“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 Executive Trust Lead for Safeguarding is on hand to offer support, advice and supervision to schools within the Trust and the safeguarding team update their 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

“History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children” – Nelson Mandela.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful events occurring in childhood that research has shown can have a long term impact upon a child or young person’s future. These experiences include: domestic violence; parental separation or divorce; mental health issues; imprisonment; substance misuse and/or being subjected to abuse (emotional, physical, sexual or neglect). When children are exposed to adverse and stressful experiences, it can have a long-lasting impact on their ability to think, interact with others and upon their learning and future outcomes.

Unfortunately, whilst we cannot always prevent children from being exposed to harm, we can ensure that we offer a safe learning environment for all and provide appropriate support and intervention to all of those within our school communities, at the earliest available opportunity. ACEs should not be regarded as someone’s destiny. In fact, there is much that can be done to offer hope and build resilience in children and young people who have experienced adversity during their formative years. My career to date has informed my belief that it is easier to build resilient children than it is to repair traumatised adults, hence my passion and commitment within this particular field.

The Trust Safeguarding Lead supports the Executive Trust Lead for Safeguarding to ensure that all schools within the Trust execute their legal and moral obligations to the children and young people whose care is entrusted to us. The centralised oversight of safeguarding practice across all sites enables us to ensure that staff deliver an informed, efficient, consistent and effective service in accordance with the statutory guidance when faced with addressing a safeguarding concern. The rigour of our quality assurance process and communications enable us to continuously monitor our strengths and areas requiring ongoing development. Continued professional development for all safeguarding personnel is also encouraged and supported by the Trust, to ensure that we continue to cultivate focused and specialist knowledge, to assist us with maintaining best practice and to evolve with the times to meet the complex needs we are faced with on a daily basis.