Promoting the wellbeing and welfare of our students is at the heart of what we do at Leeds City College. We are committed to ensuring that all our students and staff are kept safe and protected from harm, both within and outside of the college environment. To achieve this, we emphasise the importance of safeguarding, the Prevent Duty and adherence to British Values.
At Leeds City College we are committed to doing everything we can to make sure all of our students and staff are kept safe and protected from harm. This is what safeguarding is all about. It is important to us that all our students are treated with respect and dignity and feel safe and listened to.
All our staff are trained to be alert to any possible causes for concern. We also have a wider team of Stay Safe Officers and Designated Safeguarding Officers, who complete ongoing specialist safeguarding training.
There are some examples below of issues that would come under safeguarding:
As a college, we take measures to ensure that our safeguarding duty is being met. These measures include:
At our most recent Ofsted Inspection in February 2025, our Safeguarding arrangements were seen to be effective.
The Ofsted report highlighted how Safeguarding is perceived in the college group.
“Learners and apprentices feel safe and secure at all campuses and know how to report any concerns.
Staff promote a culture where transgressions are dealt with promptly and used as opportunities to educate.”
You can view our safeguarding policy here:
If you or someone you know is at risk of harm or abuse, speak out – we are here to help. Speak to any staff member.
They will ensure you get the help and support you need from a specialist member of staff.
You can also report your concerns directly to the Stay Safe Team through this ‘report-it’ form which is on the Student Information Hub or email safeguarding@leedscitycollege.ac.uk.
At Luminate Education Group, making sure our students are safe and well is our top priority. Each campus at Leeds City College has a Stay Safe Officer, whose dedicated job is to provide safeguarding support to staff and students. We’d like to take this chance to introduce our Safeguarding Team:
Group Head of Safeguarding
Student Safeguarding Manager (currently on maternity leave)
Student Safeguarding Manager
Safeguarding Team Leader
Safeguarding Team Leader
Stay Safe Officer Future Pathway, Beeston & College House
Stay Safe Officer Future Pathways, Enfield, North Street
Stay Safe Officer Quarry Hill & Quarry Hill Annexe
Stay Safe Officer Quarry Hill & University Centre Leeds
Stay Safe Officer Park Lane 14-16 Academies,14-16 Skills Programme & The Vine
Stay Safe Officer Printworks & Temple Newsam
Stay Safe Officer Printworks & Deacon House
Stay Safe Officer Somerville House and Rothwell
Across the campuses, we have a team of dedicated police officers who offer support and advice to students. Students, parents and carers can contact the police officers by emailing safeguarding@leedscitycollege.ac.uk for advice and support.
PC Leon Ricketts, Safer Colleges Police Officer
Prevent is a government initiative aimed to stop people getting involved with or supporting violent extremism. Part of our safeguarding duty is to protect vulnerable individuals from the risk of radicalism and extremism. To do this, we follow government guidance which is known as the Prevent duty.
At Leeds City College, everyone has a responsibility to Prevent our students becoming radicalised. All our staff have completed the DfE’s Prevent General Awareness training. Our Safeguarding Officers have completed more in-depth training around Prevent and recognising the signs that someone is becoming radicalised.
Students are delivered messages about Prevent, radicalisation and extremism at the point of induction and then regularly throughout the year during tutorials.
If you think someone is involved in radicalisation and there is an immediate risk of harm, call 999. If it isn’t an emergency, follow the college safeguarding procedure and report it to any staff member.
All staff and students are expected to uphold and promote the fundamental principles of British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. We believe that students should be given the opportunity to explore diversity and understand Britain as a multi-cultural society; everyone should be treated with respect whatever their race, gender, sexuality, religious belief, special need, or disability.
This includes a belief in freedom and equality and ensuring that each and every voice in the college is heard. Democracy influences our decision-making through democratic processes. An example of this is how our students’ union officers are elected by the student body.
This involves understanding the importance of laws and why we follow them. We explore the laws that govern and protect us while understanding the consequences if these rules are broken. We also understand that these may be different from religious laws.
At the college, students are encouraged to make independent choices and exercise their freedom. We provide boundaries and education for students to be able to make informed choices and take responsibility for those choices.
Respect for others is a core focus of Leeds City College which is why our brand values include being respectful and ensuring we celebrate individuality. We encourage students to challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour and understand how their behaviour has an effect on the rights of others.
