Safeguarding Policies
BackOrtu Federation
Within the Federation, we understand that behaviour is sometimes a way of communicating that there may be a wider issue or concern for the child or young person. There are a range of support mechanisms in place from our dedicated pastoral and wellbeing teams, as well as links to outside agencies to help meet the individual needs of our pupils. It is important for us to know our pupils stories and contexts in order to find the best way of dealing with behaviour issues if they arise.
At Ortu, we are well aware of the issues surrounding peer on peer abuse and we educate our pupils about the aspects of this type of abuse and the impact that it can have on all parties involved.
Peer on Peer abuse is categorised in the following ways:
- bullying (including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying)
- abuse in intimate personal relationships between peers
- physical abuse
- sexual violence
- sexual harassment
- causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent
- consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images and/or
- up-skirting
- initiation/hazing type violence and rituals
Further details regarding peer on peer abuse can be found on the on the Department for Education Keeping Children Safe in Education document:
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022
and within our safeguarding policies, including actions and support when dealing with issues of peer on peer abuse.
What is important is that all members of the Federation community recognise and challenge these kinds of behaviours to ensure they do not become the norm, and therefore accept the behaviour and not report it.
We have an attitude of ‘it can happen here’ and will support pupils in reporting any form of peer on peer abuse.
