Safeguarding

The Trust remains deeply committed to raising standards and achievement for all children regardless of ethnicity, race, gender or religion.

If children are to achieve academically, socially and emotionally to the best of their ability, it is essential that their basic needs for safety, protection and inclusion are successfully and confidently addressed. All children have a fundamental right to be protected from harm, attend school and have their specific individual needs met.

Transform Trust’s Safeguarding Strategy 2023-2026 – to view click here.

Transform Trust’s Safeguarding Governance Framework

The Trust’s Safeguarding Team meets with the named Safeguarding Trustee at least termly.

Safeguarding and the protection of our children, young people and staff is a key priority for the Trust and that’s why we have established our ‘Guardian’s Group, and a number of sub-groups specifically monitoring all safeguarding areas. The core function of our Guardians Group and its sub-groups are to provide support and guidance; to share and learn practice; and to challenge schools to ensure that children and staff are kept safe, attend, have equal access and their welfare promoted.

Our Guardians also have responsibility for ensuring that our schools are compliant with safeguarding legislation. This includes having rigorous recruitment processes for staff and volunteers, induction and mandatory and ongoing training. Meet our Safeguarding Team – Trust and Guardians.

School Safeguarding Pathway of Support
It is important that our schools know who to contact in the Trust to help provide advice and guidance on any matter relating to safeguarding. Our Safeguarding Pathway of Support provides a quick and simple summary along with contact details.

Safeguarding Governors
Each school has a named Safeguarding Governor. We expect our Safeguarding Governors to have an overview of all things Safeguarding in their own school. We support them through termly Safeguarding Governor briefings.

We also expect that they are appropriately trained, have a good level of safeguarding knowledge and conduct regular visits in schools focusing on safeguarding.

All our Governors are expected to have attended basic safeguarding training. This can be done through their school, through the Trust’s online training, by attending a Trust face-to-face training event, or through their own workplace. We do expect our Safeguarding Governors to have also completed Safer Recruitment.

We have a range of Trust safeguarding policies and guidance for all of our schools that ensures clear and robust action can be taken when required.

Our safeguarding practice allows our schools to provide a safe place for children, young people and adults to engage with us. We aim to demonstrate that our safeguarding practices are like a golden thread running through our schools, their curriculum and everyday life.

Each school has its own Safeguarding Policy which is in line with the latest Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children. To view the Trust’s Safeguarding Policy, please clickhere.

Safer Recruitment and Training
Safeguarding is paramount and all our employees undergo a rigorous vetting and recruitment process, including an enhanced DBS check.  As a Trust we have also bought into a Safeguarding Training package which offers online training to all our schools and Trust Centre staff.

Social Media
We require all staff to act responsibly and ensure that they are using the highest level of protections and privacy settings on all social media and networking sites. Any Twitter accounts documenting school activities feature staff and pupils that have given their consent and permission for videos and photographs to be taken. We expect staff to always use their professionalism and discretion.

Prevent Duty
Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism.  At Transform we know that our schools will carry out the Prevent duty in different ways, depending on the age of the children and the needs of the community. Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent strategy. All Transform schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism.  This means Transform Trust has a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views the same way we protect them from drugs or gang violence.  Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues so they better understand how to protect themselves and enable pupils to challenge ideas.

We have developed our own Prevent Duty toolkit for schools that provides a range of resources and support. For further information please contact our Chief Operating Officer Jill Wilkinson: jill.wilkinson@transformtrust.co.uk