Our commitment
Safeguarding at Sophyra Tutors.
Safeguarding shapes every decision we make about who teaches your child. This page sets out who leads our safeguarding, what we do before any tutor meets a student, and the policies we publish in full.
Statement
Every tutor completes vetting before meeting a student.
Tutors are self-employed. Vetting is employer-standard. Every tutor on our panel is an independent freelance professional contracted to Sophyra Tutors. We carry out the safeguarding and qualification checks an employer would carry out, and we carry them out before the tutor meets a student.
The checks completed before the first lesson: an interview, written references requested directly from their referees, a check that their qualifications are legitimate, Qualified Teacher Status confirmed where the tutor holds it, career experience verified against the dates and roles claimed, an Enhanced DBS check including a Children's Barred List check (or equivalent national police check from the country in which they operate, for tutors based outside the UK), and mandatory safeguarding training delivered by Sophyra Tutors.
Sessions run on our purpose-built online classroom and every lesson is recorded as part of our safeguarding and dispute-resolution arrangements. Recordings are stored securely and access is restricted to authorised Sophyra administrators. They are not available to tutors, students or parents, and they are not routinely viewed. A recording may be reviewed only where necessary to investigate a safeguarding concern, complaint or dispute, or to meet a legal obligation. Tutors and students do not contact each other outside the platform, and parents may join any session at any time. These are the specific safeguards we put in place so that online lessons are carried out as safely as possible.
We are committed to full compliance with data protection and data transfer legislation, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 (Ireland).
Safeguarding leadership
Our Education Adviser and DSL.
Natalia Ambridge is our Education Adviser and DSL, Level 3 qualified. Twenty years of school leadership, in the United Kingdom and internationally across Azerbaijan, Oman and Türkiye, anchors every safeguarding decision we make.
Level 3 safeguarding training is refreshed regularly.
Policies
Two policies. Both downloadable.
Child Safeguarding Statement.
Our statement under section 11 of the Children First Act 2015. It names the service, sets out our written assessment of the risk of harm to a child using it, and states the procedures we follow, including how a concern is reported to Tusla and who our relevant person is. Published in full, and available to any parent, guardian or member of the public on request.
Adopted 20 August 2026 · Next review 20 August 2028
Read the statementSafeguarding and Child Protection Policy.
Our written framework for preventing harm, recognising concerns, and responding promptly and appropriately. Aligned with the current edition of Keeping Children Safe in Education, Working Together to Safeguard Children (2026), Children Acts 1989 and 2004, and the GDPR.
Version 1.0 · Effective February 2026 · Next review February 2027
Download PDF (4 pages)Safer Recruitment Policy.
Our written framework for vetting every tutor before they meet a student. Covers the interview, qualifications, experience, references, and DBS or equivalent checks we run before a tutor is engaged. Aligned with KCSIE Part 3 as the reference standard for online provision.
Version 1.0 · Effective February 2026 · Next review February 2027
Download PDF (4 pages)Vetting
How we vet every tutor.
We only engage experienced teachers. Before any tutor meets a student we interview them, check that they hold legitimate qualifications, confirm their experience, request written references directly from their referees, and obtain an enhanced DBS check for UK-based tutors or a police certificate for those based overseas. All tutors also complete mandatory safeguarding training. After they start, we review their work every half-term.
Escalation
A single channel. A single person.
All safeguarding concerns, however small, are routed to a confidential mailbox monitored by Natalia personally. We commit to acknowledging every email within the same working day, and to acting on every concern that meets the threshold for action.
safeguarding@sophyratutors.comOur duty of care
A school's standard, by choice.
No one, not even a school, can promise that no incident will ever occur. What we can do is take every reasonable measure, and we have. We hold ourselves to a school's duty of care, even though a tutoring company is not required to.
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