Safeguarding is paramount to everything we do at Lees Brook Academy and is integrated in all aspects of everyday life for Students and Staff. At LBA we are committed to ensuring the safety of every student, monitoring their well-being, responding to concern and constantly reviewing and updating the safety of the school site. All staff have appropriate training so that they understand their roles and responsibilities and are confident about carrying them out. At LBA we have a large Safeguarding Team who are trained to support Children and Families with any concern and will work with a wide variety of agencies to support all Children. We work closely with external partners, who offer a wide range of support services. Please click the Derby Direction logo to find more information.
Support During Term Time
Safeguarding our students is our highest priority. Ensuring our students are safe is the responsibility of us all: colleagues, parents, visitors and our community. If you have any concerns about the safety and welfare of any our students, inform our Safeguarding Team immediately. Don’t keep concerns to yourself, report them so we can look into them. All safeguarding concerns should be reported to our Safeguarding Team.
Support During School Holidays
Most of us look forward to the school breaks with great excitement but for some young people it can be a time of anxiety, especially for those who rely on regular face-to-face contacts with their friends or who enjoy the security and structure provided by the school day. Our school emergency safeguarding email is safeguarding@leesbrook.co.uk
If you are concerned about any young person in respect of their emotional wellbeing or you feel that they are vulnerable to harm or abuse and you are uncertain whether they are receiving support, you may wish to contact one of the agencies listed. Please CLICK HERE to view this information.
Contact our Safeguarding Team on:
Email: safeguarding@leesbrook.co.uk
Telephone: 01332 671723
Our Safeguarding Team will support our students and their families to ensure that barriers to education are removed and appropriate support is provided.
Mrs C Heffern
Vice Principal and DSL
Mrs T Morris
Targeted Support Lead
Young Carers
A Young Carer is someone under the age of 18 who looks after a family member or friend who has a physical or mental health condition, misuses drugs or alcohol or has a life limiting illness. They may also look after brothers, sisters or elderly relatives too.
We know that managing school life and caring responsibilities can be challenging. If your child has caring responsibilities at home, please make sure you let us know so that we can offer support to your child and your family.
At LBA, we can access external support for our Young Carers via Young Carers Derby City and Derbyshire. Please click on the logo below to access their website for more information.
Information For Students
Do you need to talk to someone or tell someone something that you are worried or concerned about? Whether this is about you, a friend or a family member; there are lots of ways you can do this:
- You can speak to your Form Tutor or Year Leader
- You can speak to anyone from the Safeguarding Team
- You can speak to a Student Support Mentor
- You can speak to ANY member of staff at LBA
- You can put your feelings in writing via email
Please come and see us if you need to talk or you would like more information about accessing support. The Safeguarding Team can be found on the ground floor next to the Head of Year Offices.
Mental Health & Wellbeing
It is so important that you are taking care of yourself, your Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing. It is okay to not feel yourself sometimes. At LBA we take the Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing of our students and staff very seriously. If you are worried or concerned about your Mental Health or someone you know, please discuss with one of the members of Staff above. If you would rather not talk about it, that’s okay too. Please click on any of the links below to find help and support.
Online Safety
By being part of the LBA Community all Students, Parents and Staff have access to our Safer Schools App. The Safer Schools App is a completely free service that supports Students and parents by giving advice for all things Online Safety. The app was designed by a team of experts who monitor new apps, websites and platforms that children access to identify risks (and protective factors) to ensure that your safer schools app is always up to date.
Early Help
At LBA we want to help and support all of our Students and Families where possible. We have strong links with local agencies designed to support with a wide range of concerns which may include where a child:
- Is disabled or has certain health conditions with specific additional needs
- Has special educational needs (with or without a statutory Education, Health, and Care plan)
- Has a mental health need
- Is showing signs of being drawn into anti-social or criminal behaviour, including gang involvement and association with organised crime or county lines
- Is in challenging family circumstances, such as those involving drug and alcohol misuse, adult mental health issues, or domestic abuse
- Is misusing alcohol and other drugs, cigarettes and vapes
- Is at risk of so-called ‘honour’-based abuse, such as Female Genital Mutilation or Forced Marriage
- Is privately fostered.
If you are concerned about any of these areas for feel that your child may benefit from any form of help, please speak to a member of the Safeguarding Team.
Report Online Abuse – Has someone done something online that has made you or a child or young person you know, feel worried or unsafe? If so, you can make a report by clicking the link below:
https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
So, what advice can you give a child if they come across something scary or disturbing online? Tell them to:
Stop – what they’re doing and turn off their screen or shut down their device
Breathe – pause and stay calm
Think – try not to focus on what they saw in great detail, and remind themselves that there is no immediate danger to them and that they are safe
Talk – they should find a trusted adult to talk to about what they’ve seen and how they feel
For further support and advice, please see https://www.childline.org.uk/
The link below is a new tool for young people to report and remove nude images/ videos online:
For further information and advice, please also click the link below:
https://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers/hot-topics/sexting
