‘Safeguarding…is an
issue addressed not only with increasing sureness by those responsible for
keeping children and learners safe, but one felt keenly by those most
vulnerable to harm and neglect.’
There can
be no issue of greater importance to parents and carers, or to schools, than
the safety of their children; safeguarding remains high on Ofsted’s agenda and
will continue to do so.
The purpose of this good practice report is to identify
the features of exceptionally good safeguarding.
There is
no reason why good practice in safeguarding should not be a feature of every
school; the practice described here is replicable – with a sensible awareness
of the local context – in every school. It complies with requirements and often
moves beyond them; it is not seen as a burden but as a reasonable and essential
part of the fabric of the school; it pays attention to the meticulous and
systematic implementation of policies and routines; it involves every member of
the school community in some way; and it has a sharp eye on the particular
circumstances and needs of all pupils, especially the most vulnerable.
Inspection
and regulation have helped to focus minds on the need to ensure that all
appropriate steps have been taken to guarantee and promote children’s safety.
This report seeks to distil the best practice seen in the best schools – the 19%
of schools which were judged to be outstanding in their safeguarding procedures
in 2009/10. It addresses the question: ‘What can schools with some way to go
learn from the best?’ Evidence from this group of schools has been augmented
with more detailed evidence taken from a small sample of schools visited by HMI
with a view to investigating further the features of successful practice in
effective schools.
Given the
high priority afforded to the safety of children and young people and the
considerable media interest in Ofsted’s role in protecting children, almost
inevitably ‘scare stories’ emerge from time to time about the inspection of
safeguarding.
The key word for both inspectors and providers in
the area of safeguarding is ‘reasonable’, and it is around the interpretation
of ‘reasonable’ that a mythology has emerged. The record can be set straight.
Ofsted does not require schools to build walls around play areas; it does not
expect schools to seek Criminal Records Bureau checks on casual visitors to
schools, including parents; it does not judge a school to be inadequate because
of minor administrative errors, or because an inspector’s ID was not checked.
Ofsted does not try to ‘catch schools out’.
The schools which were involved in the survey are
listed at the end of this report and each has confirmed its willingness to be
contacted and to share its good practice with others.
Safeguarding: a definition
1.
Ofsted
adopts the definition of safeguarding used in the Children Act 2004 and in the
Department for Education and Skills (now DfE) guidance document Working together to safeguard children,
which focuses on safeguarding and promoting children’s and learners’ welfare.[2] This can be summarised as:
n
protecting
children and learners from maltreatment
n
preventing
impairment of children’s and learners’ health or development
n
ensuring
that children and learners are growing up in circumstances consistent with the
provision of safe and effective care
n undertaking that role so as to enable those
children and learners to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood
successfully.
2.
Two key
inspection issues follow from this definition:
n
the
effectiveness of settings and services in taking reasonable steps to ensure that
children and learners are safe
n the effectiveness of settings and services
in helping to ensure that children and learners feel safe.
3.
Governing bodies of maintained schools and local
authorities must comply with the Education Act 2002 (section 175) and have
regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State. The DfES (now DfE)
guidance Safeguarding children and safer
recruitment in education, makes it clear that schools must provide a safe
environment and take action to identify and protect any children or young
people who are at risk of significant harm.[3]
Schools are required to prevent unsuitable people from working with children
and young people; to promote safe practice and challenge unsafe practice; to
ensure that staff receive the necessary training for their roles; and to work
in partnership with other agencies providing services for children and young
people. Local authorities have a duty to provide model policies and procedures
on all aspects of safeguarding and to ensure that schools are aware of, and
comply with, their responsibilities. As part of this, they offer advice and
training for schools’ staff and governors.
4.
In evaluating the effectiveness of safeguarding
in schools, inspectors focus on a broad range of issues including:
n the
impact of safeguarding arrangements on outcomes for pupils, including staying
safe, being healthy, making a positive contribution, enjoying and achieving,
and developing skills for economic well-being
n how
well pupils are taught to keep themselves safe
n how
well the school protects pupils from bullying, racist abuse, harassment or
discrimination, and promotes good behaviour
n the
effectiveness of health and safety policies and procedures, including
conducting necessary risk assessments as well as regular checks on equipment
and premises
n the
effectiveness of arrangements to provide a safe environment and secure school
site
n how
well the school meets the needs of pupils with medical conditions
n how
appropriately child welfare and child protection concerns are identified and responded
to by the school
n how
effectively the school works with key agencies to safeguard and promote the
welfare of children
n how
well the school prioritises safeguarding, and monitors and evaluates the
effectiveness of its policies and practices
n the
extent to which the school ensures that adults working with children are
appropriately recruited and vetted, and receive appropriate training, guidance,
support and supervision to undertake the effective safeguarding of pupils.
5.
The effectiveness of safeguarding is taken into
account when judging other aspects of a school’s work including care, guidance
and support for pupils; the effectiveness of the governing body; the
effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being; pupils’
behaviour; and the extent to which pupils feel safe.
]Working together to safeguard children, Department for Education and Skills, 2006; www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/WT2006.
[3]
Safeguarding children and safer
recruitment in education, Department for Education and Skills, 2006; www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/DFES-04217-2006.
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