December 2025

Due for review: December 2026

Supreme Academy is committed to building a 'culture of safety' in which the children in our care
are protected from abuse, harm and radicalisation.

Supreme Academy will respond promptly and appropriately to all incidents or concerns
regarding the safety of a child that may occur. Supreme Academy's child protection procedures
comply with all relevant legislation and with guidance issued by the Local Safeguarding Children
Board (LSCB).

There will be a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) available at all times, either in person or
by phone while Supreme Academy is in session. The CPO coordinates child protection issues
and liaises with external agencies (eg Social Care, the LSCB and Ofsted).

Supreme Academy's designated CPO and DSL is Stacey Plange-Tabil

Deputy CPO and DSL is Bibi Awoloto

 

Child abuse and neglect
Child abuse is any form of physical, emotional or sexual mistreatment or lack of care that leads
to injury or harm. An individual may abuse or neglect a child directly, or by failing to protect them
from harm. Some forms of child abuse and neglect are listed below.

● Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child so as to cause
severe and persistent adverse effects on the child's emotional development. It may
involve making the child feel that they are worthless, unloved, or inadequate. Some level
of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur
alone.
● Physical abuse can involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, drowning,
suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may be also
caused when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes, ill health
to a child.
● Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether
or not the child is aware of what is happening. This can involve physical contact, or non-
contact activities such as showing children sexual activities or encouraging them to
behave in sexually inappropriate ways.
● Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and emotional needs. It
can involve a failure to provide adequate food, clothing and shelter, to protect a child
from physical and emotional harm, to ensure adequate supervision or to allow access to
medical treatment.

 

Signs of child abuse and neglect
Signs of possible abuse and neglect may include:
● significant changes in a child's behaviour
● deterioration in a child's general well-being
● unexplained bruising or marks
● comments made by a child which give cause for concern
● inappropriate behavior displayed by a member of staff, or any other person. For
example, inappropriate sexual comments, excessive one-to-one attention beyond the
requirements of their role, or inappropriate sharing of images.

 

If abuse is suspected or disclosed
When a child makes a disclosure to a member of staff, that member of staff will:
● reassure the child that they were not to blame and were right to speak out
● listen to the child but not question them
● give reassurance that the staff member will take action
● record the incident as soon as possible (see Logging an incident below).

If a member of staff witnesses or suspects abuse, they will record the matter straightaway using
the Logging a concern form. If a third party expresses concern that a child is being abused, we
will encourage them to contact Social Care directly. If they will not do so, we will explain that
Supreme Academy is obliged to and the incident will be logged accordingly.

 

Peer-on-peer abuse
Children are vulnerable to abuse by their peers. Peer-on-peer abuse is taken seriously by staff
and will be subject to the same child protection procedures as other forms of abuse. Staff are
aware of the potential uses of information technology for bullying and abusive behaviour
between young people.

Staff will not dismiss abusive behaviour as normal between young people. The presence of one
or more of the following in relationships between children should always trigger concern about
the possibility of peer-on-peer abuse:

● Sexual activity (in primary school-aged children) of any kind, including sexting
● One of the children is significantly more dominant than the other (eg much older)
● One of the children is significantly more vulnerable than the other (eg in terms of
disability, confidence, physical strength)
● There has been some use of threats, bribes or coercion to ensure compliance or
secrecy.

 

If peer-on-peer abuse is suspected or disclosed
We will follow the same procedures as set out above for responding to child abuse.

 

Extremism and radicalisation
All childcare settings have a legal duty to protect children from the risk of radicalisation and
being drawn into extremism. There are many reasons why a child might be vulnerable to
radicalisation, eg:

● feeling alienated or alone
● seeking a sense of identity or individuality
● suffering from mental health issues such as depression
● desire for adventure or wanting to be part of a larger cause
● associating with others who hold extremist beliefs

 

Signs of radicalisation
Signs that a child might be at risk of radicalisation include:

● changes in behaviour, for example becoming withdrawn or aggressive
● claiming that terrorist attacks and violence are justified
● viewing violent extremist material online
● possessing or sharing violent extremist material
If a member of staff suspects that a child is at risk of becoming radicalised, they will record any
relevant information or observations on a Logging a concern form,and refer the matter to the
CPO.

Logging a concern
All information about the suspected abuse or disclosure, or concern about radicalisation, will be
recorded on the Logging a concern form as soon as possible after the event. The record should
include:
● date of the disclosure, or the incident, or the observation causing concern
● date and time at which the record was made
● name and date of birth of the child involved
● a factual report of what happened. If recording a disclosure, you must use the child's
own words
● name, signature and job title of the person making the record.

The record will be given to Supreme Academy's CPO who will decide on the appropriate course
of action.

For concerns about child abuse, the CPO will contact Social Care. The CPO will follow up all
referrals to Social Care in writing within 48 hours. If a member of staff thinks that the incident
has not been dealt with properly, they may contact Social Care directly.

For minor concerns regarding radicalisation, the CPO will contact the Local Safeguarding
Children Board (LSCB) or LADO Local Authority Designated Officer. For more serious concerns
the CPO will contact the Police on the non-emergency number (101), or the anti-terrorist hotline
on 0800 789 321. For urgent concerns the CPO will contact the Police using 999.

 

Allegations against staff
If anyone makes an allegation of child abuse against a member of staff:

● The allegation will be recorded on an Incident record form. Any witnesses to the incident
should sign and date the entry to confirm it.
● The allegation must be reported to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and to
Ofsted. The LADO will advise if other agencies (eg police) should be informed, and
Supreme Academy will act upon their advice. Any telephone reports to the LADO will be
followed up in writing within 48 hours.
● Following advice from the LADO, it may be necessary to suspend the member of staff
pending full investigation of the allegation.
● If appropriate Supreme Academy will make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring
Service.
● Promoting awareness among staff
● Supreme Academy promotes awareness of child abuse and the risk of radicalisation
through its staff training. Supreme Academy ensures that:
● the designated CPO has relevant experience and receives appropriate training in
safeguarding and the Prevent Duty, and is aware of the Channel Programme and how to
access it
● designated person training is refreshed every three years
● safe recruitment practices are followed for all new staff
● all staff have a copy of this Safeguarding (Child Protection) policy, understand its
contents and are vigilant to signs of abuse, neglect or radicalisation
● all staff are aware of their statutory duties with regard to the disclosure or discovery of
child abuse, and concerns about radicalisation
● all staff receive basic safeguarding training, and safeguarding is a permanent agenda
item at all staff meetings
● all staff receive basic training in the Prevent Duty
● staff are familiar with the Safeguarding File which is kept in the office.
● Supreme Academy's procedures are in line with the guidance in 'Working Together to
Safeguard Children (2015)' and staff are familiar with the guidance in 'What To Do If
You're Worried A Child Is Being Abused (2015)'.

 

Use of mobile phones and cameras
Photographs will only be taken of children with their parents' permission. Only a Supreme
Academy camera will be used to take photographs of children at Supreme Academy, except
with the express permission of the manager. Neither staff nor children nor visitors may use their
mobile phones to take photographs at Supreme Academy.