This week Newlands Primary School in Ramsgate hosted a family and whole school assembly celebrating the appointment of its first eight Safeguarding Ambassadors, all current year 5 pupils, as part of The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT) Safeguarding Ambassadors@school project.
This is a programme written for children to give them a voice around safeguarding matters in school. It allows children to learn about safety and safeguarding in the school community and gives them the chance to be heard.
Martin Turner, Safeguarding Lead for Newlands Primary School, said: “Safeguarding in school is about ensuring that our pupils are safe, happy and ready to learn.
“We have been given the wonderful opportunity to pilot and give feedback on the TKAT Safeguarding Ambassadors @ school project which gives pupils the chance to participate and most importantly have a voice in our safeguarding activities in school.
“The pilot that our Ambassadors have just completed, and have been able to feed back on, will help shape the wider TKAT Safeguarding Ambassadors @ school project which, starting in September 2024, will be rolled out to all the 45 TKAT schools.
“Our Ambassadors have helped shape a programme that will eventually train hundreds of ambassadors and positively impact the safeguarding of thousands of pupils in primary and secondary schools across the Trust.
“I am extremely proud of the work that they, alongside Mrs Roberts and Mrs Lamprell our SA@s Leads, have done.’
Scott Wilson, TKAT Senior Safeguarding Lead, told the children, via a video address: “We are so proud of what you have done. You are a selected few child out of 24,000 to become Safeguarding Ambassadors. Your families should be very proud of your achievements.”
A parent of one of our Ambassadors said: “I’m really grateful for the opportunity given to her, six months ago she would never have stood up in front of the whole school and spoken on her own. We are so proud of her and how far she has come.”
In year 6, as well as providing a voice for the children on safeguarding matters the Ambassadors will help deliver safeguarding assemblies across the whole school. When work begins with the next cohort of Ambassadors Early in 2025 they will help with the training.