Staying safe

Staying Safe over the Christmas Holidays

Bentley Wood High School is now closed for the Christmas Holidays. We look forward to welcoming students back on the 7th January 2025 at 8:40m.

If you need to speak to someone urgently, or have a safeguarding concern over the Christmas break , the School Office is open from 8:30-4pm on:

• 23rd December 2024
• 2nd January 2025
• 3rd January 2025

You can also email: schooloffice@bentleywood.harrow.sch.uk or call the school office on 0208 954 3623

If you have a safeguarding concern and the School Office is closed, the important numbers are below:

Useful contacts:

• NSPCC report abuse line: 0808 800 5000
• Harrow’s Golden Number: 020 8901 2690
• Harrow’s Out of Hours Emergency Team: 020 8424 0999
• Emergency Services: 999
• To report a non-emergency crime to the police call 101

Other Useful Contacts:

• Harrow Children’s Services and Harrow Local Safeguarding Board harrowlscb.co.uk
• In an emergency you must always call 999

Additional Support:

• Online Safety: nspcc.org.uk
• Staying safe online in the summer holidays – advice for parents and carers: saferinternet.org.uk
• How to recognise the signs of bullying and sexual exploitation:harrowlscb.co.uk
• Mental Health: youngminds.org and Mental Health Support Services in Harrow

 Supportive Websites:

• Childline: 0800 1111
• NSPCC:
• Samaritans:  Call 116 123 (24 hours 7 days a week)
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) : Call 0800 58 58 58– 5pm to midnight every day
• Papyrus:  Call 0800 068 41 41– 9am to midnight every day Text 07860 039967
• Childline:  Call 0800 1111 (24 hours 7 days a week
• The Mix: Call 0808 808 4994(3pm to 12am)

Christmas Safety Advice for Students and Parents:

• Talk to a trusted adult if anyone says or does anything that worries or frightens you. A trusted adult might be a family member or please contact the school – someone will be there to support you.
• Always tell a trusted adult where you are going and what time you will return.
• Don’t lend your mobile phone to anyone unless it is an emergency
• Don’t let anyone online trick you into doing something or sending pictures against your wishes.
  Don’t share any passwords/login information – keep them private and use complex passwords, too.
• Never give personal information to any person you don’t know.

Safety and your mobile phone:

• Speak to a parent/trusted adult about who you are connecting with and not to purchase anything online without gaining an adult’s permission first.
• Age Ratings on Apps are there to keep you safe.
• Only connect online with friends and family you know in the physical world and not to accept ‘friend play request’ from strangers.
• Don’t put up with abusive texts, photos or video. Show them to an adult and report them.
• You should always speak to a trusted adult if you see or hear anything online that makes you feel scared or uncomfortable and to never arrange to meet someone who they have met online.
• When sharing images: you need consent to take and share images/videos of others. People also need your consent to take and share your image.
• If an image shows the private parts of a person who is under 18; it IS an indecent image:  It is an offence if you: save it, share it, keep it, print it, forward it, show it.

Safety and Social Media:

With social media you can send messages, share pictures, videos and chat with people all over the world… but who are you connecting with?
Anyone can use the Internet. Not everyone is who they say they are and some people are not nice.

 Most social media platforms require users to be of a minimum age to use their services:

• Snapchat 13 years old
• Instagram 13 years old
• TikTok 13 Years old
• You Tube 13 years old
• FaceBook 13 Years old
• WhatsApp 16 years old