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  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...

  Is your safeguarding culture inspection ready? Practical actions for school staff and leaders under Ofsted’s renewed 2026-27 framework   Ofsted’s renewed school inspection toolkit has been in use since 7 September 2026. Safeguarding is not simply a document check: inspectors consider whether leaders’ systems work in practice, whether staff respond confidently and consistently, and whether pupils are protected and know how to seek help. What has changed in the renewed approach? The updated toolkit makes clearer the expectation that safeguarding is a whole-school responsibility, with strategic oversight from leaders and governors. Inspectors look at the impact of arrangements, the response to pupils at risk of harm or who have been harmed, and whether leaders learn from incidents and take action. The toolkit also highlights issues including bullying and discriminatory or prejudiced behaviour going unnoticed or unchallenged. 1. Make safeguarding everyone’s responsib...

Introduction The Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the Quality Standards was published by the Department for Education to accompany the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. The guide provides detailed explanations of the regulations and sets out how children’s homes should interpret and apply them in practice. Its purpose is to support providers, managers and staff to deliver high-quality care and positive outcomes for children and young people living in residential settings. The guide recognises that children living in residential care are often among the most vulnerable in society and may have experienced significant adversity, trauma, neglect or abuse. It emphasises that every child should receive the right placement at the right time and that residential care should be a positive and beneficial experience that helps children to develop, thrive and achieve their potential. Context The guide sits within a wider regulatory framework established by the...