Holy Cross Voluntary Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Appropriate safeguarding is a prerequisite to the effective development and well-being of children and is therefore an underlying principle in all that we do.

Our full safeguarding policy can be found here: Policies

The school has a statutory responsibility to share any concerns it might have about a child in need of protection with other agencies and in particular police, health and children’s services. Schools are not able to investigate concerns but have a legal duty to refer them.

In most instances, the school will be able to inform the parents/carer if it needs to make a referral. However, sometimes the school is advised by Children’s Social Care or police that the parent/carer cannot be informed whilst they investigate the matter. We understand the anxiety parents/carers understandably feel when they are not told about any concerns from the outset. The school follows legislation that aims to act in the best interests of the child.

Safeguarding out of hours or emergency

If you are concerned that a child is an immediate danger you should ring the police.

If you are concerned about the safety or well-being of a child during the school holidays, please contact children’s social care: First Response – 0116 3050005

Online Safety

In today’s connected world, with most children accessing online content from a very young age, it is vital that children are supported to use the internet safely.

At Holy Cross, children undertake age appropriate online safety lessons throughout the year. This is through our Learning for Life Lessons, Computing Curriculum and taking part in national events.  However, school access to the internet is restricted through firewalls and filters which prevent most unsuitable content from being accessed.  Those fail safes are not, however, generally used at home.  We therefore strongly encourage parents to follow steps to prevent inappropriate content from being accessed and support their child to report anything that concerns them whilst online.

Step by step guidance can be found here: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Support-tools/support-your-child-at-home/

 

 

Our Partnership with Operation Encompass and Leicestershire Police

We are pleased to announce that our school is working in partnership with Operation Encompass and Leicestershire Police to further strengthen our safeguarding provision.

Through this initiative, police notify the school before the start of the next school day if they have attended an incident where a child may have been affected by domestic abuse. This early sharing of information allows our safeguarding team to offer timely support, care, and understanding to any pupil who may need it.

By being part of Operation Encompass, we aim to ensure that every child feels safe, supported, and well‑looked‑after, especially during difficult times at home. Our school remains fully committed to providing a nurturing environment where all children can thrive.