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  Working Together to Improve School Attendance: July 2026 Practical actions for school leaders, attendance leads, DSLs and governors 2026–2027 Executive summary The July 2026 edition of Working Together to Improve School Attendance reinforces the Department for Education expectation that attendance is everyone’s responsibility. While the core principles remain unchanged, the guidance continues to place significant emphasis on early intervention, support-first practice, attendance leadership, multi-agency working and the strategic use of attendance data. For schools, attendance should no longer be viewed simply as an operational function. It should be considered a safeguarding priority, a school improvement priority and a leadership priority. School leaders are expected to identify concerns early, understand barriers quickly and implement proportionate support before patterns become entrenched. What has changed and what remains important? The updated guidance continue...

  IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE FILTERING AND MONITORING IN SCHOOLS Practical actions for school leaders, DSLs, IT teams and governors 2026–2027 Are your school’s systems genuinely keeping pupils safe online – or are you simply confident that the software is switched on? For 2026–27, schools need to demonstrate that filtering and monitoring are appropriate to their pupils, work across the technology they use, and lead to timely safeguarding action. The emphasis is on effectiveness, oversight and evidence. THE KEY DISTINCTION   Filtering is preventative: it controls access to harmful or inappropriate content. Monitoring is reactive: it identifies and reports activity that may require intervention. Neither replaces effective teaching, supervision or a wider safeguarding culture. The guidance schools should be using in 2026–27 The DfE’s Filtering and monitoring: core standard is the main operational framework for schools. It was updated on 16 Septe...

  Is your safeguarding practice inspection-ready? A practical guide for independent school leaders under the ISI inspection framework   Safeguarding is considered on every ISI inspection. ISI makes two overarching safeguarding judgements: whether the school’s arrangements safeguard and promote pupils’ welfare, and whether those arrangements have regard to relevant Secretary of State guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and Working Together to Safeguard Children. Inspectors consider safeguarding throughout the inspection, not only during a meeting with the DSL or a review of policies. What does ISI look for? ISI evaluates whether safeguarding arrangements work in practice and meet the relevant Independent School Standards (ISS). Evidence can arise across all four sections of the framework. Inspectors triangulate what they see, read and hear: leaders’ decisions, staff and pupil understanding, records, surveys, observations, and the school’s wo...