— ABOUT US
Shining a light on the modern alleyways
We believe digital safeguarding doesn’t have to be dry and boring. We deliver story-driven sessions that strip away the fluff and give staff, parents and young people the practical tools to outsmart the algorithm.
— OUR STORY
So… what’s a “ten foot”?
A ten foot, in Humberside slang, is the alleyway behind houses — just wide enough to fit a car down. The modern internet, social media platforms and online games are today’s ten foots: hidden-in-plain-sight places where our young people grew up, places that shape their lives.
Ten Foot Training was created to shine a light on those online communities and help make them safer.
Founded in 2026 with one clear mission — to help organisations understand the internet — Ten Foot Training grew out of delivering training to hundreds of schools, where one thing became obvious: practical, current, honest online safeguarding training was badly needed.
— MEET THE FOUNDER
Alistair Barfield
Ten Foot Training is owned and operated by Alistair Barfield. Alistair has over a decade of experience working in education, with a bachelor’s degree in Education Studies from Bishop Lincoln University — a specialist teacher-training university.
Alistair is autistic, with deep expertise in working with autistic teenagers. His training is grounded in lived experience and is regularly described as closer to stand-up comedy than a CPD slideshow — jokes, tangents and all — while still delivering the blunt facts and statutory frameworks schools need.
When schools book a day with Alistair, they get him for the day: 1-to-1 chats with students, advice on live safeguarding issues, and free follow-up support afterwards. He doesn’t just show up, deliver and go.
— WHAT WE STAND FOR
Our values
Radical candour
We strip away the corporate fluff and sugar-coating. We deliver the unvarnished truth about digital risks, because dancing around the facts does not keep young people safe.
Story-driven impact
We refuse to hide behind dry technical jargon. We root our training in real human experiences, using personal anecdotes and sharp humour to make the complex online world understandable.
Accessible
Our training works for all people, regardless of need, experience or age. We start from the ground up, explaining how the internet works in a format every attendee can understand.
Knowledgeable
We constantly evolve our sessions in response to our clients’ needs and the incredible pace at which the internet changes. Our knowledge of the online world is always current.
— WHY SCHOOLS CHOOSE US
What makes us different
We are an autistic owned and operated organisation built on the philosophy of “nothing about us, without us”. We specialise in autistic young people’s online experiences because that is our personal and professional background.
We deliver bespoke training that takes a whole-school approach — consulting and training with schools not just to improve safeguarding compliance, but to improve genuine understanding of online risks.
✓ No “one size fits all” — your students and your safeguarding issues are unique, so your training is tailored to fit
✓ A one-person organisation built to be agile, evolving constantly with our clients’ needs
✓ Free follow-up emails and assistance after every session
✓ An approachable expert — not a faceless corporate provider
Sessions people actually enjoy
“I’ve sat through dozens of CPD sessions, but this was the first time I didn’t see a single person check their watch… the best INSET day we’ve ever had.” — Principal, SEND specialist academy