
Paula Smith
Trust Executive Leader for Safeguarding, SEND, and Alternative Provision, Alpha Academies Trust
Paula is the Alpha Academies Trust Executive Lead for Safeguarding, SEND and Alternative Provision and has been part of this trust since its inception 14 years ago, now serving over 5,000 children.
Having been a principal of an alternative provision academy in Stoke-on-Trent, and the safeguarding lead for the trust for 14 years, Paula's work in the development of the safeguarding culture and practices has enabled the trust to secure consistently positive safeguarding outcomes for children, whether that be in highly successful alternative provision hubs attached to schools, or across the academies themselves.
Paula is part of the National Association of Academy Safeguarding Advisors; a trained trainer by the NSPCC and a teacher of 24 years.
1 Workshop series two
Skill or will? Building strong safeguarding in small trusts
This discussion-led workshop explores the importance of building of strong relationships within schools, with governors and trustees, and wider networks to develop safeguarding capacity in small trusts. Our panellists will consider the challenges and opportunities of leading safeguarding in their growing trusts of six schools, including how to work smarter not harder to reduce risk and create a single shared safeguarding culture that holds space for the things that matter most.