Beyond Monitoring to Meaningful Safeguarding Impact

Leo Academy Trust spans 14 primary schools across London Borough of Sutton and Surrey. Digital technology is embedded across teaching and learning, with a one-to-one device model supporting pupils throughout the trust.

With this model, increased safeguarding demand became a new reality.

✔ Online activity was growing
✔ Monitoring captures were increasing
✔ Online behaviours were becoming more complex

From Alerts to Understanding

Filtering was in place. Monitoring was active.

However, the leadership team recognised that effective protection required more than simply receiving alerts. They needed to understand patterns, emotional trends, behavioural themes, and emerging risks across the trust.

As Emma Dallimore, Director of Safeguarding, explains; “It allows us to build that much bigger picture of what’s going on for a child and young person.”

The challenge wasn’t lack of data. It was ensuring that insight led to confident, timely intervention without overwhelming DSL capacity.

Why LEO Academy Trust Chose Senso

Recognising the growing complexity of digital safeguarding, the trust conducted a detailed review of monitoring providers when implementing their filtering and monitoring approach. They assessed reporting clarity, how captures were contextualised, the level of safeguarding expertise offered, responsiveness of support and overall value for money.

Over the next four years, Senso’s monitoring became an important part of the trust’s safeguarding approach. It enabled leaders to identify behavioural patterns, understand emotional signals and adapt safeguarding responses based on real activity across their schools.

However, as device use increased, alert volumes also grew, increasing pressure on safeguarding teams. Monitoring was providing valuable insight but reviewing alerts across the trust was becoming increasingly time-intensive for safeguarding teams. To strengthen oversight and protect DSL capacity, the trust introduced Senso’s Managed Monitoring Service.

The difference was immediate, with safeguarding teams quickly experiencing the operational benefits of managed triage and prioritised alerts. Managed Monitoring now ensured that insight was clearer, prioritised and easier for safeguarding teams to act on.

Michael Raney, Vice Principal at Cheam Park Farm Primary Academy, confirms, “Moving to the managed service has saved us hours every single week.”

Real Outcomes

Clearer Insights. Reduced Workload. Greater Confidence.

For LEO Academy Trust, introducing Senso Managed Monitoring strengthened safeguarding across the trust while protecting DSL capacity.

Clear Safeguarding Insights

Monitoring insight enabled leaders to move beyond isolated alerts and begin identifying patterns in pupil behaviour and wellbeing.

Emerging themes around pupil wellbeing and online behaviour became easier to recognise, helping the trust respond earlier and adapt safeguarding approaches where needed.

Reduced Safeguarding Workload

With specialist triage in place, every capture is reviewed by safeguarding professionals. False positives are removed, and genuine concerns are then able to be prioritised.

This significantly reduced the time DSLs spend reviewing alerts and allowed safeguarding teams to focus more on supporting pupils.

LEO Academy Trust