School inspection handbook for September 2023

17th July 2023

GOV.UK has released the 2023 Ofsted guidance for inspectors on how to carry out inspections for maintained schools and academies (England), which will come into force 1^st September 2023.

Click here to access the guidance page on GOV.UK
 
The updates include clarification around the role of the Trust during an inspection, how they will judge safeguarding, and what they mean by ‘culture of safeguarding’. As well as:

• A new ‘conduct during inspection’ section.
• Confirmation of the likely date of the next inspection for schools.
• How inspectors will protect the anonymity of individuals when drawing on evidence.
• Confirmation that evidence from pupils, parents, and staff will always be considered in a proportionate way, alongside other evidence.
• Updates to ‘behaviour’ and ‘attendance’ sections.
• Clarity about what we mean by ‘capacity to improve’.
• Clarity about what we mean by ‘culture of safeguarding’.
• Clarification on schools’ obligations in relation to ‘separation by sex’ and the steps inspectors should take in relation to this.

Education inspection framework (EIF): 

• A section added on evaluating the ‘culture of safeguarding’.
• ‘Peer-on-peer’ reference is replaced with ‘learner-on-learner’.
• Additional expectations for conduct during inspections.

In addition, the following have been updated for 2023:

• School monitoring handbook
• Early years inspection handbook
• Independent schools inspection handbook
• Additional inspections of independent schools: handbook for inspectors

Please contact us at admin@safeguardingsupport.com or call on 01274 752299 if you have any questions about this or if you would like to talk to us about how we can support you with your Safeguarding needs.

Summary of changes: Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023

6th June 2023

The DfE has released their draft version of KCSiE 2023 – download a copy HERE.

The guidance is for information only, and you should continue to refer to the 2022 version until 1st September 2023.

Increased expectations and responsibilities around the schools filtering and monitoring IT systems

• The DSL should take lead responsibility for the above.
• Staff Safeguarding and Child Protection training should include an understanding of the above.
• Reiteration that schools should follow the recently published DfE publication of Filtering and monitoring standards and guidance.
• Governing bodies/proprietors strategic training should include an understanding of the above and should review the above standards with IT staff and service providers.
• Schools should consider meeting the Cyber security standards.
• The Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy should reflect the individual schools’ approach to the above on school devices and networks.

Children who are absent from education

• Where a child has an EHCP the local authority will need to review the plan whilst working closely with parents.

Elective Home Education (EHE)

• ‘Children missing from education’ replaced with ‘Children who are absent from education’.
• Updated guidance on school attendance, and children being absent from education for prolonged periods and/or on repeat occasions see Working together to improve school attendance.
• Updated information on how schools should work with local authority children’s services where school absence indicates safeguarding concerns.

Safer Recruitment

• Schools should inform shortlisted candidates that online searches may be done as part of due diligence checks.
• Copies of documents used to verify the successful candidate’s identity, right to work and required qualifications should be kept on their personnel file.

Use of school premises for non-school activities

• Clarity around safeguarding arrangements that schools should expect providers [hirers] to have in place see Keeping children safe in out of school settings.
• Schools may receive an allegation relating to an incident that happened when an individual or organisation was using their school premises for the purposes of running activities for children (for example community groups, sports associations or service providers that run extra-curricular activities). As with any safeguarding allegation, schools should follow their safeguarding policies and procedures, including informing the LADO.

Equality Act

Confirmation that provisions within the Equality Act allow schools to take positive action, where it can be shown that it is proportionate, to deal with particular disadvantages affecting pupils or students with certain protected characteristics in order to meet their specific need. A school could, for example, consider taking positive action to support girls if there was evidence they were being disproportionately subjected to sexual violence or sexual harassment. There is also a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled children and young people.

Changes in terminology

• Updated throughout to include ‘pupils or students’.
• Reference to teachers can ‘discipline’ have been replaced with teachers can ‘sanction’.
• Replaced children may be ‘vulnerable’ with children may be ‘susceptible’.
• Forced marriage to child marriage, highlighting the changes in law February 2023.

Links to useful updated resources

• Download draft KCSiE 2023
• Filtering and monitoring standards
• Cyber security standards
• Working together to improve school attendance
• Keeping children safe in out of school settings.

Please contact us at admin@safeguardingsupport.com or call on 01274 752299 if you’d like to talk to us about how we can support you with your Safeguarding needs.

Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges

24th April 2023

Over the Easter break the DfE introduced new filtering and monitoring standards, Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges, and are encouraging schools to use them to review their current systems and when necessary reinforce their current systems.

Key areas of the guidance:

• Importance of and how to meet the standard
• Annual review of systems as a minimum or when a safeguarding risk is identified, a change in working practice or introduction of new technology
• Review should be conducted by members of SLT, DSL, the IT service provider and involve the responsible governor
• Checks should be undertaken from both a safeguarding and IT perspective
• Review of blocklists should be modified in line with changes to safeguarding risks
• Recording logs of checks e.g. When the checks took place / Who did the checks / What they tested/checked / Resulting actions
• Effective monitoring strategies that meet the safeguarding needs of YOUR school. The DSL should take lead responsibility for any safeguarding and child protection matters that are picked up through monitoring:
  • Incidents should be urgently picked up, acted on and outcomes are recorded
  • It should be clear to all staff how to deal with these incidents and who should lead on any actions
  • Training should be provided to make sure their knowledge is current

• Check you are meeting the Cyber security standards
• Monitoring procedures need to be reflected in your Acceptable Use Policy, integrated into relevant online safety, safeguarding and organisational policies, such as privacy notices.

See full guidance HERE.

Useful resources:

• Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges
• UKSIC Appropriate Filtering for Education Settings
• UKSIC Appropriate Monitoring for Schools
• SWGfL filtering system testing tool
• Cyber Security Standards for Schools and Colleges

Things you need to consider:

• Is your key safeguarding stakeholders knowledge up to date?
• Are your policies up to date?

Please contact us if you need any support in making sure your key safeguarding stakeholders are up to date with knowledge and training, and if you need support with policy development and updates. Call 01275 752299 or email admin@safeguardingsupport.com.

Announcing the Winners of our 5th Anniversary Competition

24th April 2023

We want to send a BIG thank you to everyone who participated in our 5th anniversary competition and helped make it a success!

A special congratulations to our overall winner from Priory Woods School and Art College, and our special recognition entries from Priory Woods School and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Bingley

 

It It was certainly a challenge for competition judge, Peter Thompson, Independent Education Consultant to choose a winning design. Peter said the imagination and creativity was fabulous and to a great standard. It was clear the students had worked hard.

Safeguarding and the National Emergency Alert

12th April 2023

The government is rolling out a new Emergency Alert system. The alert will be sent to a mobile phone or tablet and used to let people know about emergency situations like severe flooding/fires/extreme weather/danger to life nearby. The alert will include a phone number or link to the GOV.UK website for more information on how to stay safe.

What will happen when we get an alert?

The alert will be accompanied by a loud 10-second siren sound, the phone may vibrate or read out the alert. Click the YouTube video below to listen to the siren…

What if the device does not have data, is on silent or cannot connect to Wi-Fi?

The alert will be sent to compatible 4G and 5G devices. They do not have to have mobile data or be connected to Wi-Fi to get the alert.

Why could this be a safeguarding concern?

If for any reason, someone has a secret mobile phone, for example, hidden from an abusive partner, the siren may alert others to that fact.

Victims’ Commissioner, Nicky Brennan said

“I know first-hand of many victims of domestic abuse who have a concealed phone as a lifeline, allowing them to keep in touch with friends and family or to be used in an emergency.”

“While the emergency alert system is understandable, it is also vital we raise awareness that this can be switched off for those who need it. I urge anybody who has a concealed phone, for their own safety, to switch off these alerts.”

How can the siren be disabled?

The following video explains how the siren can be disabled by switching off these emergency alerts in your settings app, for both Android and Apple devices.

If you have any questions about the above or if we can assist with any other safeguarding queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Call 01275 752299 or email admin@safeguardingsupport.com.

The Benefits of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in Safeguarding

17th March 2023

CPD links formal and information learning directly to your professional practice and is an investment in yourself. CPD in Safeguarding provides a range of benefits for safeguarding leads and a valuable opportunity to maintain and enhance knowledge, skills and confidence, and to improve the effectiveness of their safeguarding work.

Here at Safeguarding Support Ltd we underpin the principles of developing skills and knowledge of safeguarding by offering our Prime Package subscribers regular CPD Power Hour sessions.

Here are some of the most significant benefits:

Keeping up-to-date: CPD sessions help safeguarding leads stay current with the changes to legislation or guidance, trends, and best practices in their field, ensuring they are equipped to respond to new and emerging risks and challenges. Leads can also ensure that their Trust, school or educational setting is adhering to best practice and providing the highest level of protection for vulnerable individuals. ensures that they are equipped to respond to new and emerging risks and challenges.

Enhancing knowledge and skills: CPD sessions can provide safeguarding leads with the opportunity to learn new skills and gain a deeper understanding of safeguarding issues. This can include training on specific aspects of safeguarding, such as risk assessment, child protection, or information sharing. This can help safeguarding leads to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities and develop effective strategies for managing them.

Sharing best practices: CPD sessions can provide safeguarding leads with the opportunity to network with other professionals and share best practice. This can help safeguarding leads to learn from the experiences of others and develop new ideas and approaches to safeguarding.

Networking: CPD sessions provide opportunities for safeguarding leads to network with other professionals in their field. This can help build relationships, collaborate on projects, and access new opportunities.

Demonstrating commitment: Participating in CPD sessions demonstrates a safeguarding lead’s commitment to their role, and their willingness to continuous learning to improve their knowledge and skills. his can help build trust and confidence among colleagues, partners, and stakeholders.

How we help with CPD

By offering a wide range of formal and informal activities that can count as professional development. Such as:

• Regular CPD live Power Hour sessions updating and reinforcing Safeguarding teams knowledge of the latest emerging safeguarding trends
• Signposting to relevant journals, articles or books 
• Providing up to date and relevant training 
• Opportunity to network through professional online forums 
• Raising awareness of relevant professional events.

CLICK HERE to find out more about our Safeguarding training opportunities, or if you would like to find out more about our CPD live Power Hour sessions please get in touch on 01274 752299 or email admin@safeguardingsupport.com.

New Legislation in force banning child marriage

27th February 2023

New legislation banning child marriage has come into force in England and Wales today, 27^th February 2023. The new legislation now makes it illegal and a criminal offence to exploit vulnerable children by arranging for them to marry, under any circumstances whether or not force is used.

This means that 16 and 17 year olds will no longer be allowed to marry or enter a civil partnership, even if they have parental consent.

The change will crack down on forced marriages which can cause lasting damage on a child and forms part of the government’s continued commitment to tackle violence against women and girls. However, child marriage is often associated with domestic abuse towards girls, it can also relate to young males. This means that those found guilty of arranging any child marriage face sentences of up to 7 years in prison.

Forced marriage and arranged marriage

Forced marriage and arranged marriage are two distinct practices, although there can be some overlap between them. Here’s the difference:

Arranged marriage is a practice where two people, typically with the help of their families, agree to marry each other based on a variety of factors, such as compatibility, family background, education, and personal preferences. The families of the couple may arrange meetings or introduce them to each other, but ultimately, the decision to marry is left up to the individuals involved. In an arranged marriage, both parties have the ability to consent to the union and can choose to accept or reject the proposal.

Forced marriage, on the other hand, is a marriage where one or both parties are married against their will or without their consent. In a forced marriage, one or both parties may be coerced, threatened, or manipulated into marrying someone they do not want to marry. This can be due to various factors, such as cultural or religious beliefs, family pressure, or social expectations. Forced marriage is a violation of human rights and is not a legitimate form of marriage.

In summary, the key difference between arranged marriage and forced marriage is that in an arranged marriage, both parties give their consent, while in a forced marriage, one or both parties are forced into the marriage without their consent.

What schools need to know and do:

• Key staff need to be aware of the new legislation, including pastoral teams
• A review of all relevant policies to include the new legislation
• Include the new legislation in the schools curriculum
• Check training matrix to ensure staff are up to date with Honour Based Abuse (HBA) training

Helpful resources

• Guidance – Forced Marriages – GOV.UK
• End Violence Against Women – Resources

Our updated, interactive whole school HBA: FGM, Forced Marriage & Brest Ironing Awareness training provides a clearer understanding of cultural and practical knowledge of HBA, helps staff and volunteers to recognise the signs and indicators of pupils at risk and understand responsibilities and reporting duties of child marriage and FGM. Training is available for onsite delivery or virtually. Register your interest here, contact us on 01274 752299 or email admin@safeguardingsupport.com. 

The Prevent Duty

17th February 2023

Many of our schools have reported seeing a rise in misogynist incidents happening in school, experiencing the verbal harassment of female teachers from some students, who often resonate with the views of self-styled influencers.

Under the Equality Act, schools should have due regard to eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation. This should include addressing misogyny by implementing comprehensive preventative education programmes that promote gender equality, respect and empathy. KCSiE highlights that preventative education is most effective in the context of a whole-school approach and prepares students for life in modern Britain, creating a culture of zero tolerance for sexism, misogyny/misandry, homophobia, biphobic and sexual violence and harassment. Having fully inclusive school policies including the updated Behaviour Policy, well planned differentiated and evidenced based RSHE programmes, effective up to date whole school or setting Prevent training which raises awareness and understanding of  responsibilities and promoting positive representation of women through books, media and classroom discussions can help challenge negative stereotypes and promote a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.

The Prevent Duty should be seen as part of the schools’ wider safeguarding obligations. If you haven’t already, designated safeguarding leads, senior leaders and governors should familiarise themselves with the revised Prevent Duty guidance which provides guidance on all forms of extremism, promotes community cohesion and raises understanding and awareness.

Helpful resources

• The Prevent Duty
• The Prevent duty: an introduction for those with safeguarding responsibilities (2022)
• Understanding and identifying radicalisation risk in your education setting (2022)
• Managing risk of radicalisation in your education setting (2022)
• Behaviour in Schools (July 2022)
• Teaching about relationships sex and health
• Educate Against Hate – Provides support, information and resources for schoolteachers to help safeguard students from radicalisation and extremism
• Prevent resources: Online Safety Resource Centre

Our updated interactive whole school Prevent Awareness training provides a clearer understanding of the roles and responsibilities of school staff towards The Prevent Duty and is available to be delivered virtually or face to face. Call 01274 752299 or email admin@safeguardingsupport.com for more information.

Newsletters and Bulletins

26th August 2022

Our newsletters and bulletins provide important and relevant safeguarding updates. This includes sharing updated government guidance, changes in safeguarding legislation, multiple training opportunities, and information about the support provisions available to you and the staff within your educational setting.

If you’d like to receive our bi-weekly News Bulletins direct to your inbox, you can sign up here.

17th April 2023 – Safeguarding & the National Emergency Alert

30th March 2023

17th March 2023

3rd March 2023

17th February 2023

27th January 2023 – It’s Competition Time!

13th January 2023

15th December 2022 – Christmas message

2nd December 2022

18th November 2022

4th  November 2022

14th October 2022

30th September 2022

26th August 2022

2nd September 2022 – Keeping Children Safe in Education Updates 1^st September 2022

Recruitment for schools: a practical legal update

21st April 2021

Recruitment can be a minefield in any sector but for schools, operating within a robust legislative framework and with safeguarding an overarching obligation, the risks of getting it wrong can be significant.

We will be joining Schofield Sweeney Solicitors for their next schools and academies webinar.

We will be covering the following:

How the changes in DBS filtering rules effects safer recruitment in education to include:

self-disclosure declarations
the main wording changes for the application form
your responsibilities in signposting potential employees to filtering guidance
juvenile automatic filtering
retaining copies of DBS certificates

Best practice for the single central record to include:

mandatory & best practice recording
EEA sanctions (from 1/1/2021)
what training is available for managing SCR
References and requesting/providing details with regards final warnings and reprimands, and disclosing sickness absence

Health questionnaires

The recruitment process: must we advertise all posts externally?

Top tips for avoiding discrimination

Our webinar is perfect for HR leads, departmental heads and those who manage staff in schools and academies.

Click HERE to reserve your place.

This event is not open to freelance HR professionals or recruitment agencies.