Safeguarding at Kingsmead

Kingsmead School is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, recognising this as a shared responsibility. We follow the guidance of the Staffordshire Families Integrated Front Door (SFIFD), Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018), and Keeping Children Safe in Education (2025). Policies - John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust       At Kingsmead School, we: Make safeguarding everyone’s duty Provide children with a safe space to share concerns and ensure their voices are heard Promote an open, positive safeguarding culture where staff are vigilant and alert to keep our students safe Regularly train staff to a high standard Deliver a broad and balanced curriculum that supports pupils in making safe and informed choices Work closely with other agencies, sharing information effectively and challenging when necessary to achieve the best outcomes for young people

If you have any concerns regarding the safety of a child either inside or outside of our school, you can contact: Mr Tom Truby (Designated Safeguarding Lead), Mrs Emma Bracebridge (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) , Miss Lucy Jones (Assistant to Safeguarding lead) using the email below

ks-safeguarding@kng.jtmat.co.uk.

Our Nominated Governor for Safeguarding: Mrs B Heath
B.heath@lgb.jtmat.co.uk

Staffordshire

• Staffordshire Children’s Advice and Support Team (Monday- Friday 8am-5pm) 0300 111 8007 and select option 1

• Emergency Out of Hours (Evenings and Weekends) 0345 604 2886

• Police: Non-Emergency- 101 or Emergency- 999

Online Safety

At Kingsmead School, we are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all members of our community, including when using the internet. We do not tolerate inappropriate use of our ICT network.

Through our Personal Development curriculum, including lessons, assemblies and weekly themes, we help students understand online risks, how to report concerns, and how to make safe and responsible choices. Our monitoring system tracks activity on the school network and alerts the safeguarding team to any concerns. Any breaches of our Acceptable Use Agreement are followed up appropriately. In addition, robust filtering is in place to protect users from harmful or unsafe content, overseen by our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).

We ask parents to support us by monitoring their child’s social media use, ensuring privacy settings are secure, being mindful of online posts and digital footprints, and checking that interactions remain positive. Most social media platforms have age restrictions, and we strongly encourage parents to respect these. Where inappropriate use of social media causes concern, the school may work with external agencies to support both children and families.

Mobile Phones at Kingsmead

At Kingsmead School we display clear guidance on mobile phones that are in line with the government guidelines. All students at Kingsmead are expected to adhere to this information to ensure a safe and productive learning environment.

Mobile phones and other electronic devices must be turned off and kept in students’ bags throughout the school day. Students are expected to follow this procedure at all times while on the school premises, including when leaving the school site during the day. Smart watches may only be used for time management purposes, and all notifications must be switched off. If a student is found using a phone or smart watch, or has a phone out during the school day, a member of staff will confiscate the device. The item will then be taken to reception, where it will be securely stored and recorded electronically. On the first occasion, students may collect their confiscated device from reception at the end of the school day. On the second occasion, parents/carers will be required to collect their child’s mobile phone from the school reception.

As part of the Kingsmead community, our parents and carers also hold an important role in communicating the risks of mobile phone use and the support of our policies regarding phones and electronic devices. If communication is needed throughout the school day, our Progress Team and school office is contactable to ensure our guidance is applied effectively.

View the official government advice on mobile phones in school here.

Sixth Form

The Sixth Form Study Centre consists of a range of facilities designed to support students with their independent study. These include 4 large study spaces, a dedicated computer room, an additional bank of 20 computers, 30 laptops and free wi-fi. As part of this offer, Sixth Form students are permitted to use their mobile phones within the confines of the Sixth Form Study Centre to aid their study, however, like all other students, they are not permitted to use them anywhere else around school.

Medical Circumstances

We recognise that some students may need access to their phone throughout the day for specific medical reasons. If this applies to your child, please speak to your child’s Progress Leader as soon as possible to inform them of these circumstances so that appropriate arrangements can be put in place to support your child’s needs.
 
 
As part of our PSHE education, all students are made acutely aware that the use of social media on their mobile phone devices can put them at risk of harm, including:

·         Grooming

·         Sextortion

·         Computer generated AI images

·         Non-consensual sharing of images and videos

·         Threatening messages

Online Safety Act 2023 and the use of mobile phones

School and families need to work together to ensure our children are aware of the dangers posed by using mobile phones and other devices when online and that they understand the laws behind the conduct people may undertake.

This information below was shared with students in September 2025 and also forms part of the Online Safety section of the PSHE curriculum. It is imperative that students do not, in or out of school, use their mobile phones or any other media device to commit any of the following outlined in the Online Safety Act 2023:

False Communications Offense (Section 179):

It is an offense to send messages known to be false that are intended to cause non-trivial psychological or physical harm to a likely audience, with no reasonable excuse.

Threatening Communications Offense (Section 181):

Sending threatening communications with the intention of causing serious alarm or distress.

Epilepsy Trolling Offense (Section 183):

An offense for sending electronic communications, like flashing images, that are likely to cause serious harm to a person with epilepsy.

Encouraging or Assisting Serious Self-Harm (Section 184):

Providing content or doing acts that encourage or assist serious self-harm.

Cyber-Flashing (Section 187, amending the Sexual Offences Act 2003):

Sending a photograph or film of someone's private area without their consent with the intention of causing them alarm, distress, or humiliation.

Intimate Image Abuse (Section 188, amending the Sexual Offences Act 2003):

Sharing or threatening to share intimate photographs or films without the consent of the person depicted.

Committing any of the above can result in Police action. Please see full legislation here.

CEOP

If something online has left you feeling uncomfortable, unsafe, or worried, you can make a report straight to the CEOP Safety Centre by clicking here. This could involve someone you know personally or someone you’ve only spoken to online. Every report is taken seriously, and CEOP will do all they can to help keep you safe. Alongside reporting, the CEOP Education website also provides guidance and support with useful information if you’ve experienced something concerning online.

Family Support

At Kingsmead School, we understand that family life can sometimes bring challenges, and we are here to help. If you feel your family needs extra support, please speak to your child’s Progress leader who can offer guidance, or we can connect you with external services such as Malachi (Tier 2 Family Support in Staffordshire), which you can access directly through www.malachi.org.uk. For more specialist help (Tier 3), families can also contact the Staffordshire Families Integrated Front Door (SFIFD) Team on 0300 111 8007. By working together, we can make sure children and young people receive the right support at the right time.

Mental Health

At Kingsmead School, we know how important mental health and wellbeing are for our pupils. We work hard to create a caring and supportive environment where students feel able to talk about any worries they may have. Our staff are trained to notice when a child might be struggling, and we’ll always do our best to support them. Sometimes this might mean offering help in school with our Wellbeing team, and at other times we may suggest extra support from outside services such as school nurses, counselling or local organisations that specialise in mental health. If you ever feel your child needs additional support, please speak to their Head of Year, who can advise you and guide you towards the right help.

There are a number of services that can support families with Children’s mental health. 

• Shout – Text SHOUT to 85258

• Young Minds – www.youngminds.org.uk 

• Samaritans- 116 123

• Sandbox – https://thesandbox.mindler.co.uk

• CAMHS – https://camhs.mpft.nhs.uk/south-staffordshire

• Cannock Mental health Team- https://www.mpft.nhs.uk/services/mental-health-support-teams-schools

Important Links:

NPSCC link for online safety.

SSCB Website

Childline Website

Referral Information

Operation Encompass Statement

Our school is part of Operation Encompass, a national police and education safeguarding initiative that provides early support for children who experience domestic abuse. Under the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act, children are recognised as victims in their own right, and all police forces in England are required to share relevant information with schools. Through this partnership, the police notify us of any domestic abuse incidents they attend that involve our pupils, enabling us to offer timely and appropriate support. All Operation Encompass information is stored securely in line with our safeguarding procedures, and we ensure that nothing we do places a child or non‑abusing adult at further risk. We proudly display Operation Encompass materials to raise awareness of this important work.