As a forward-thinking and innovative organisation, LAAT’s safeguarding strategy is designed not only to uphold exemplary practice but also to evolve continuously, refining our systems, policies, and procedures to sustain improvement and remain at the forefront of outstanding safeguarding provision.
Our approach is underpinned by our Trust vision: Excellence, Exploration and Encouragement powered by Equity. Through this, we aim to ensure every child and young person is protected, valued, and empowered to thrive.
We work in close partnership with our stakeholders – pupils, families, staff, Trustees, and external agencies – drawing on the expertise of our specialist teams and partners to deliver timely, tailored support that meets the individual needs of our school communities.
By embedding a culture of vigilance, collaboration, and trust, we aim to maximise the life chances of every child in our care, ensuring their safety, wellbeing, and right to learn are never compromised.
Safeguarding is everyone’s business and in our Trust, this is lived out in the following ways:
A Trust-wide SG policy, personalised to reflect the school and context, reviewed annually and externally validated.
A Trust-wide Attendance policy which reflects the importance of Attendance as a potential flag for a safeguarding concern.
The Behaviour Principles set out how we work together to ensure that Behaviour is noticed as a potential flag for a safeguarding concern.
Trust the wide implementation of Unconditional Positive Regard, supporting positive behaviour and a strong relational approach between adults and children.
LADO referral guidance supports swift action where concerns are raised.
Staff Codes of Conduct are known, understood and lived out by our staff.
Strong Safer Recruitment policies, including oversight of SCR.
The trust-wide use of CPOMs, with clear Trust guidance, support, and training on how to maximise their use to keep children safe.
Termly analysis of CPOMs, reported to the Board.
Direct links to the Trust DSL (CEO).
Standing item on fortnightly Trust Leadership briefings with regular training featured; standing item on Board and Executive Leadership Team meetings.
An appointed Associate Lead for Safeguarding who is a serving HT in one of our schools.
Serious Incident alerts and notifications are sent to the Central Team for a swift response.
Online annual training of all levels of Safeguarding and associated policies.
DSL and DDSL termly supervision led by an external counsellor, offering the opportunity to decompress and share best practice.
Enhanced training pathways for DSLs and DDSLs in addition to the Local Authority offer, provided by an external Safeguarding organisation.
Bespoke training is planned regularly to cover specific aspects of Safeguarding throughout the year.
Regular reporting through the Governor’s meetings.
Regular reporting to the Board of Directors.
Termly SCR checks are conducted by central Colleague Services.
Routine sampling from the Central Education Team with Trust CPOMs access.
Programme of Assurance Visits to schools, including Safeguarding.
All schools complete and share their Local Authority designated Safeguarding Audit.
Focus of annual Academy Discussions
In our Trust, our DSLs and DDSLs, meet regularly to review the cases of pupils. This ensures that there is always up to date knowledge of the case, that any monitoring actions are being completed, and that any further actions needed, are taken swiftly. This time is protected and built into the DSL and DDSL working patterns.
At LAAT, we recognise that while professional supervision is a statutory requirement for Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs), its full value is often overlooked in the education sector. In many schools, supervision is interpreted as regular in-house meetings to review current safeguarding cases. Although these internal discussions are valuable, they do not constitute formal supervision in the professional sense.
True supervision offers a structured, confidential space for DSLs and Deputy DSLs (DDSLs) to reflect not only on specific safeguarding cases but also on the emotional and professional impact of their role. Ideally, supervision is delivered by an experienced professional, independent of the supervisee’s line management structure, and trained in safeguarding supervision. This ensures that those responsible for safeguarding have a trusted environment to explore their challenges, develop their practice, and safeguard their own well-being.
LAAT has implemented a distinctive model of professional safeguarding supervision, which goes beyond statutory compliance. Our approach supports the wellbeing of school leaders and DSLs by acknowledging the complexity and emotional demands of safeguarding leadership.
Supervision sessions provide space for DSLs and Headteachers to explore difficult cases, reflect on their emotional impact, and address wider factors such as workload, staff capacity, personal wellbeing, and external accountability pressures such as Ofsted or SIAMS. While not all issues raised may be directly safeguarding-related, addressing them contributes to a leader’s overall capacity to manage safeguarding responsibilities effectively.
DSLs receive one-to-one online supervision on a half-termly basis, providing personalised and consistent support that recognises the scale of their responsibilities.
DDSLs benefit from face-to-face group supervision, offering not only professional guidance but also peer support and the opportunity to build collaborative relationships across schools.
While some Headteachers may initially be uncertain about the need for formal supervision, experience has shown that they come to value the confidential and non-judgemental space it provides. These sessions reduce the professional isolation often experienced in leadership roles and offer reassurance, clarity, and emotional resilience.
At LAAT, we believe that high-quality safeguarding starts with well-supported professionals. Our supervision model is a testament to our commitment to staff wellbeing and exemplary safeguarding standards across our schools.
