Safeguarding and Student Welfare

If you have any safeguarding concerns, in the first instance please call the school on 020 8690 3710 or email 

ps-safeguarding@prendergast-school.com    

If you have a safeguarding concern during school holidays (or any period where the School is closed), should also be sent to

ps-safeguarding@prendergast-school.com and the duty DSL will pick up the concern.  

The SHARP system 

SHARPs stands for the School Help Advice Reporting Page System. This site provides you with advice and information about a range of issues relating to safeguarding, mental health, wellbeing and welfare.  

SHARPs also allows you to report any incidents or concerns you have about the wellbeing and safety of any students and families, in school or outside of school. 

You can use SHARP to report incidents CONFIDENTIALLY (without leaving your name/surname/email etc) OR, you can leave your contact details so we know who you are and can more easily help you sort out the problem. If you don't leave your contact details, please understand that we will deal with the issue but we won't be able to contact you to let you know the incident has been dealt with or, to offer you advice. 

To access the SHARP system click here.  

www.getsafeonline.org – Free up-to-date security advice
 

www.ceop.police.uk – Website of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
 

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/professionals-online-safety-helpline - Resources for professionals working in the area of safeguarding with children and young people.
 

Kidscape - Helping young people, parents and professionals with the skills to tackle bullying and safeguarding issues across the UK.
 

Childline – Childline is a private and confidential service for children and young people up to the age of 19
 

NSPCC – The leading children’s charity in the UK
 

Talk to Frank – Advice for young people

Parents Protect!

Child’s Play? Preventing abuse among children and young people

At Prendergast School, the wellbeing of our school community is at the heart of our ethos. Our strong belief in the value of kindness is reflected in our school motto: ‘Truth, Freedom, Honour and Courtesy’ and is a fundamental part of the culture of our school.  We recognise and champion the fact that a positive sense of wellbeing and mental health is fundamental to the ability of our school community to thrive. We recognise that a child’s emotional health and wellbeing influences their ability to learn, as well as their physical health and mental wellbeing in adulthood. We are committed to our continuing work to ensure that wellbeing is a fundamental part of the culture of the school, and to ensuring we create an environment where mental health is considered the responsibility of all, enabling all members of our school community to achieve their potential. 

“Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”
(World Health Organization 2014)

In September 2020 we gained the Wellbeing Award for Schools.

Developed in partnership with the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), the Wellbeing Award for Schools is intended to help schools prepare and equip themselves to promote emotional wellbeing and positive mental health across the whole-school community. NCB’s vision is an education system where good emotional wellbeing and mental health are at the heart of the culture and ethos of all schools, so that pupils, with the support of their teachers, can build confidence and flourish. Evidence shows us that wellbeing is of central importance to learning and attainment, with high levels of wellbeing associated with improved academic outcomes. Conversely, pupils who have mental health problems are more likely to have academic difficulties at school and experience social disadvantage later in adult life.

To achieve this vision, NCB advocates the use of a ‘whole-school approach’ where all aspects of the school experience are harnessed to promote the emotional wellbeing and mental health of pupils and staff. It is an approach where emotional wellbeing and mental health is everybody’s business.

The Wellbeing Award for Schools is a welcome opportunity to recognise the exceptional work that schools do in this area. The key features of a whole-school approach form the basis of the award, and it provides schools with a benchmark of best practice against which to test itself. We believe that this celebration of success will encourage more schools to adopt an approach that puts emotional wellbeing and mental health at the heart of what they do.

 Further information that parents and carers may find of interest:

Anxiety UK – guide for parents

Alarming Adrenaline

Anxiety Management Techniques

Anti Bullying Power Point

Beating Anxiety

Wellbeing Booklet 1 - For Young People

Wellbeing Booklet 2 - For Parents

Wellbeing Booklet 3 - For Professionals

Looking After Yourself During Your GCSEs - A Guide for Pupils 

An Emotionally Healthy Approach to GCSEs - A Guide for Parents

An Emotionally Healthy Approach to GCSEs - A Guide for Teachers

https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/

https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk//

Prendergast School works with Place2Be, a mental health charity that helps young people to explore their emotions and feel better about themselves.

“When I feel worried, it’s like I’m in a maze and the people in Place2Be are coming with a torch and showing me the way” – Student

“My daughter had become such a different person – one we didn’t recognise – but since counselling we see signs of our old loving daughter coming back.” – Parent 

Young people can go to the Place2Be room in school to express themselves by making art, talking and more. 

When is Place2Be useful? 

Sometimes young people can feel particularly anxious, low, confused or angry.  

Maybe something difficult happened at home, like losing a family member or parents separating. Or perhaps they’re struggling with something at school, like bullying. 

This can make them behave differently, lose confidence in themselves or find it difficult to concentrate in class. 

Place2Be is there to help young people find ways to cope, so their worries don’t get in the way of their friendships, their learning or how they feel about themselves. 

What does Place2Be do? 

Place2Be’s professionals work with young people one-to-one or in small groups, giving regular support for pupils who need it. 

Young people can also book a short appointment to talk about any problems or worries they have – this is called Place2Talk. 

How does Place2Be work with adults? 

Place2Be provides support and advice for parents and carers, as well as teachers and school staff. Visit place2be.org.uk/family or get in touch with our Place2Be staff member (details below) to find out more.  

Any questions? 

Ms Jane Swann is our Place2Be staff member.  

She works on Mondays to Thursdays.

You can either arrange to meet her at school or get in touch on jswann.ps@lsfed.com.

If you want to find out more about Place2Be visit place2be.org.uk