Anti-Slavery Policy

This statement is made pursuant to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes DAS Academies’ Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Transparency Statement for the financial year ending 2026.

Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, including slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour, and human trafficking — all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.

DAS Academies is an education-led organisation operating within the driver and road safety training sector in the United Kingdom. We work in partnership with Further Education colleges, employers, local authorities, road safety specialists and community organisations to deliver a collaborative framework for Lifelong Safe Mobility.

Our headquarters are based in Manchester and our operations extend across England. We employ staff across training, administration and management functions, and engage a range of third-party service providers in delivering our mission.

Our supply chains include providers of educational materials and technology, professional services firms, training venues, transport services and general business suppliers. We recognise that supply chain risks vary and are committed to understanding the nature of risk across all tiers of our supply base.

The principal risk factors we consider include:

• Geographic location of suppliers and associated national risk profiles
• Sector-specific vulnerability, particularly where labour-intensive or low-skilled work is involved
• Complexity and opacity in multi-tier supply arrangements
• Procurement practices that may inadvertently create conditions conducive to exploitation

We operate a number of internal policies to ensure we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner. These include:

• Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy — sets out our zero-tolerance approach and the responsibilities of all staff
• Recruitment Policy — ensures we use only reputable employment agencies, verify eligibility to work in the UK and pay at least the National Living Wage
• Whistleblowing Policy — enables staff to raise concerns about any wrongdoing, including suspicions of slavery or trafficking, without fear of retaliation
• Code of Conduct — clearly sets out the standards of behaviour we expect from all employees, contractors and partners
• Supplier Code of Conduct — communicates our expectations to third-party suppliers in relation to ethical employment practices

As part of our commitment to identifying and mitigating risk, we undertake the following due diligence activities:

• Assess the risk of modern slavery in our supply chains prior to onboarding new suppliers
• Require key suppliers to confirm compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and equivalent legislation
• Include anti-slavery and human trafficking provisions in supplier contracts
• Conduct periodic reviews of existing supplier relationships, prioritising higher-risk categories
• Carry out appropriate checks on all new employees in line with right-to-work legislation

We continuously assess the risks of modern slavery in our operations and supply chains and seek to take proportionate action where concerns are identified. We consider ourselves to be a relatively low-risk organisation given the domestic nature of our operations and the professional services character of our supply chain. Nevertheless, we do not regard this as grounds for complacency.

Where higher-risk suppliers or arrangements are identified, we conduct enhanced due diligence and may require additional assurances or independent audit evidence before proceeding.

We provide training to all relevant members of staff to ensure awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking risks and to help them identify and report any suspected instances. Training covers:

• The definition and forms of modern slavery
• Indicators that a person may be a victim of slavery or trafficking
• How to report concerns internally and externally, including to the National Referral Mechanism
• Our organisational policies and procedures in this area

We measure the effectiveness of the steps we are taking through the following indicators:

• Completion rates for anti-slavery training among all relevant staff
• Proportion of material suppliers who have confirmed compliance with this statement
• Number of concerns raised internally and actions taken in response
• Annual review and update of this statement and related policies

This statement has been approved by the DAS Academies Board of Directors and will be reviewed and updated annually. It is signed on behalf of the organisation and reflects our genuine commitment to the elimination of modern slavery and human trafficking in all its forms.

DAS Academies

125 Deansgate, City Centre, Manchester, M3 2BY

0300 1234 234

info@dasacademies.co.uk