The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP)

Safeguarding in a leading MAT

Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ALTP) is a multi-academy trust responsible for 10,000 pupils and 1,500 staff members. Comprising of 14 different schools - five secondary schools and nine primary – the trust also has a sixth form and early years provisions, several of which are in areas of deprivation. The partnership operates across 3 different local authorities, 3 different safeguarding boards and has schools in a variety of contexts.

ATLP adopted Tes MyConcern safeguarding software early on, and also invested in Tes Clarity - the multi-establishment reporting platform specifically designed for multi-academy trusts to compare concerns between schools to pinpoint where specific issues are occurring and effectively allocate resources.

Software solutions for concern reporting

Before MyConcern, all our schools were using paper to record safeguarding concerns. Files were often disorganised, and crucial information was not always in one place, making it difficult for one person to know all of the information about a child. The transfer of files, particularly from primary to secondary schools was also not as efficient as it should have been.

Sadly, staff were often so busy they would forget to sign, forget to date, it did not have the information we wanted, sometimes there were initials instead of full details and it was rarely in chronological order. Sometimes different pieces of information were in different parts of a school, if the child was on the special needs register then the information might be in that department, there might be child protection information in a separate file, the tutor, head of year, progress leader might all have pieces of information or there might be other information in an academic file from primary school. Our information was not in one place and it was not easy to access.

Some schools are making fantastic use of MyConcern, other schools have been a little more hesitant and reluctant to give up paper, but everybody is getting there. Clarity highlights those schools who might be struggling, it allows me to see how they are doing in terms of their recording and the number of concerns they have raised. I can then see when it might be necessary to go in and support or arrange some extra training.

Benefits of working with Tes MyConcern

I can access MyConcern anywhere including from home which is fantastic particularly during lockdown and isolation. I like how I can copy a social worker in on a case rather than emailing the social worker or the police officer. It gives me a much bigger window on what is happening in my school and across the partnership in terms of safeguarding and keeping those children safe. The biggest thing is I have that jigsaw all in one place. 

The ability to see the big picture works particularly well in our primary schools. We have some schools in areas where neglect is a real concern and it is important our staff record all those instances where a child has arrived without their lunch, without the proper clothing, they look dirty or they are hungry. [Recording those things] is easy to do and you have that picture of what is happening to a child which is so much better than having scraps of paper everywhere. Now I can see I have this many instances on MyConcern where we have been concerned with a particular child’s welfare. Again, it is that bigger picture. 

Advice for those looking for a safeguarding solution

For me, I cannot see how anyone survives on paper now, we are moving into that digital world and it needs to be electronic. I know there are other products out there but for me, MyConcern has made it so much easier to record, it's more accessible, it gives me better insight into what is happening and that bigger picture. We have worked hard over the years to make sure that any member of staff who has a concern about a child comes to tell the DSL face to face, but we also want it on MyConcern. 

It comes down to governors and senior leaders being able to analyse the data. MyConcern enables me to analyse the data and I would feel very comfortable showing it to any inspector, to explain what our data is, what it is showing and what I am doing about it.  For me, that is a key learning point, staying ahead of the game.  I can also identify which members of staff are not reporting concerns and identify where additional training is required to support those staff members.  It also enables me to measure any training, for example, if staff complete an anti-bullying course and then we get a rise on MyConcern of reported bullying issues, I know the staff have taken the training onboard.  

The outcomes

Clarity also enables DSL’s to describe the context of their individual schools using their knowledge of the risks within their community backed up with data. This has really impressed our Governors.

Gaining Clarity

Tes Clarity has allowed me to look at all our schools and examine emerging patterns and trends. I have been looking at domestic violence; we had some domestic violence training at the beginning of lockdown because our data was telling us then that this was becoming an issue. We now need additional training because the data across the 14 schools is showing that domestic violence is one of our chief categories of concern. It also shows me that in our secondary schools, students’ wellbeing is top of the list and that is linked to mental health, anxiety, depression and home issues. We have a lot of families who are facing severe financial pressures resulting in problems at home. Families have been furloughed, lost jobs, been made redundant or have suffered a bereavement. Clarity enables me to look at those trends then consider what training our DSL’s need in response to the new groups that are coming through such as those who are now struggling with financial difficulties.