safeguarding
Our commitment to safeguarding
Academy21 is robustly committed to protecting every young person we support.
prioritising student wellbeing
Safeguarding and child protection
The safety and wellbeing of our learners is our highest priority at Academy21.
We are dedicated to our responsibility in providing a secure environment where every young person is supported and protected. Everyone in our organisation takes this obligation extremely seriously, with each member of staff playing a crucial role in safeguarding our students.
Academy21 follows all statutory and relevant guidance with safeguarding practices and procedures meticulously developed in accordance with the principles established by the Children’s Act 1989, the Education Act 2002 and the Children’s Act 2004. For a detailed overview, our full Safeguarding Policy and Safer Recruitment Policy are available to download.
HOW WE KEEP STUDENTS SAFE
Our safeguarding approach
Safeguarding in education is the act of protecting children from any and all forms of harm and maltreatment. At Academy21, our robust, school-wide safeguarding is an integral part of our commitment to foster a safe, nurturing space for our vulnerable learners. Everyone in our organisation takes this obligation extremely seriously, with each member of staff playing a crucial role in safeguarding our students.
Strict teacher recruitment
We employ rigorous recruitment processes to select fully qualified, highly experienced, DBS-checked teachers, regularly training all staff on best practices in safeguarding.
Secure online platforms
Academy21’s state-of-the-art portals and classrooms and designed for the utmost data security, with technical cloud infrastructure built to ISO 27001 standards.
Emotional and social learning
Our curriculum also includes education on safety and welfare, ensuring every pupil knows how to stay secure online and who to contact if they’re having any concerns.
Positive, supportive environment
Promoting a positive learning environment where students’ wellbeing is always valued, we empower children to develop confidence and speak out when something’s not right.
online safety
Staying safe online
E-safety is crucial in online alternative provision, which is why our Academy21 platforms are designed for the utmost security.
We also work to equip our learners with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate the digital world safely, from internet content to positive online conduct. More top tips for staying safe online include:
- Protect your devices, including reputable firewall programmes, virus and spyware scanners, and phishing filters.
- Verify secure websites by looking for a padlock symbol and https:// in the web address when entering personal information.
- Learn from safety organisations such as Internet Matters, which aims to empower parents and carers to keep their children safe in the digital world.
data we collect
Protecting your data
Academy21 is committed to protecting the personal data of all students and customers in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.
Any data we collect and use is solely to deliver our services and provide you with relevant or important information.
Parent and carer contact data
While we do not directly request parent or carer contact information (as we primarily communicate with school or local authority contacts), we are happy to include parents in our communications upon request. We understand the importance of parental involvement and work to accommodate these requests with sensitivity and security.
Learner progression data
For the best possible learning experience, we request information at referral that supports informed decision-making (such as placing students in appropriate ability groups and generating personalised timetables).
This may include baseline assessment data, historical progress, and background information, which helps our teachers understand and address any issues that might impact learner engagement and progression.
Financial data
When our service is commissioned, we collect contact information for school or local authority finance teams. This enables us to send invoices and serve as a key point of contact for any finance-related queries, ensuring smooth financial operations and timely resolution of any issues.
Safeguarding data
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all learners, we collect contact information for designated safeguarding and child protection staff at each school or local authority.
This allows our safeguarding leads to quickly contact the appropriate officers in the event of any concerns, ensuring a swift and effective response.
Exams officer data
To support the examination process for our learners, we collect contact information for exams officers at the relevant schools or local authorities. This allows us to effectively collaborate and ensure that students are properly entered for their exams, receiving any and all necessary support throughout the process.
Parent and carer contact data
While we do not directly request parent or carer contact information (as we primarily communicate with school or local authority contacts), we are happy to include parents in our communications upon request. We understand the importance of parental involvement and work to accommodate these requests with sensitivity and security.
Learner progression data
For the best possible learning experience, we request information at referral that supports informed decision-making (such as placing students in appropriate ability groups and generating personalised timetables).
This may include baseline assessment data, historical progress, and background information, which helps our teachers understand and address any issues that might impact learner engagement and progression.
Financial data
When our service is commissioned, we collect contact information for school or local authority finance teams. This enables us to send invoices and serve as a key point of contact for any finance-related queries, ensuring smooth financial operations and timely resolution of any issues.
Safeguarding data
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all learners, we collect contact information for designated safeguarding and child protection staff at each school or local authority.
This allows our safeguarding leads to quickly contact the appropriate officers in the event of any concerns, ensuring a swift and effective response.
Exams officer data
To support the examination process for our learners, we collect contact information for exams officers at the relevant schools or local authorities. This allows us to effectively collaborate and ensure that students are properly entered for their exams, receiving any and all necessary support throughout the process.
how to take action
Raising a concern
01.
Our Approach
As well as creating a safe environment for students to thrive in, we are also committed to reacting quickly and decisively when a concern is raised. If a concern is raised by our staff or reported to us by a student, we will always communicate quickly and clearly with the commissioning organisation, providing details of the concern and the actions taken.
02.
For schools and local authorities
If you have a concern, please follow your internal procedures in the first instance. If it relates to an Academy21 student, please also share the information you have with our team. We request a designated contact for safeguarding and child protection issues when working with schools and local authorities. This ensures that any concerns are handled promptly, sensitively, and in line with statutory requirements.
03.
For students
If you’re a student and you have any worries or concerns, make sure you always reach out to a trusted adult. This may be a teacher at your school, a teacher at Academy21 in class or through the ‘support’ section of your student portal, or another grown up in your life (for example, a parent or carer). If you’d prefer to talk to someone in confidence, we encourage you to contact a safe and reputable specialist organisation like Childline.
04.
For parents and carers
If you would like to talk to us about our safeguarding policies or report any concerns, please get in touch with our team. In the event of any immediate risk, call the emergency services one 999 or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 without delay.