Ampleforth College has announced its first ever safeguarding charter as a “tangible” way of ensuring an environment where young people can flourish.
The charter builds on progress already made at the college in safeguarding and is part of an on-going programme of work.
Ampleforth College and the prep school St Martin's have been developing the programme since early this year with Emma Moody of Womble Bond Dickinson solicitors, a specialist in charity law, education and safeguarding.
The acting head of the college, Deirdre Rowe, who has years of experience in Catholic education and is also the college’s safeguarding lead, is ensuring that “continuous improvement” is implemented, according to a statement from Ampleforth. The senior leadership team will also continue to work with statutory agencies and regulators and ensure the school’s systems for safeguarding are robust.
Pupils, staff, parents and visitors will be able to judge the school’s progress using the charter, which contains specific commitments to safety and improvements.
In addition, there is an accelerated programme of governance reform. Trustees of the St Laurence Education Trust are overhauling board structures to ensure “the highest standards of accountability and transparency”, the statement says. The Trust has had a lay chair since 2016 and its constitution ensures that lay members are always in the majority.
Ms Moody, who will continue as the interim manager for Ampleforth Abbey Trust, which governs the monastery and its works, and St Laurence Education Trust, the governing body for the college, over the next six months, said: “Ampleforth has already implemented significant improvements to the way safeguarding is reviewed and managed, and I have reported my confidence in the current safeguarding system to the Charity Commission. Everyone who I am working with at the college is wholly committed to protecting the children in their care.”
Ampleforth has also strengthened relationships with relevant statutory agencies such as the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board (NYSCB) and the North Yorkshire Police.
A spokesman said: "The Ampleforth Safeguarding Charter was produced to ensure that safeguarding commitments are consistent across the two separate trusts at Ampleforth. Trustees, staff, monks and volunteers are all dedicated to keeping the children and adults in their care safe and the Charter is a tangible way to communicate this. We hope that our internal stakeholders, especially parents and students, and external regulators will measure our progress against the eight commitments in the Charter and we look forward to sharing updates on these in the near future.”