Modern Slavery Act Statement

ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS

MODERN SLAVERY STATEMENT

  1. INTRODUCTION

Advantage Schools (company number 07337888) is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all aspects of its operations ensuring compliance with the Modern slavery Act 2015, section 54.

All staff in the trust recognise that modern slavery, including slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour, and human trafficking is a serious violation of human rights. We adopt a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and are committed to ensuring that it does not occur in any part of our trust operations and supply chains.

We are an ambitious organisation and aim to go beyond compliance by embedding ethical practices grounded in doing what is right. With integrity at the core of our transparency and communication, we strive for excellence in all we do promoting continuous growth, strong leadership, and deep respect for human rights.

  1. STRUCTURE AND SUPPLY CHAINS

Advantage Schools is a multi-academy trust acting as one employer across four secondary schools, five primary schools and one lower school based in Bedfordshire with 956 employees and pupils. The trust is an exempt educational charity, subject to company law and is a not-for-profit organisation. The Board of Trustees is the legal governing body for all schools within the Multi Academy Trust and are accountable by law for all its functions. The CEO and Executive Leadership team are responsible for implementing and monitoring practice across the trust. The principals and line managers must ensure that staff understand and comply with the policies and procedures, and all staff and contractors are required to report their concerns or suspicions of modern slavery immediately.

The trust works primarily with UK-based suppliers and contractors, and all employees are protected under UK employment legislation and working time directives. We aim to work with companies that share our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity. The trust’s supply chains are drawn mainly from the catering, contract cleaning, and the education supply market. These include:

  • HR – staff development, recruitment
  • Marketing – Printing, stationery
  • Estates – building contractors, cleaners, catering, utilities
  • IT – licencing, subscriptions, hardware, software, telephones, IT contractors
  • Education – equipment, furniture, educational visits, transportation, online platforms, school uniform, external services e.g. music, counselling
  • Finance – audit, insurers, expenses, online platforms.

We require all our supplier and contractors to provide copies of all relevant documentation and demonstrate that they:

  • Comply with their legal obligations, including the Modern Slavery Act; and
  • Are committed to ensuring there is no Modern Slavery taking place in their business, or in any of their supply chains.

If they are in breach, or are found to be, we will terminate our contract with them and pursue legal remedies against them.

  1. RISK ASSESSMENT

Risk management is embedded in all aspects of trust operations and is shared with Trustees through the Audit and Risk committee. The trust engages audit services to review and report on compliance of policies and procedures.

The trust has assessed its risks of modern slavery and human trafficking as follows:

High risk

  • The trust does not believe there to be any high-risk operations within the trust or within the supply chain.

Medium risk

  • Supply chains linked to the catering and cleaning provisions as a consequence of the trust’s use of external contractors.
  • Supply chains associated with the production of ICT equipment, stationery and school uniforms, and the trust’s use of external suppliers to provide items that may have been manufactured overseas.

Low Risk

  • Provision of agency staff predominantly in teaching, and where contractors have used sub-contractors for larger estates projects.
  1. POLICIES ON MODERN SLAVERY

The trust takes modern slavery seriously and ensures compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 across all financial management and procurement policies and procedures. The policy on safeguarding and child protection references modern slavery to keep staff alert to potential risks to our pupils.

Relevant policies

  • Trust financial handbook – provides guidance for all staff on procurement practice to ensure staff follow robust due diligence procedures.
  • Safeguarding and child protection – Emphasises the need for staff to be alert to modern slavery and human trafficking.
  • Whistleblowing – Ensures an open and formal channel for staff, contractors, parents, pupils, and other stakeholders to report any concerns promptly.
  • Recruitment and selection – Embed best practices that ensure transparency, verification, due diligence, and staff awareness to reduce the risk.
  • Code of conduct - Promotes a culture of high expectations, openness, and integrity for staff to report their concerns.

Suppliers and contractors are required to adhere to trust policies. All policies are regularly reviewed by practicing staff, leaders, and the executive teams.

  1. STAFF RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING

The recruitment process is rigorous and transparent and adheres to the DfE Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance 2025.

All staff receive awareness training on modern slavery as part of their induction and ongoing professional development. Where staff are in positions of decision-making such as; Executive Team, Finance and Human Resources, they will receive extra training and guidance. This includes how to identify signs of exploitation and the procedures for reporting concerns.

Where written and spoken English is not their first language, staff are able to access all documents in their preferred language to understand what is expected of them.

  1. MONITORING EFFECTIVENESS

The Chief Executive Officer will ensure that leaders regularly review their practices and procedures, and monitor these effectively through line management meetings, financial and procurement exercises, and through annual audits reported to our Board of Trustees.

This statement will be reviewed annually and updated as necessary to reflect changes in legislation, best practice, or organisational structure.

  1. ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS COMMITMENT

This statement has been approved by the Advantage Schools Board of Trustees and is to section 54 (1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. To date no referrals have been made in relation to modern slavery.

Stuart Lock

Chief Executive

10 December 2025