Safeguarding

At Longbenton High School, safeguarding is our highest priority. We want every pupil to feel safe, listened to, respected and supported. We know that pupils learn best when they feel secure, when adults know them well and when concerns are acted on quickly.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Every adult working in or with our school has a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This includes teachers, support staff, leaders, governors, volunteers, visitors, agency staff and contractors.

Our safeguarding work is based on a strong culture of vigilance, care and early help. We do not wait for problems to become serious before offering support. We encourage pupils, parents, carers and staff to share worries as early as possible.

Our safeguarding arrangements are informed by national statutory guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education, Working Together to Safeguard Children, the Children Act 1989, the Children Act 2004, the Education Act 2002 and local safeguarding procedures from the North Tyneside Safeguarding Children Partnership.

This page should be read alongside our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, Behaviour Policy, Anti Bullying Policy, Attendance Policy, Online Safety information, SEND information and Staff Code of Conduct.

Last updated: June 2026
Next review: June 2027

Our Safeguarding Team

The Designated Safeguarding Lead, often called the DSL, has lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection in school. The DSL works with pupils, families, staff, governors, children’s social care, police, health services and other agencies to help keep children safe.

If you have a safeguarding concern, please contact school as soon as possible. You do not need to wait until you have proof. If something worries you, please tell us.

Role	Name	How to contact
Designated Safeguarding Lead	Mrs K Hay	Email: hay@longbenton.org.uk Telephone: 0191 218 9500 You can also contact school reception and ask to speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Acting Headteacher	Mr J Elliott	Email: headteacher@longbenton.org.uk Telephone: 0191 218 9500
Chair of Governors	Dr J Sanders	For concerns about the Headteacher, contact the Chair of Governors through the school office or by emailing lhs@longbenton.org.uk and addressing the concern to 'Chair of Governors'.

School telephone: 0191 218 9500
School email: lhs@longbenton.org.uk

What Safeguarding Means at Longbenton

Safeguarding means protecting children from harm. It also means making sure children are supported to grow, learn and develop in a safe environment.

At Longbenton, safeguarding includes:

• protecting pupils from abuse, neglect and exploitation
• responding quickly when a pupil may be at risk of harm
• supporting pupils’ mental health and emotional wellbeing
• helping pupils understand safe and healthy relationships
• teaching pupils how to stay safe online and in the community
• working with parents and carers wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so
• working with external agencies when pupils or families need additional help
• making sure staff are trained to recognise and report concerns
• using safer recruitment checks before adults work with pupils
• listening to pupils and taking their concerns seriously

Our Safeguarding Culture

We want pupils to know that there is always someone they can talk to. We encourage pupils to speak to a trusted adult if they are worried about themselves, a friend or someone else.

Staff are trained to notice when something may not be right. This might include changes in behaviour, attendance, appearance, mood, friendships, online activity, academic progress or relationships with others.

We take an attitude of it could happen here. This means we do not assume that serious safeguarding issues only happen elsewhere. We remain alert, we listen carefully and we act when concerns are raised.

We also understand that children may not always directly tell an adult that they are worried or unsafe. Some pupils may communicate through behaviour, absence, withdrawal, anxiety, changes in friendship groups or changes in learning.

How We Respond to Concerns

If a concern is raised, school staff will listen carefully, record the concern and share it with the safeguarding team. The safeguarding team will consider the information and decide what action is needed.

Depending on the concern, our response may include:

• speaking with the pupil
• speaking with parents or carers, where it is safe and appropriate
• putting support in place within school
• seeking advice from the North Tyneside Front Door Service
• making a referral to children’s social care
• working with police, health services or other agencies
• taking urgent action if a child may be at immediate risk

There may be times when the school has to share information with children’s social care or the police without speaking to parents or carers first. This would happen if speaking to a parent or carer could place a child at greater risk, affect a police investigation or delay urgent action to protect a child.

What Pupils Can Do If They Are Worried

Pupils can speak to any trusted adult in school. This could be a form tutor, class teacher, year leader, pastoral member of staff, SEND staff member, safeguarding lead or another adult they trust.

Pupils should ask for help if:

• they feel unsafe
• someone is hurting them
• someone is frightening, pressuring or controlling them
• they are worried about home
• they are worried about a friend
• something has happened online
• they are being bullied or harassed
• they feel anxious, low or overwhelmed
• they have seen or heard something that worries them

Pupils can also contact Childline for free, confidential support.

Childline: 0800 1111
Childline website

Types of Harm We Are Alert To

Safeguarding concerns can take many forms. Staff are trained to be alert to possible signs of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Area of concern	What this can include	Longbenton response
Physical abuse	Physical harm, injury or actions that may cause physical harm to a child.	Staff report concerns immediately to the safeguarding team. Urgent concerns are referred to the appropriate external service.
Emotional abuse	Persistent emotional harm, humiliation, threats, rejection, intimidation, coercion or verbal abuse.	We listen to pupils, record concerns, work with families where appropriate and seek external support where needed.
Sexual abuse	Forcing, pressuring or manipulating a child into sexual activity, including contact and non contact abuse.	We follow child protection procedures and refer to children’s social care or police where required.
Neglect	Persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical or emotional needs, including food, clothing, hygiene, supervision, medical care or safe living conditions.	We monitor concerns carefully, work with families where safe and appropriate and refer for further support where needed.
Child on child abuse	Bullying, physical abuse, sexual harassment, sexual violence, abuse in intimate relationships, coercion, intimidation, sharing intimate images or harmful sexual behaviour.	We take all concerns seriously, support those affected, challenge harmful behaviour and follow safeguarding procedures.
Online harm	Grooming, cyberbullying, harmful content, coercion, exploitation, scams, sexual images, AI generated abuse, deepfakes, radicalisation or unsafe contact online.	We teach online safety, use filtering and monitoring systems and respond to concerns through safeguarding procedures.
Child sexual exploitation	Where a child is manipulated, pressured or coerced into sexual activity, often in exchange for attention, gifts, status, money, alcohol, drugs or perceived affection.	We look for warning signs, listen carefully and work with specialist services, children’s social care and police where needed.
Child criminal exploitation	Where a child is pressured, groomed or forced into criminal activity, including county lines, carrying weapons, theft, fraud or drug related activity.	We treat exploitation as a safeguarding concern and seek support from appropriate agencies.
Domestic abuse	Children can be harmed by seeing, hearing or experiencing domestic abuse at home or in their own relationships.	We support pupils affected by domestic abuse and work with external agencies where needed.
Serious violence	Risk linked to weapons, gangs, violence, exploitation, harmful peer groups or unsafe locations.	We work with pupils, families, police, children’s social care and local partners to reduce risk.
Radicalisation and extremism	Where a child may be drawn into extremist ideas, harmful ideologies or terrorism related activity.	We follow the Prevent duty and seek advice through local safeguarding procedures where needed.
Female genital mutilation	A form of abuse involving injury to female genital organs for non medical reasons.	Staff follow safeguarding procedures. Teachers have a mandatory duty to report known cases in under 18s to the police.
Honour based abuse	Abuse linked to beliefs about honour, shame, family reputation or control.	We treat this as a serious safeguarding concern and seek specialist advice where required.
Modern slavery and trafficking	Where a child is exploited, controlled, moved, forced to work or used for criminal or sexual exploitation.	We report concerns through safeguarding procedures and work with relevant external agencies.
Homelessness or risk of homelessness	Housing insecurity, temporary accommodation, family breakdown, eviction risk or unsafe living arrangements.	We recognise housing instability as a possible safeguarding concern and seek support for families where needed.

Children Who Are Absent From Education

Attendance is a safeguarding matter. Children who are absent from school repeatedly or for long periods may be at increased risk of harm. Absence can sometimes be a warning sign of abuse, neglect, exploitation, mental health difficulties, bullying, unmet SEND needs, family stress or unsafe circumstances outside school.

At Longbenton, we monitor attendance carefully and follow up absence. Where we are worried about a pupil, we may contact parents and carers, speak with the pupil, make home contact, involve the attendance team, seek advice from the safeguarding team or contact external agencies.

Parents and carers should contact school as soon as possible if their child is absent and should tell us if there are any worries affecting attendance.

Children Missing Education

Children missing education are children who are not receiving suitable education and may not be on a school roll. This can place children at significant risk. If we believe a child may be missing education, we follow local authority procedures and work with North Tyneside Council to help make sure the child is safe and receiving education.

Family Help and Early Support

Some pupils and families need help before a concern becomes more serious. This may include support with attendance, behaviour, family stress, mental health, housing, financial pressure, parenting, bereavement, caring responsibilities or other difficulties.

At Longbenton, we aim to identify worries early and work with families in a supportive way. This may involve support from the pastoral team, the SEND team, school nursing, mental health support, the local authority or other community services.

Where a child or family needs coordinated help, we may discuss Early Help or Family Help routes with parents and carers. If we believe a child may be at risk of significant harm, we will contact children’s social care.

Online Safety

Technology is part of pupils’ daily lives. It brings opportunities for learning, communication and creativity, but it can also expose pupils to risks.

At Longbenton, online safety is taught through the curriculum, assemblies, tutor time, personal development and pastoral support. We want pupils to understand how to use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly.

Our online safety work includes:

• teaching pupils how to stay safe online
• helping pupils understand privacy, consent and digital footprints
• challenging cyberbullying and harmful online behaviour
• teaching pupils about grooming, exploitation and unsafe contact
• supporting pupils to report online concerns
• using filtering and monitoring systems on school devices and networks
• reviewing online safety arrangements regularly
• working with parents and carers to support safe technology use at home

We recognise that online harm can include AI generated content, deepfakes, self generated intimate images, harmful influencers, misogyny, radicalisation, gambling, scams, cybercrime and pressure from peers.

Useful Online Safety Links

Resource	What it can help with
Childnet	Advice for young people, parents, carers and schools about online safety.
ThinkUKnow	Advice from the National Crime Agency about online safety and reporting concerns.
CEOP Safety Centre	A place to report online sexual abuse, grooming or unsafe online contact.
Internet Matters	Practical guidance for families about devices, apps, gaming, parental controls and online risks.
UK Safer Internet Centre	Resources for online safety, filtering and monitoring guidance.
Report Harmful Content	Support for reporting harmful content online.
Parent Zone	Information for parents and carers about the digital world.

Filtering and Monitoring

Longbenton High School uses filtering and monitoring systems to help protect pupils when they use school devices and the school network. These systems are part of our wider safeguarding approach.

Filtering helps reduce access to harmful or inappropriate content. Monitoring helps school identify concerning online activity so that staff can respond where a pupil may be at risk.

Filtering and monitoring arrangements are reviewed regularly. Staff are expected to report any concern about online safety, blocked content, unsafe searches, pupil behaviour online or a possible weakness in filtering and monitoring systems.

Mobile Phones and Personal Devices

Mobile phones and personal devices can create safeguarding risks, including cyberbullying, distraction, sharing images without consent, accessing harmful content and unsafe contact online.

Longbenton High School expects pupils to follow the school rules on mobile phones and personal devices. Where a device has been used in a way that raises a safeguarding concern, the school will respond in line with safeguarding, behaviour and online safety procedures. Mobile phones are expected to be handed in at the start of the school day in tutor period and collected at the end of the day. Mobile phones should not be used on the school site.

Child on Child Abuse

Children can harm other children. We do not dismiss harmful behaviour as banter, drama, growing up or just a joke. We take concerns seriously, even where a pupil is unsure whether they want to make a formal report.

Child on child abuse can include:

• bullying, including cyberbullying
• physical abuse
• sexual harassment
• sexual violence
• harmful sexual behaviour
• abuse in intimate personal relationships
• upskirting
• sharing or threatening to share intimate images
• AI generated intimate images or deepfakes
• coercion, intimidation or controlling behaviour
• prejudice based abuse
• misogynistic, racist, homophobic, biphobic, transphobic or disability related abuse

Our approach is based on support, safety and accountability. We support pupils who have been harmed, take action to reduce risk and respond appropriately to pupils whose behaviour has caused harm.

Sexual harassment and sexual violence are never acceptable and are not tolerated at Longbenton High School.

Sharing Intimate Images

Sharing intimate images of children is a serious safeguarding concern. This includes images or videos created by a pupil, shared by another pupil, produced using artificial intelligence or altered to make it appear that a person is in an intimate image.

Pupils should speak to a trusted adult immediately if they are worried about an image, if they have been pressured to send an image, if an image has been shared without consent or if they are worried about a friend.

The school will respond carefully and sensitively. Our priority is to protect pupils, reduce harm, preserve evidence where needed and involve external agencies where required.

Relationships, Sex and Health Education

Safeguarding is supported by a strong personal development curriculum. Pupils learn about healthy relationships, consent, respect, online safety, mental health, bullying, discrimination, personal safety and how to seek help.

We aim to teach pupils the knowledge and confidence they need to recognise unsafe situations, make informed choices and speak to a trusted adult when something is wrong.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Mental health is part of safeguarding. Some pupils may experience anxiety, low mood, stress, bereavement, trauma, self harm, eating concerns or other emotional difficulties. We want pupils to know that help is available and that they do not have to manage worries alone.

Support may include:

• form tutor support
• year team support
• pastoral support
• SEND support where appropriate
• trusted adult check ins
• referral to the Connect Mental Health Support Team where appropriate
• support from school nursing or external services where appropriate
• urgent safeguarding action where a pupil may be at risk of harm

Connect Mental Health Support Team Resources

The Connect Mental Health Support Team works with school and has produced resources for parents, carers and young people.

Resource	Link
Resources for Parents	Connect resources for parents
Resources for Young People	Connect resources for young people
Connect Linktree	Connect Linktree

Please check the school’s current Padlet and Linktree addresses before publishing this section, as these links can change.

Supporting Pupils With SEND, Disabilities or Additional Vulnerability

Some pupils may be more vulnerable to harm or may find it harder to tell someone when something is wrong. This can include pupils with SEND, disabilities, communication needs, health needs, mental health needs, caring responsibilities, experience of trauma or pupils who are isolated from peers.

At Longbenton, we work closely between safeguarding, pastoral and SEND teams so that pupils receive joined up support. We listen carefully to pupils and families and make reasonable adjustments where needed.

Adults in school are alert to the risk that behaviour, absence, anxiety, withdrawal or communication difficulties may be linked to an unmet need or safeguarding concern.

Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children

Longbenton High School recognises that looked after children and previously looked after children may need additional support. We work with carers, parents, social workers, the virtual school and other professionals to help pupils feel safe, supported and able to make progress.

The designated teacher works with staff and external partners to make sure that the needs of looked after and previously looked after children are understood and supported.

Young Carers

Some pupils may have caring responsibilities at home. Young carers may support a parent, carer, sibling or another family member with illness, disability, mental health needs or substance misuse.

Young carers may need support with attendance, homework, wellbeing, confidence or accessing help. If a pupil or family thinks a pupil may be a young carer, they should contact the pastoral team or safeguarding team so that support can be considered.

Private Fostering

Private fostering is when a child under 16, or under 18 if disabled, is cared for by someone who is not their parent or close relative for 28 days or more by private arrangement.

If school becomes aware of a possible private fostering arrangement, we will follow local safeguarding procedures and notify the local authority.

Alternative Provision

Where a pupil attends alternative provision, Longbenton High School remains responsible for safeguarding oversight. We check that appropriate safeguarding arrangements are in place and maintain regular contact so that the pupil’s safety, attendance, welfare and progress are monitored.

Work Experience and Off Site Activities

When pupils take part in work experience, visits, trips or off site activities, staff consider safeguarding, supervision, risk assessment and reasonable adjustments. We want pupils to access wider opportunities safely and successfully.

Where additional planning is needed, staff will work with pupils, parents, carers and relevant professionals.

Safer Recruitment

Longbenton High School follows safer recruitment procedures to help make sure that adults who work with pupils are suitable to do so.

This includes appropriate checks before appointment, identity checks, right to work checks, qualification checks where required, references, Disclosure and Barring Service checks, prohibition checks where required and checks linked to the role being carried out.

We maintain a Single Central Record of recruitment and vetting checks. Governors and school leaders oversee safer recruitment arrangements.

Staff Training and Professional Expectations

All staff receive safeguarding training and regular updates. Staff are expected to understand the school’s safeguarding procedures, know who the DSL is, recognise possible signs of harm and report concerns without delay.

Staff receive information about:

• Keeping Children Safe in Education
• the school Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
• the staff code of conduct
• low level concerns
• allegations against staff
• whistleblowing
• child on child abuse
• online safety
• filtering and monitoring
• children who are absent from education
• Prevent and radicalisation
• how to report and record concerns

Concerns About an Adult Working With Children

Safeguarding also means responding properly to concerns about adults who work with children.

Any concern about the conduct of a member of staff, supply teacher, trainee teacher, volunteer, governor, contractor or visitor should be reported to the Headteacher.

If the concern is about the Headteacher, it should be reported to the Chair of Governors, Dr J Sanders, through the school office or by emailing lhs@longbenton.org.uk.

Concerns may include behaviour that has harmed a child, may have harmed a child, could place a child at risk, may indicate that the adult is unsuitable to work with children or may be a low level concern that does not meet the formal allegation threshold but still needs to be recorded and considered.

Low level does not mean unimportant. It means that the concern may not meet the formal allegation threshold, but it still needs to be shared so that the school can maintain a safe culture.

Local Authority Designated Officer

The Local Authority Designated Officer, known as the LADO, gives advice and oversees allegations about adults who work or volunteer with children.

The LADO for North Tyneside is Hayley Muir.

Contact	Details
LADO name	Hayley Muir
Telephone	0345 2000 109
Referral route	North Tyneside LADO referral form
North Tyneside LADO information	Local Authority Designated Officer information

Concerns about an individual who works or volunteers with children in North Tyneside must be reported to the LADO where the concern meets the relevant threshold. The LADO can also provide advice where it is unclear whether a concern should be managed through safeguarding procedures.

Whistleblowing

Staff should raise concerns about safeguarding practice through school procedures. If a member of staff feels unable to raise a concern internally, or feels their concern has not been dealt with properly, they can contact the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line.

NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line: 0800 028 0285
Email: help@nspcc.org.uk

Visitors to School

Visitors must sign in at reception and follow the school’s safeguarding arrangements. Visitors will be given safeguarding information and must wear the correct visitor identification while on site.

Visitors should never ignore a concern about a child. If a visitor is worried about a pupil, they should speak to the DSL or a member of the safeguarding team immediately. If they cannot find the DSL, they should speak to reception and say that they need to speak to a safeguarding lead urgently.

Working With Parents and Carers

We want to work in partnership with parents and carers. In most cases, we will speak with families about concerns and work together to support the child.

Parents and carers can help by:

• telling school if they are worried about their child
• telling school about changes at home that may affect their child
• keeping contact details up to date
• reporting absence promptly
• talking to their child about safety, online activity and trusted adults
• contacting school early if they need help
• reading school policies and guidance

There may be rare occasions when school cannot speak to parents or carers before making a referral. This would only happen where doing so could place a child at greater risk, cause delay or affect a police or social care process.

Information Sharing

Safeguarding information is handled carefully and shared only when there is a proper reason to do so. Where a child may be at risk of harm, information may need to be shared with children’s social care, police, health services or other relevant agencies.

The safety and welfare of the child is always the priority. We will usually speak with parents and carers about concerns, but we may share information without consent where this is necessary to protect a child or another person from harm.

Local Safeguarding Arrangements

Longbenton High School works within North Tyneside local safeguarding arrangements. These arrangements bring together education, children’s social care, police, health and other services to help keep children safe.

The North Tyneside Safeguarding Children Partnership provides local safeguarding information, procedures and guidance.

Service	Purpose	Link or contact
North Tyneside Front Door Service	First point of contact for concerns about the safety or welfare of a child in North Tyneside.	0345 2000 109
Emergency Duty Team	Out of hours support for urgent concerns that cannot wait until the next working day.	0330 333 7475
Police	Immediate danger or emergency.	999
North Tyneside Safeguarding Children Partnership	Local safeguarding partnership information, procedures and guidance.	North Tyneside Safeguarding Children Partnership
Report a concern about a child	North Tyneside Council information for members of the public and professionals.	North Tyneside Council, worried about a child
Local Authority Designated Officer	Advice and oversight for concerns about adults who work or volunteer with children.	North Tyneside LADO referral form

Safeguarding Policies and Useful School Links

Information	Link
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy	Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
School policies	Policies page
Parent Handbook	Parent Handbook
SEND information	SEND page
Contact Longbenton High School	Contact Us

National Safeguarding Links

Organisation or guidance	What it provides	Link
Keeping Children Safe in Education	Statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges.	Keeping Children Safe in Education
Keeping Children Safe in Education, proposed revisions 2026	Government consultation page for proposed 2026 revisions.	KCSIE proposed revisions 2026
Working Together to Safeguard Children	Statutory guidance on multi agency safeguarding arrangements.	Working Together to Safeguard Children
What to do if you are worried a child is being abused	Advice for practitioners about responding to child welfare concerns.	Government advice
NSPCC	Advice and support about child protection and keeping children safe.	NSPCC
Childline	Free, confidential support for children and young people.	Childline
CEOP Safety Centre	Reporting online sexual abuse, grooming or unsafe online contact.	CEOP Safety Centre

Our Commitment

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. At Longbenton High School, we will continue to listen to pupils, work with families, train staff, act on concerns and work with local partners to keep children safe.

If you are worried about a child, please speak to us. It is always better to share a concern than to stay silent.