SCHOOL SAFEGUARDING
"A person's a person, no matter how small."
- Dr Seuss
Our Safeguarding Statement
At ICS, there is nothing more important to us than the physical and emotional health and well-being of our students and staff alike. We recognise that everyday we are trusted with the most precious members of our families. As such we have created and work hard to maintain a climate in which staff, students and parents feel able to articulate concerns comfortably; safe in the knowledge that effective action will be taken, as appropriate.
Our Child Protection Policies apply to all adults, including volunteers, such as the PTA, working in or on behalf of ICS. We expect everyone working in or for ICS to share responsibility for keeping children safe from harm and abuse and report any concerns to one of our named Child Protection Officers. Together we must ensure that all children, their families and our staff, feel safe, valued and cared for at all times and are nurtured to thrive and achieve to be the best we can be.
ICS believes that a child or young person should never experience abuse of any kind, We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. We are committed to practices that protect them.
If a child is in immediate danger (risk of serious harm), the police should be called using the 999 service.
If you have a concern for a child, but do not believe that they are in immediate danger, you can report to the Ministry of Interior - Child Protection Center by phoning their hotline 116111.
Child Protection Officers (CPO)
Child Protection Officer
Ms. Ella Leppard is our lead Named Child Protection Officer (CPO). She has many years of experience in supporting children, and working with parents to ensure that our students are safe and protected for harm.
If you have any queries, questions or would like to discuss a concern, please contact Ms. Ella Leppard on 02 444 1400.
See our policies:
- Child Protection Policy - Download
- E-Safety - Download
- Cyber-bullying - Download
- Anti Bullying - Download
- Covid-19 CP addendum - Download
Cyberbullying - Guidance for Students
If you believe you or someone else is the victim of cyber-bullying, you must speak to an adult as soon as possible. This person could be a parent/guardian, or a member of staff on your safety network.
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Do not answer abusive messages but save them and report them
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Do not delete anything until it has been shown to your parents/carers or a member of staff at school (even if it is upsetting, the material is important evidence which may need to be used later as proof of cyber-bullying)
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Do not give out personal details or contact information without the permission of a parent/guardian (personal data)
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Be careful who you allow to become a friend online and think about what information you want them to see.
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Protect your password. Do not share it with anyone else and change it regularly
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Always log off from the computer when you have finished or if you leave the computer for any reason.
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Always put the privacy filters on to the sites you use. If you are not sure how to do this, ask a teacher or your parents.
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Never reply to abusive emails
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Never reply to someone you do not know
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Always stay in public areas in chat rooms
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ICS will deal with cyberbullying in the same way as other bullying. Do not think that because it is online it is different to other forms of bullying.
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ICS will deal with inappropriate use of technology in the same way as other types of inappropriate behaviour and sanctions will be given in line with ICS’s Behaviour Policy.
Cyberbullying - Guidance for Parents/Carers
It is vital that parents/carers and ICS work together to ensure that all students are aware of the serious consequences of getting involved in anything that might be seen to be cyber-bullying.
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Parents/carers must play their role and take responsibility for monitoring their child’s online life.
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Parents/carers can help by making sure their child understands ICS’s policy and, above all, how seriously ICS takes incidents of cyber-bullying.
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Parents/carers should also explain to their children legal issues relating to cyber-bullying.
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If parents/carers believe their child is the victim of cyber-bullying, they should save the offending material (if need be by saving the offensive text on their computer or on their child’s mobile phone) and make sure they have all relevant information before deleting anything.
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Parents/carers should contact the school as soon as possible. If the incident falls in the holidays ICS reserves the right to take action against bullying perpetrated outside the school both in and out of term time.
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Parents/carers should attend the school’s annual training on online safety delivered by the Head of ICT.
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ICS will ensure parents/carers are informed of the cyber-bullying policy and the procedures in place in the Anti-Bullying Policy to deal with all forms of bullying including cyber-bullying.
E-Safety at Home
Several sites offer helpful advice to parents/carers, particularly with respect to how they can best monitor their child’s use of the computer at home.
ICS takes e-safety at home seriously and has developed information available on our website to support both parents and students.
The ICS Esafety guide, along with links to additional guides and supporting websites can be found here - School E-safety Page
Ministry of Interior - Child Protection Center
Advice for Children - http://www.moi-cpc.ae/en/GET.
Advice for Parents - http://www.moi-cpc.ae/
