Safeguarding Training for Greenwood Academies Trust

Safeguarding is a major consideration for any academy or Multi Academy Trust and the Greenwood Academies Trust is one of the few trusts in the country with a dedicated Safeguarding Director with overview for the strategic development of safeguarding within the Trust.

Consistency and quality in their safeguarding training provision throughout all academies was a must. By allocating set modules to all staff, this has been successfully achieved.

Many of the academies are within areas needing high levels of pupil support and with more than 3,000 members of staff across it, it is a priority to implement a high quality and efficient training solution. Consistency of high level training is essential.

The Delivery

The Trust faced the challenge of providing comprehensive safeguarding training for over 3,000 staff across its 37 academies.

To meet this need, Virtual College delivered a robust solution that ensured unlimited access to more than 50 safeguarding training courses.

The LMS, designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, housed all training content in a centralised location, making it easier for staff to navigate and complete their courses.

Enhanced tracking and reporting features within the platform streamlined internal assurance processes, giving the Trust better control and visibility over training progress.

Additionally, the LMS’s content creation feature enabled the organization to upload and deliver their own tailored content, enhancing the flexibility and personalization of their training programs.

This approach complemented the Trust’s existing blended learning strategy by seamlessly integrating online and in-person training methods.

The Support

Support played a vital role in the success of the program.

For over eight years, Virtual College provided dedicated account management to ensure the Trust received consistent, personalized attention and support.

An effective onboarding plan included step-by-step guidance, detailed training materials, and hands-on assistance, helping the staff maximize the benefits of the new LMS.

The organization also benefited from dedicated customer support, which offered prompt and reliable assistance, ensuring that any issues were resolved quickly and without disruption.

The Results

The results of this partnership were significant.

Within the first three months, nearly 14,000 online courses were allocated to staff, demonstrating the immediate accessibility and effectiveness of Virtual College’s safeguarding titles.

By distributing their own tailored online content through the LMS, the Trust realised valuable time and cost savings, further highlighting the system’s efficiency.

Since the launch of the program, over 26,480 courses have been completed, a figure that continues to grow.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive; of the 148 responses received, 107 rated the training as "good," underscoring the high-quality learning experience provided by Virtual College.