For Multi-Academy Trusts, safeguarding compliance is no longer something you can fully delegate to schools. Since 2023, the legal responsibility for Single Central Record (SCR) oversight sits squarely with the Trust.
However, many MATs are still finding their way when it comes to governance and oversight. A lot of guidance calls for “centralisation,” but what does that really mean in practice, especially for Trusts with limited central staff or those still scaling?
The answer lies in federated thinking.
What is a Federated Model
A federated model is a structure where each school retains local autonomy over day-to-day work, but the Trust sets shared standards, provides core systems, and holds ultimate accountability.
Think of how the NHS operates:
- Hospitals and clinics run independently
- They all follow the same policies
- They share data through centralised systems
For MATs, a federated approach to staff vetting and SCR management is highly beneficial:
- Each school manages its own onboarding and safeguarding tasks
- The Trust provides the platform, policy, and oversight support
- Everyone works within the same framework, but without bottlenecks or extra admin
Federation gives you the best of both worlds: schools retain the autonomy they seek, and Trusts gain the oversight and assurance they need.
This is different from full centralisation, where all decisions and tasks move to the central team. Many MATs aren’t resourced for that, but more importantly, they don’t need to be if they have a system that supports autonomy while enforcing compliance.
The 5 Step Guide for Standardising SCRs Across a Trust
Here’s a practical, scalable model based on the real-world experience of MATs using School SCR.
1. Adopt a MAT-First SCR System
In healthcare, NHS Trusts use interoperable digital systems that offer central oversight without micromanagement. MATs need the same: a federated platform for safeguarding.
Generic HR and MIS platforms were not designed for SCR management. While many offer some sort of add on for SCR management, they often amount to little more than a digitised spreadsheets. No live dashboards, no automated checks, no audit trail, no policy pushdown, no integrated vetting services, no confidential notes.
A MAT-First SCR system like School SCR offers:
- A central, RAG rated dashboard with school-level drilldown
- Automated compliance checks every 24 hours
- Integrated KCSIE requirements so you’re always compliant with legislation
- Instant alerts for gaps or expiring checks
- School-level access that feed into a Trust-wide overview
- Role based access that protects private information
Strategic Parallel:
Just as the NHS Spine connects clinical records across providers, MATs need a safeguarding ‘spine’ that links all schools while maintaining oversight and security.
2. Define a Unified Compliance Policy
NHS Trusts operate under consistent clinical governance frameworks. They don’t let each ward set its own patient safety rules. Similarly, MATs should define and enforce a common set of compliance standards.
Set and roll out:
- Standardised vetting requirements (DBS, references, right to work)
- Safer recruitment processes
- Audit and review cycles
- Termly reporting expectations
This might sound like common sense but you’d be surprised by how much variance there is. An example of this is where should a school store staff references to evidence that Safer Recruitment practices were carried out correctly?
With School SCR, these can be uploaded and securely stored on each staff member’s profile. Simple and easy.
There are many decisions like this that you may want to make as a MAT, but without a dedicated SCR and vetting system, additional policy requirements can quickly add to workload and stress of staff.
3. Clarify Roles Using the RACI Model
Federated systems work best when everyone knows their role. In healthcare, clinical governance assigns responsibility for care quality to named individuals.
MATs can take this same best practice to improve SCRs processes.
A useful exercise is to map responsibilities using the RACI model:
- Responsible: The person entering data (often SBM)
- Accountable: DSL or SLT member who signs off termly reviews
- Consulted: Central team or safeguarding lead
- Informed: Trustees and Governors
Embedding this model into your recruitment and staff vetting processes ensures clarity at all levels and prevents gaps.
4. Use Live Data to Drive Leadership
The shift from reactive to proactive leadership depends on live visibility of your processes.
A major weakness when managing the SCR on a spreadsheet or rudimentary MIS or HR system is the time it can take to identify issues or gaps. In many schools, the SCR is only fully audited once per year.
This means it can take months to identify issues - issues that may represent a safeguarding risk.
School SCR gives MATs:
- Real-time, RAG rated statuses by school, team, or individual
- Instant email notification, warning you of gaps or risks
- Ready-to-export reports for Ofsted, ISI or Board meetings
- A foundation for performance benchmarking and support
You can’t improve what you can’t see. And you can’t assure what you don’t control.
5. Build a Safeguarding Culture, Not Just a Checklist
From September 2025, Ofsted will place greater emphasis on safeguarding culture, not just compliance. That’s where MATs can borrow the most from the NHS model.
In the NHS, safeguarding governance goes beyond protocols. It focuses on:
- Learning from incidents
- Leadership visibility
- Culture of openness and improvement
MATs can adopt this mindset too by looking at the following:
- Leadership discussion of safeguarding data
- Termly governor updates
- Evidence of ownership and response to issues
School SCR enables you to use SCR data not just to pass inspections, but to lead better meetings by having the widest possible picture of staff vetting and compliance procedures across all schools.
What Next?
If your Trust is still relying on spreadsheets or basic MIS tools for SCR management, now’s the time to switch.
You don’t need to undertake a major overhaul.
School SCR was designed by a MAT Chief Operating Officer who faced many of these issues firsthand. The goal is simple: help Trusts take control of compliance without increasing admin burden.
School SCR integrates with all existing school MIS and HR systems seamlessly, and you can be up and running within 24 hours.
With School SCR, Trusts can:
- Standardise SCRs across all schools in minutes
- Save 2–4 hours per week, per school
- Provide Trust board-level assurance with zero fuss
Learn More
Get in touch or book a short demo to see how School SCR can simplify your Trust’s compliance.
