Is Your School Up-To-Speed With the Latest Safeguarding Updates?
Since routine inspections resumed in September 2021, both Ofsted and ISI have focussed on the assessment of the commitment to and teaching of RSE and on how schools address safeguarding issues relating to peer on peer sexual violence and harassment.
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:
- identifying and managing risks
- having suitable policies and practices
- carrying out necessary checks
- protecting volunteers and staff (including raising concerns and whistleblowing)
- handling and reporting incidents appropriately
