The DfE, Ofsted and ISI all emphasise the link between a school's curriculum and safeguarding policy and practice. In assessing compliance with the requirement to teach relationships education and/or RSE, ISI have explained that if a school is found to have a pervasive culture of misogyny or acceptance or unawareness of ongoing sexual or racial abuse, this may indicate that the provision of relationships education is not sufficiently exercised for the school to comply with the standards relating to the quality of education provided: spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, their welfare, health and safety and the quality of leadership of management in the school.
Alongside this, we have seen a change in the guidance for charitable schools. The Charity Commission updated its Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees guidance on 17 November 2021. While this does not introduce significant change of itself, it is a helpful reminder of a charity's duties to everyone connected with it and expressly confirms that the guidance applies when a charity is working online. It is restructured and includes new links to associated guidance which the Commission endorses.
It is supported by a new '5 minute guide' on Safeguarding for charities and trustees which summarises its more detailed guidance under the following headings: