As we come towards the end of the autumn term it is worth reflecting on the revisions to the government’s Keeping children safe in education guidance that were made this September. Obviously, Ofsted inspectors must take these into account when inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills settings.
Every setting should have an effective child protection policy and a staff behaviour policy. This is sometimes called the code of conduct and should include, among other things:
acceptable use of technologies
staff/pupil relationships and communications
the use of social media
We would expect everyone to be aware of the safeguarding procedures within their school or college and that these have been explained to them as part of their induction.
This should include being aware of the:
child protection policy
staff behaviour policy (sometimes called a code of conduct)
role of the designated safeguarding lead
Governing bodies and proprietors should also ensure that appropriate policies and procedures are in place so that timely, appropriate action can be taken to safeguard and promote children’s welfare.
I know you will all agree that safeguarding should be the number one priority for all providers of education and that the government directives in this area seek to ensure that we can all have confidence that children are safe, wherever they are learning.
You can keep up-to-date with Ofsted news by signing up for email alerts. You can also follow Ofsted on Twitter.
Comments