Celebrating safeguarding success

We are thrilled to receive the Gold quality mark from Anchored Schools in our recent safeguarding audit. This is a fantastic outcome that recognises the strong safeguarding practices we have in place. We are immensely proud, particularly given that, outside of Olive Academies, only two other schools in the country have received Gold so far this year, demonstrating just how difficult it is to achieve.

Corrie Fielding, Anchored Schools’ Education Consultant said:

There is a strong ethos around safeguarding procedures and practice at Olive AP Academy - Nene Valley and as the display in the entrance to the academy states, a culture of vigilance. We are pleased to award the academy our Gold Anchored Award quality mark in recognition of the high levels of good practice.

We are pleased to see so many areas of good practice highlighted by Anchored Schools, including leadership and management, HR, multi-agency work, recording and reporting. The report states ‘safeguarding practices are well embedded at Olive AP Academy - Nene Valley, and this is a reflection of the persistence of leaders to ensure safety and wellbeing for all members of the community is paramount.’

It goes on to say that ‘leadership and management of safeguarding is excellent’ and notes that ‘leaders are not afraid to make appropriate professional challenge in their pursuit of the best outcomes for their pupils.’

The auditing process is incredibly intensive. Using their own software, recognised by Ofsted to be exemplary, Anchored Schools reviewed our processes, systems, policies and procedures to evidence all aspects of safeguarding, with a score of at least 90% required to receive the quality assurance award. This threshold is incredibly high, ensuring that only settings with the very best safeguarding practices receive the quality mark.

Michelle Simmonite, Olive Academies Trust Safeguarding Lead, said:

Anchored Schools provide a high-quality personalised service, taking the time to build solid relationships with staff across all of our academies. Their tailored approach ensures they understand the context in order to make achievable recommendations. We are delighted to have been awarded the Anchored Schools Gold award.

Anchored Schools is a nationally-recognised organisation that works with hundreds of schools and academies across the country at both primary and secondary level and across the spectrum of mainstream, alternative provision and SEND settings. They bring a wealth of expertise and are highly regarded for their thorough approach. It is great to see our hard work acknowledged by such an esteemed external specialist. Well done to all staff at Olive AP Academy – Nene Valley on this outstanding achievement and for ensuring we have effective safeguarding practices in place to keep our academy community safe.

Safeguarding award OA NV

25 March 2023