Priestley College is committed to Safeguarding and Promoting the welfare of all of its students and to sustaining an open and supportive culture where:
- Students can thrive and achieve
- Students, Staff, Governors, volunteers and visitors can feel secure
- Everyone is assured that their welfare is a high priority
Priestley College recognises that students and vulnerable adults have a right to be protected from harm. Students cannot learn effectively if they do not feel safe from harm or exploitation. The College is committed to providing support and protection for all students in College, at home, online and in their communities.
The college’s Safeguarding Policy is created in conjunction with the TCAT Safeguarding Policy (see Policies section) and in line with the annual KCSIE updates. You can read all of them below:
A culture of safeguarding is at the heart of our work. All staff receive annual training and are recruited using safer recruitment practices.
Students can refer concerns to any member of staff, including their teachers, Progress Tutor or designated individuals as appropriate.
Each year the College completes two external safeguarding audits – one from the Local Authority and the other from the Trust, TCAT. Student voice and surveys are completed to identify any concerns, review our work and plan actions.
Anyone with concerns should report them to the safeguarding team. You can report your concerns below.
Know your lanyard
Students and staff must wear their ID badge (including visitors) on site and at all times. We challenge anyone who is seen not wearing a lanyard.
Report a safeguarding issue
It is our policy to provide prompt action to protect our students and young people from harm. If you have any safeguarding concerns – whether you are a student / parent / carer please email letusknow@priestley.ac.uk
Early Help
As a college we work closely with the local authority. The purpose of Early Help is to support families at the earliest opportunity to enable families to reach their full potential. Any professional working with a child, young person and family, such as those based in colleges, health services, or in voluntary sector organisations, can provide early help services by responding to identified needs in order to offer advice and guidance, support and intervention. Our Early Help key worker liaises with us on a regular basis and provides advice and guidance to our pastoral team. Please click here the attached booklet for more information.
Meet the Safeguarding Team

Mark Eccleston
Assistant Principal (Safeguarding Lead)

Mark Edgington
Pastoral Head (Deputy Safeguarding Lead)

Caroline Atkinson
Wellbeing Practitioner

Rachel Clarke
Inclusion Manager

Dan Martin
Pastoral Head

Rachel Edgington
Pastoral Head

Chris Lee
Pastoral Head

Anne White
Pastoral Head

Paul Mackinnon
Pastoral Head
Looked After Child and Previously Looked After Child Policy
TCAT academies are committed to providing access to excellent education and opportunities to enrich the lives of our children and young people. All our academies are committed to finding ways to overcome barriers that may be faced by children who are looked after or previously have been. You can read the Looked After Child and Previously Looked After Child Policy here