How will OFSTED inspect safeguarding in schools?

Updated September 2024

Introduction

All schools should foster an open and positive safeguarding culture that prioritises pupils' well-being. This involves:

·        Protecting students from harm both online and offline, with vigilance and a mindset of "it could happen here."

·        Being transparent, sharing information, seeking expert advice, and welcoming scrutiny to make the best safeguarding decisions.

·        Ensuring staff are well-trained and understand their responsibilities, encouraging them to voice concerns.

·        Actively seeking and addressing the views of pupils, staff, and parents.

·        Implementing robust child protection measures to identify and support at-risk students, manage safe recruitment, and address allegations against adults.

·        Continuously reviewing and reflecting on safeguarding practices to ensure they remain effective.

·        Maintaining a Single Central Record (SCR) for pre-appointment checks, either centrally for academies or individually for maintained schools.

Inspectors will not use a 4-point grading scale for safeguarding. Instead, they will provide a written judgment under ‘leadership and management’ on the effectiveness of the school's safeguarding arrangements. Inspectors will be well-versed in relevant guidance and statutory responsibilities, including Ofsted’s safeguarding policy, 'Keeping Children Safe in Education,' 'Working Together to Safeguard Children,' and 'Positive Environments Where Children Can Flourish.'

Key Changes this September that reflect Safeguarding:

·        A new ‘suspend and return’ policy allows inspectors to pause an inspection for schools to resolve safeguarding issues, depending on the school's wider context.

·        Clarification has been added regarding Single Central Record requirements for maintained schools and academies, including what inspectors will check during inspections.

·        Schools with any key judgment graded "inadequate" or with ineffective safeguarding will be placed in a formal category of concern.

The Single Central Record

The requirements for the Single Central Record (SCR) are outlined in 'Part 3: Safer Recruitment' of the 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' guidance. Inspectors must refer to the latest version of this guidance when conducting checks during both graded and ungraded inspections. Key points include:

·        The SCR must cover all staff, even those working for just one day, including academy trust members and trustees.

·        For agency and third-party staff, the SCR must record confirmation that relevant checks have been completed, the date this was received, and whether details of any enhanced DBS certificates have been provided.

·        For all other staff, including salaried teacher trainees, the SCR must include checks such as identity verification, DBS checks, prohibition from teaching, and right to work in the UK, among others.

·        For academies and free schools, section 128 checks for management positions must be recorded.

Inspectors will look beyond mere compliance with statutory requirements and document reviews, using triangulated evidence to assess the overall effectiveness of the school's safeguarding culture.

Evaluating safeguarding culture

Inspectors will assess the effectiveness of a whole-school approach to safeguarding by examining how well staff keep pupils safe. Their evaluation goes beyond the evidence presented by the school during the inspection, requiring a deeper investigation into the safeguarding culture over time.

Inspectors will:

·        Review decisions and incidents since the last inspection.

·        Consider the views of pupils, parents, and staff through surveys, complaints, and local intelligence.

·        Look for evidence of effective safeguarding practices and how well the school implements and reviews its policies.

·        Ensure the school has proper arrangements for sharing information with relevant parties, especially during transitions and with external agencies.

·        Determine if any safeguarding incidents or allegations have occurred since the last inspection and whether appropriate actions were taken.

·        Balance feedback from the school community with other collected evidence to form a comprehensive view of safeguarding effectiveness.

Speaking to the Designated Lead for Safeguarding

Inspectors will meet with the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) to thoroughly assess the school's safeguarding culture. They will inquire about any safeguarding incidents or allegations since the last inspection, expecting leaders to show compliance with KCSIE guidance in their responses and information-sharing with relevant agencies. Inspectors may sample case files and discuss referrals to ensure timely resolution of concerns.

The discussions will include staff training and awareness of abuse indicators, as outlined in KCSIE, as well as information-sharing protocols, including record transfers and support for vulnerable pupils. The focus of these discussions will vary based on the school's context, aiming to ensure the DSL understands pupils' needs and that the school is open to improvement. Inspectors will also evaluate the school's receptiveness to feedback and the effectiveness of its safeguarding systems.

Speaking to Pupils

The school must ensure that inspectors have the opportunity to speak with pupils privately, without other adults present, unless there are exceptional circumstances. This is essential for pupils to freely express their views. Inspectors will use these conversations, along with other evidence gathered, to assess the effectiveness of the school's safeguarding culture. If inspectors are prevented from speaking with pupils, it may lead to a judgment that the school's safeguarding is ineffective.

Arrangements for handling evidence or allegations of abuse

Inspectors will evaluate how schools handle allegations of sexual abuse, including sexual harassment and violence. They will consider:

·        How the school supports pupils in reporting concerns about harmful sexual behaviour and addresses any barriers to disclosure.

·        Whether staff are well-trained and confident in handling reports of sexual abuse, following the guidelines in part 5 of 'Keeping Children Safe in Education,' including incidents involving children or those occurring off school premises.

·        If the school takes allegations seriously, records them comprehensively, addresses them swiftly and appropriately, and ensures pupils have confidence in these processes.

If a school lacks adequate processes for managing evidence or allegations of abuse, its safeguarding will likely be deemed ineffective.

Evidence or allegations of abuse identified on inspection

Inspectors may occasionally encounter evidence or allegations of child abuse, including sexual abuse, during an inspection. They must not investigate these incidents but must ensure that any concerns are reported to the appropriate authority. Usually, the school's designated safeguarding lead will handle the referral. Inspectors must confirm that the correct referral has been made and document this in their evidence.

If a child discloses abuse to an inspector, the inspector will prioritise ensuring the child receives the necessary help, pausing all other activities. Specific guidance for these situations is provided in ‘Safeguarding concerns: guidance for inspectors’.

Minor safeguarding improvements

During inspections, inspectors may identify minor improvements needed in the school's safeguarding practices, such as administrative errors or outdated policies. If these issues can be easily resolved before the inspection ends, inspectors will discuss them constructively with school leaders. If minor improvements cannot be fixed during the inspection but the school is taking steps to address them, the school can still be judged as having effective safeguarding. These minor issues, while important for strengthening safeguarding practices, do not immediately impact pupil safety.

Ineffective safeguarding

Safeguarding is deemed ineffective when there are serious or widespread failures in a school's safeguarding arrangements. This can include not meeting statutory requirements, failing to address concerns, or not taking sufficient action after a serious incident. If safeguarding is judged ineffective, the school will be placed in a formal category of concern, such as special measures or serious weaknesses.

Examples of ineffective safeguarding include:

·        Inadequate action to correct weaknesses that left children unsafe.

·        Mishandling of safeguarding allegations against staff.

·        Serious failures in practice leading to unsafe conditions for pupils.

·        Non-compliance with statutory requirements, like failing to meet DBS check requirements.

·        Pupils lacking confidence in the school's ability to address safety concerns.

·        The school being unclear about the whereabouts or safety of vulnerable pupils off-site.

During a graded inspection, if safeguarding is likely to be judged ineffective:

·        If other areas of the school are already graded as ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate,’ the inspection will conclude as usual.

·        If the school would otherwise be graded as good or outstanding, inspectors may suspend the inspection for up to 3 months if they believe the school can resolve the issues. A letter outlining the next steps will be sent to the school and parents.

·        If inspectors believe the school cannot resolve the issues within 3 months, the inspection will conclude with a judgment of serious weaknesses.

 

Resources:

OFSTED Inspection Handbook for schools - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-handbook-eif/school-inspection-handbook-for-september-2023

Keeping Children Safe in Education Sept 24 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2

OFSTED Safeguarding Policy - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofsted-safeguarding-policy/ofsted-safeguarding-policy

Working Together to Safeguard Children - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2  

Positive environments where children can flourish - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-environments-where-children-can-flourish

OFSTED talking to pupils, a guide - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inspectors-talking-to-pupils-on-inspection/inspectors-talking-to-pupils-on-inspection

Safeguarding concerns for inspectors - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofsted-safeguarding-policy/safeguarding-concerns-guidance-for-inspectors

OFSTED additional evidence policy - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deferring-ofsted-inspections