Ofsted is to develop better guidance for local authorities on the role of safeguarding in schools to help clarify what inspectors are looking for.
Speaking at the National Children and Adults Services Conference in Manchester, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw said safeguarding problems is an issue highlighted by a recent series of unannounced inspections of schools the inspectorate carried out.
He added that he was concerned that some schools are confused about what is expected of them under the inspection framework because the safeguarding judgment assesses both classroom discipline and safeguarding procedures.
“One of the things I’m very concerned that inspectors do, particularly with unannounced inspections and one-day inspections, is that we gather as much information as we possibly can about safeguarding issues in schools. That’s really important,” he said.
Wilshaw said that while he did not want to “burden” schools with bureaucracy linked to safeguarding procedures, some things are “absolutely essential” for inspectors to see when carrying out school inspections.
“That is the safeguarding policy of the school, referrals that have been made to police and other agencies and the action that has been taken by schools,” he added.
“I think we need to provide schools and local authorities with much greater guidance on what we expect to see when we walk into schools for the first time.”
Following a question on whether a school could get a “good” rating if it’s safeguarding procedures were found to be failing, Wilshaw said that schools are failed “all the time” for problems with safeguarding.
He added: “It’s really a question as to how serious those safeguarding issues are. If they are serious then, no, the school can’t be judged as good.”
In a separate announcement, Wilshaw said that Ofsted will be publishing a revised framework in the next few weeks that will include bring together focused inspection and assessments of local authority and school improvement.
“This means that there will be one overall assessment of how schools and local authorities are improving provision of education,” he added.
Source: CYPNow Website http://www.cypnow.co.uk
