Safeguarding
“Protecting those at risk of harm; promoting the welfare of all”
Safeguarding is the golden thread running through everything we do at Tudor Grange Academies Trust. Every child deserves to be kept safe and we ensure this is the case through rigorous training, procedures and support systems. The team of Designated Safeguarding Leads and Deputies are dedicated to ensuring that there is a culture of listening to children and that safeguarding has a consistent and visible presence in our schools.
The Trust Safeguarding Lead is on hand to offer support, advice and supervision to schools within the Trust and the safeguarding team updates its own knowledge regularly by sharing expertise. Training opportunities for staff are also offered through the Trust, including e-learning, safeguarding conferences and INSET training. Additionally, we access external consultant support to provide external verification of the work we do.
Regular monitoring is essential to ensure that strong policies, procedures and mechanisms are in place. Quality assurance of safeguarding across the Trust is completed through a range of calendared activities throughout the year. The aim is to continually improve the quality of safeguarding practice by having an increased emphasis on proactive monitoring arrangements through a cycle of quality assurance activities, audits, action plans and reviews. These activities should assist the safeguarding team at each academy in supporting effective safeguarding practice by evaluating measures currently in place and identifying any developments that may be required to improve practice.
The Trust has invested in MyConcern, secure software for recording and managing safeguarding concerns, allowing DSLs to work more efficiently, to monitor and manage concerns more effectively and to access information quickly and easily. Our staff also receive training in Safer Handling, a nationally recognised positive handling and restraint certificate.
Rachael Mann
Trust Safeguarding Lead
As Trust Safeguarding Lead, Rachael Mann provides safeguarding leadership, across all schools. She also leads on ensuring all quality assurance activities are completed and that areas of development highlighted are addressed at all levels. School improvement, informed by reflective safeguarding practice and driven by moral clarity, helps to ensure that all children entrusted to our care, are being effectively safeguarded.
In September 2016, Rachael took on the role of ‘Deputy Designated Safeguarding and Looked after Child Lead’ for the Samworth Academy based in Leicester. In the January of that year, the school joined Tudor Grange Academies Trust and was in the midst of this transition, allowing her to set about transforming the systems and processes in place in school to ensure that the needs of all safeguarding vulnerable children were being met.
Rachael quickly became the ‘Designated Safeguarding Lead’ for the setting and part of the Senior Leadership Team. She also provided support for safeguarding within Tudor Grange Kinghurst in Solihull during this tenure. In February 2020, Rachael became the ‘Safeguarding Trust Lead’ and continues this work as part of the Central Team.
Prior to entering the education sector, Rachael had achieved a BA, BSc and Level 4 NVQ, qualifications which resulted in 9 years spent working within the Criminal Justice system. This has honed her appreciation, understanding and management of risk and expertise with respect to partnership working and advocacy for the most vulnerable members of society.