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Guidance on how to keep safe

How RMGS keeps you safe in school

RMGS is our school, and we want it to be a safe place for everybody who works or studies here. Staff at RMGS will do everything they can to make sure you are protected and happy. Please see below details on how we aim to keep you safe in school and to help you decide what could be a “problem” and to whom you should talk.

All staff at school will do their utmost to:

  • Protect you from harm.
  • Make sure nothing stops you being healthy or developing properly.
  • Make sure you are safely looked after.
  • Make sure you have the best life chances and can grow up happy and successful.

Staff will make the school a friendly, welcoming and supportive place to spend time in – somewhere you want to be; will be there for you to talk to if you need to and know who to ask for help; will give you safe messages during your time in school to help you learn how to look after yourself both online and in the real world, and will have all the right rules in place to look after you.

What is abuse?

When someone hurts you, it can be called abuse. This is when someone does something to you that is harmful, unpleasant or painful such as:

  • If someone deliberately hits you, hurts you, injures you or humiliates you in different ways.
  • If someone regularly says or does something that makes you feel bad about yourself or hurts your feelings which makes you feel scared, sad, upset or frightened.
  • If someone shouts, threatens, hits or hurts someone you love whilst you are around which makes you scared, unhappy or worried.
  • If someone doesn’t take proper care of you so you feel abandoned, lonely or neglected. You might not be able to eat or wash regularly, or you might not be able to come to school every day or on time.
  • If someone touches you in a way that you don’t like, or which makes you feel uncomfortable or worried.
  • If someone makes you look at things which make you feel ashamed, embarrassed, uncomfortable or guilty. They may ask you to keep it a secret or give you presents.
  • Remember: abuse is never ok, and it is not your fault. You must always tell someone, and they will help it to stop.

In and out of school

All of the staff at RMGS will aim to make sure the building is safe for you to learn in and spend time in. We will make sure that we know who everyone is in the school by asking visitors to sign in at reception. You will always know who a visitor to the school is because they will have signed in at reception and will display a lanyard which will be around the visitor’s neck. The buildings, outside areas and fields will be as safe as they can be for you so that you don’t hurt yourself, although accidents can happen if you are not careful! If the fire alarm goes off you should know what to do and where to go. When you leave school to go on a trip, the staff will make sure they can keep you safe.

What we will do

At RMGS we will help you to keep safe in the following ways:

  • We will do our best to spot if there is a problem. All staff in the school have had training in this.
  • We will work with other people (including parents and carers) to help protect you and solve any problems you may have.
  • We will always listen to you if you want to talk to us and need our help. We will always take you seriously.
  • We will support and encourage you and will respect your wishes and views, and will provide information, advice and involve outside agencies whenever appropriate or necessary.

At RMGS you can talk to any member of staff, but you should know that there are a number of staff who are responsible for making sure you are safe and well cared for. People in school who can help you:

  • Mrs Horstrup, Deputy Headteacher (Designated Safeguarding Lead)
  • Any member of the Leadership Team
  • Your Head of Year (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads) or your Pastoral Support Assistant
  • Your Form Tutor
  • The Inclusion & Special Needs Team (Mrs Else, our Inclusion Manager, and Mr Smith, Assistant Headteacher and our SENCO are Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads)
  • School Counsellor, Ms Allen (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) or the NHS Emotional Wellbeing Practitioners
  • Your Prefect or Student Mentor
  • The School Office (our Office Manager is a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead)

Tell a member of staff straight away if you are worried about your own safety or wellbeing or that of a friend. We will always listen.

List of External Agencies and Organisations

The pastoral team at RMGS works with a wide range of external agencies and organisations to support children and families. The table below provides an up-to-date list of many of the most frequently used services. Refer to it should you need to call upon their support outside of school hours, such as weekends and holidays when the pastoral teams are not available to provide urgent support.

Organisation

Who They Are and What They Say

Contact Details

Early Help or Family Solutions and Preventative Services

 

 

We provide services that can be accessed at a time and place that suits families to help them to do well, stay safe and resolve problems at the earliest possible opportunity, before they become more serious.

 

 

https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200170/children_and_families/322/early_help_for_families

NELFT/ CYPMHS (CAMHS) – NHS Mental Health and Young Persons’ Wellbeing Support

 

NELFT stands for North East London Foundation Trust and is the name for the Child and Young Persons’ Mental Health Service (CYPMHS). It provides emotional wellbeing and mental health advice and support for young people and their families across Medway.

 

If you are in crisis or require out of hours support please call SPA available 24 hours a day, on 0800 011 3474. They will listen and talk through the support available to you and your child.

 

https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/services-kent-children-young-peoples-mental-health

Oasis

 

We provide support across a range of needs and risks for those affected by domestic violence to ensure families get the support they need

 

 

 

http://www.oasisdaservice.org

Porchlight

 

We offer free support with mental health and wellbeing for people anywhere in Kent.

 

You might be struggling with anxiety or depression, experiencing stress, feeling hopeless, isolated or overwhelmed.

Whatever you’re facing, we are here to listen to you.

https://www.porchlight.org.uk/

Carers FIRST

 

Carers First is the service for Young Carers aged 5-18 across Medway.

 

The Carers First’s Medway Young Carer project aims to support young people aged 5 to 18 who are in a caring role by offering them support and the opportunity to have a break from their caring role and meet others who are in a similar situation.

https://www.carersfirst.org.uk/medway

Young Minds

 

 

We want to see a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health, and all young people get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.

https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/looking-after-yourself/

Kooth

 

Your online mental wellbeing community.

Free, safe and anonymous support.

https://www.kooth.com

Together All

 

 

Commissioned by over 250 organisations globally, we’re an online service providing access to millions with anxiety, depression and other common mental health issues.

https://togetherall.com/en-gb/our-work/

Open Road

Open Road provides free, confidential support to people who have issues with drugs, alcohol or mental health.

https://www.openroad.org.uk

Holding On, Letting Go

Holding On, Letting Go is a Kent-based charity that helps children to cope with the death of someone close to them.

https://holdingonlettinggo.org.uk/

Fearless

 

 

Fearless is a service that allows you to pass on information about crime 100% anonymously. This means you don't have to give us any personal details.

https://crimestoppers-uk.org/fearless

MeToo

 

 

MeToo is a multi-award winning, free, anonymous app where young people can talk about difficult things. MeeToo provides a safe, pre-moderated (by humans) space for young people aged 11+ to experiment with opening up about whatever may be on their mind.

https://metoomvmt.org

A platform offering advice on how to keep safe online. Parents/carers can create their own account.

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/rainham-mark-grammar-school

https://www.childline.org.uk/globalassets/report-remove/20201303_report-remove-ident_blue_w-strap_rgb_gd_aw2.png

NSPCC site that walks you through removing an image of you online.

https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/remove-nude-image-shared-online/

Childline

Available for all young people, whatever the problem.

https://www.childline.org.uk/

 

0800 11 11

Social Care

If you think you have any care and support needs, you can contact us to ask for a free assessment.

https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200139/social_care_and_health

Police 101

 

101 is the non-emergency contact number for any police force in England and Wales and it is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

101

NHS 111

 

NHS 111 can help if you have an urgent medical problem and you’re not sure what to do.

111

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-use-111/

Emergency Services

Protecting life is the number one priority for police, ambulance and fire.

If there is a real possibility that someone could lose their life or be seriously injured if they don’t receive help immediately, then you need to call 999.

Is a crime in progress? As the police, we really like to be able to catch criminals in the act. You can help us do this by calling 999 when the crime is taking place and if criminals have just left the scene of the crime.

999