Safeguarding

Yeliz Sabri

Our Safeguarding Officer. You can contact them by email or by calling the school.

Safeguarding statement

We are proud of our platinum plus independent award for safeguarding practice. This is the highest level of achievement possible under the audit.

The inspectors in the audit said: “Aylward Academy is an oasis of safety in a challenging community. Through the concerted and consistent effort of staff the academy engenders an ambition for each student to achieve their potential no matter what background they have” Incyte May 2025

‍“Staff knowledge regarding safeguarding is very strong, no matter how many years they have been working at the academy.” Incyte May 2025

‍“There is a strong indication of mutual trust between students and staff across the academy.” Incyte May 2025

‍“The intent of the PSHE programme could not be clearer. PSHE booklets provide opportunities for modelling reading and comprehension and the stories contained within them are current, up to date and very relevant to the lives of the students.” Incyte May 2025

‍“Sixth Form students were particularly complimentary about how the academy had worked with them and their family.” Incyte May 2025

Ofsted 2025 also said:

‍“The safeguarding and welfare team responds quickly to any concerns, including bullying,harassment, abuse or violence should they occur. Staff promote positive behaviour andsuccess through daily recognition of pupils who uphold the school’s values.”

Safeguarding statement

Safeguarding legislation and government guidance says that safeguarding means:

Protecting children from maltreatment, preventing impairment of children’s health or development, ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Child Protection: is part of safeguarding and promoting student welfare. It involves measures and structures designed to prevent and respond to significant harm, abuse, exploitation and neglect.

Safeguarding includes: Child Protection, Health Care Plans, Health and Safety, Site Security, Safety on school trips and visits, Safer recruitment – School Central Record & DBS checks, online safety and associated issues, anti-bullying work, children’s & learner’s health, mental health and emotional well-being and so much more.

Safeguarding at Lift Aylward
Students - what do I do if I don’t feel safe?
If you have any concerns about your safety, or the safety of anyone else then speak to the Safeguarding team (see below) or to any of the Pastoral Team. You will also find lots of support information on the student anti-bullying page. It is always better to talk to someone.

Everyone - what do I do if I have a concern?
If you are worried or concerned about your child or another child's safety and well being and would like to discuss it with a member of the Safeguarding Team, do not hesitate to contact us in school on the following email : cpawa@liftaylward.org or one of the safeguarding leads directly.

Yeliz Sabri
Designated Safeguarding Lead & Prevent Lead
E: ysabri@liftaylward.org

Sandra Dolor
‍Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
E: sdolor@liftaylward.org

Our policies

We have a suite of policies relevant to safeguarding. Here is a link to our statutory information including safeguarding and online safety policies.

eSafety

Keep an eye on your child’s internet use including email and social media (Facebook, Snapchat, etc)
Check the history folder of your internet browser to check what sites have been accessed
Consider purchasing filter software or see if your ISP (BT, Sky, Talk Talk, etc) provide their own
Protect your computer with firewall/antivirus software

All staff have been trained on how to report safeguarding and technical concerns, such as if: 

They witness or suspect unsuitable material has been accessed
They are able to access unsuitable material
They are teaching topics that could create unusual activity on the filtering logs
There is a failure in the software or an abuse of the system
There are perceived unreasonable restrictions that affect teaching and learning or administrative tasks
They notice abbreviations or misspellings that allow access to restricted material

eSafety student guidance

Never post your personal information, such as a mobile phone number, home address, or the name of your school
Be aware that information you give out through social networking sites, instant messages, emails and blogs could put you at risk of bullying or harassment
Never meet in person with anyone you first “met” online. Some people may not be who they say they are
Remember that posting information about your friends could put them at risk
Never respond to harassing or rude texts, messages and emails. Delete any unwanted messages or friends who continuously leave inappropriate comments
Never give out your password to anyone other than your parent or carer
If you would not say something to another person’s face, do not post it online!
Only add people as friends to your site if you know them in real life
Think before posting your photos. DO NOT post or send semi-nude or nude pictures of yourself or anyone else. Personal photos should not have revealing information such as school names or location
Use the privacy settings of the social networking sites

Further useful contacts:

NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children): nspcc.org.uk

Childline: childline.org.uk Contact: 0800 1111