This handbook describes the main activities carried out during graded, ungraded and urgent inspections of maintained schools and academies in England under sections 5 and 8 of the Education Act 2005, respectively. It sets out the grade descriptors that inspectors use to make their judgements and on which they report. It applies to school inspections under the education inspection framework (EIF).
In this blog, we’ll consider safeguarding through the course of an inspection. We’ll explain some of the main activities we undertake and why. You’ll find lots of references to keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) too. That’s because it sets out the Department for Education’s (DfE) expectations, as the regulator, of a school’s safeguarding responsibilities.
Full Blog: https://educationinspection.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/09/how-we-inspect-safeguarding-in-schools/
The government guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Out-of-School Settings’ has now been updated and replaced by new guidance published on 19th September 2023. The new over-arching guidance document is called ‘After-Schools clubs, community activities and tuition safeguarding guidance for providers’ (Department of Education, September 2023). This is now the latest version of the guidance to be followed by organisations other than schools who work with children and young people. These organisations include (but are not limited to):
Although this guidance is non-statutory, it is to be regarded as best-practice. The Department of Education is encouraging organisations, clubs and tuition providers (known as out-of-school settings) to follow it.
Downloads
For Providers:
After-school clubs, community activities, and tuition Safeguarding guidance for providers (Department of Education, 2023.)
Summary of the Guidance:
Keeping children safe during clubs, tuition and activities summary leaflet for providers running out-of-school settings (Department of Education, 2023.)
For Parents:
Keeping children safe during clubs, tuition and activities summary leaflet for providers running out-of-school settings (Department of Education, 2023.)
The London Grid for Learning is back this year with some updates to their excellent content. Their updates have been designed to reflect KCSIE 2023’s content.
Online Safety Policy and Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) Templates
https://safepolicies.lgfl.net/
KCSIE Quizzes
Online Safety Audit
A new section has been added to the framework on evaluating safeguarding culture as part of the Leadership and Management section.The updated Ofsted EIF can be found here:
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 was published last Friday with no effective change to the content. You can download the latest version (with the correct front cover) here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education–2
The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation on revising non-statutory advice to support practitioners in the processes of sharing information in England. The consultation aims to gather perspectives on how to make the advice clear and easy to understand so that practitioners feel confident in sharing safeguarding information effectively and appropriately. It closes on 06 September 2023.
Find out more: Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners
The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation on revisions to the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance for England. The consultation aims to gather views on updating Working Together to help deliver on the government’s plans to transform children’s social care set out in Stable Homes, Built on Love. It closes on 06 September 2023.
Find out more: Working together to safeguard children: changes to statutory guidance
The Independent Schools Inspectorate has recently released information about how it will inspect independent schools, from September 2023 onwards. Over on their website there are four categories of documents available to help your institution understand, the changes. The first is their new inspection framework, the second is an inspection handbook to help your school prepare the best for their arrival, the third is a guide to the inspection report format and finally a page on inspection support. The latter includes webinars and an FAQ. To read these documents in full please follow the link below:
https://www.isi.net/framework-2023/
This week Ofsted announced changes to some aspects of its inspection process. From a safeguarding perspective Ofsted have said:
“They will return within 3 months of an inspection report being published, and parents will be informed of this intention in the report. If the school has been able to resolve the safeguarding concerns it is likely to see its overall grade improve. From September we will offer schools greater clarity about the threshold for effective vs. ineffective safeguarding, through our inspection handbook as well as regular blogs and webinars. We will also describe ineffective safeguarding more clearly in inspection reports, to help reassure parents and others that these judgements are not made lightly.”
I think that anything that helps schools understand their safeguarding role is all for the good. The statutory guidance, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE), has been published and annually reviewed since 2014. Ofsted publishes separate guidance: ‘Inspecting Safeguarding in Early Years, Education and Skills’, the latest version of this document is from September 2022. One aspect of that inspection document is headed ‘Signs of Successful Safeguarding Arrangements’.”
For Further Reading:
School Inspection Changes:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-made-to-school-inspections
Inspecting Safeguarding in Early Years, Education and Skills:
