly student who will soon be starting his IGCSEs. You have asked him how his revision is going. He states that he had concerns, especially with his self-confidence, but a teacher (a colleague of yours) is helping him by regularly sending Whatsapp messages and arranging to meet up in coffee shops and restaurants on a one-to-one basis.

• Definitely a safeguarding concern

• It has the potential to be a safeguarding concern

• Not a safeguarding concern

Answer explanation

This has the potential to be a safeguarding issue.

The teaching colleague’s lines of communication should be through the school email system whilst the one-to-one meetings can (even with the best of intentions) can potentially lead to serious allegations being made, dismissal and more.

In short, if a BISJ Staff member needs to electronically communicate directly with a student, it MUST be done either in via school email.

Please, do not risk doing anything else!