Safeguarding ................................................................................................................................................................. 24

All schools kept a ‘Covid log’ of contact. In addition, there were innovative ideas like Granville Academy’s using their minibus as the ‘Guardians of Granville’ that went from area to area telling students and families to come along to the stops and pick up any materials they needed as well as for IT advice.

Another fantastic example was Horninglow Primary’s weekly Facebook posts from The National Online Safety platform, offering internet safety tips to parents. There were many more such examples and our children and our families felt supported as a result of the combined approach.

Indeed, some families who had previously had difficult relationships with school and safeguarding staff, found their persistence with contact supportive and welcoming and many new and strong relationships have been forged which have promoted better care and support for vulnerable children.

Despite the challenges we faced there were many positive achievements made in the area of safeguarding that fit within our Trust strategy.

1.5 Create informative and illustrative crosstrust management information

1.7 Use evidence and technology to inform and improve practice

As a Trust, we replaced our safeguarding reporting system, My Concern, with CPOMS. Although this was a huge change for every member of staff it has been embraced by all involved and the new system now supports our safeguarding, pastoral and wellbeing agendas far more effectively than before. Staff like the new system and find it easier to use and it has many more functions enabling us to keep more information relating to a child’s vulnerability in one place.

CPOMS continues to develop and improve, increasing what it can provide for schools and trusts. The cross-Trust reporting structure within it is subject to developmental work too and improves on a regular basis following feedback from MAT to MAT collaborative work, including us. 2.7 Establish cross-trust working groups for support staff to ensure their development and trust wide input

Visits to school’s Designated Safeguarding Leads and group meetings for these key members of staff were maintained throughout the academic year, albeit held remotely. These ensured a consistent approach, upholding and promoting our Trust values within the safeguarding agenda. These opportunities allowed for valuable collaboration and development of our practice and helped to form the strategic objectives for 2021-2022.

Key focus for 2021-2022

1.9 To ensure that pupils are safe and feel so in order to support their development and progress.

Improve the quality of staff training and pupils’ PHSE/RSE education, especially in relation to the issues that affect pupils the most, i.e. peer-onpeer abuse and harmful sexual behaviour, thereby changing the culture.

Improve accessibility for students to report issues both in school, at home, in the community, online and offline thereby promoting student safety in every aspect of their lives.

Improve the quality, consistency and content of reporting, ensuring effective follow up and meaningful change for students.

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phone 01283 372600 MAToffice@deferrerstrust.com envelope

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