"I would recommend the Judicium service,” says Ben. “The service provides reassurance in an area where the stakes are exceptionally high. I’ve been impressed with the level of day-to-day support we receive, as well as the training and the audit system."

Avanti Schools Trust consists of 12 schools in Hertfordshire, London, the South West and Leicester.

Ben Martin, Head of School at Avanti Grange Secondary School in Bishop’s Stortford and Trust Safeguarding Lead for Avanti Schools Trust, says that although the trust’s schools are individually strong in their safeguarding practice, the wider challenge lies in keeping systems, processes and compliance frameworks working as effectively as possible across a geographically dispersed organisation. 

Judicium’s safeguarding service has become an important part of those efforts. The relationship began in 2024, initially through discussions about safeguarding audits. The trust had just completed a one-off audit process that felt more like inspection than support, so they began a search for a professional partnership that would focus more on development. 

Judicium was chosen because it offered an ongoing package of support that included annual auditing, consultation, training and access to safeguarding resources through the Jedu platform. 

Judicium’s auditing tools have proved to be particularly useful to Avanti Schools Trust, says Ben. "I found the Judicium materials focused on support and constructive criticism," he says. "It was very much about guidance and support, asking if we had thought about a particular approach or strategy and suggesting resources that would help us." 

The approach that has given trust leaders confidence that schools are not only meeting statutory requirements, but that they are also improving practice in a meaningful way. Ben attends audit feedback meetings and uses the audit findings to provide assurance to the trust board that safeguarding arrangements across schools are secure.

Ben has also been able to target training around trust priorities such as safer recruitment and governance, while also drawing on Judicium’s regular updates and briefings to help schools respond to changing requirements. 

All this is underpinned by responsive phone and online support from the Judicium team. "The response times are really quick from the safeguarding team, and the consultation calls have been really invaluable to a lot of our staff," Ben explains. “That responsiveness matters in an area where decisions are rarely straightforward and where leaders are often working under significant time pressure.” 

One of the biggest pressures for trust leaders is the pace of legislative change, particularly around Keeping Children Safe in Education, and Judicium’s expert advice has been vital in keeping Ben and his colleagues abreast of what those changes mean to them. "We’re time poor as DSLs in schools and have someone breaking that down for us is really helpful," he says. 

Judicium’s support has also helped Avanti Grange Secondary School prepare for the rigours of external scrutiny. Ben felt the audit process had been a valuable rehearsal for an Ofsted inspection and helped him articulate the school’s systems and explain their practice with confidence.

“That blend of expertise, responsiveness and constructive challenge has made a real difference to our trust.”

If you’d like to learn more about Judicium’s Safeguarding services, please feel free to contact enquiries on enquiries@judicium.com or 0345 548 7000