Personal Safety

Here are some tips to help keep you safe outside the Academy:

Look confident. People are less likely to pick on you.
Try to go to places with friends. If you do go out alone, always tell someone where you are going and what time you will return.
If anyone says or does anything that worries or frightens you talk to a trusted adult - someone in the family or someone at the Academy.
If you are taking a bus or train, make sure you have enough money for the return journey or a return ticket. Don't accept money from someone you've never met before.
Don't accept a lift from someone you've never met before. Call someone to pick you up.
Stay in well-lit areas where there are people around if you need help.
Remember that alcohol and drugs can harm your health and can also encourage you to take unnecessary risks.
If someone is frightening you and you can't get away, pretend you are going to be sick over them. It makes them move back, giving you a chance to run.

Remember, if an adult tries to hurt you it's not your fault. You don't have to do what they say just because they are an adult. Try to find the confidence to tell someone that you are worried. You won't get into trouble.

What should you do if . . . ?

You are worried because an adult you spend time with out of school drinks and acts violently.
You are being hit by an adult.
You are being left at home on your own overnight or for a long time.
You do not get enough food at home.
You have been thrown out of your home.
You have been touched inappropriately by a peer or adult.
You are disturbed by violence amongst people at home.
You have seen adults being cruel to another family member.
You are aware that a person may be hurting themselves deliberately.
You think you or a friend may have an eating disorder.

Talk with either your tutor, a trusted member of staff or a member of the Senior Leadership Team.