- Inspectors will consider a range of sources of evidence, including evidence of how those with governance responsibility assure themselves that leaders and managers are fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure that the Standards relating to safeguarding are met.
- Evidence relating to safeguarding can arise across any of the four sections of the framework. Inspectors must be alert to any safeguarding issues throughout the inspection.
- With regard to safeguarding, inspectors will evaluate whether or not the school is meeting the requirements of the Standards, which incorporate the requirements of Keeping children safe in education, Working together to safeguard children, The Prevent duty guidance and other related guidance by considering the school's culture of safeguarding which is underpinned by:
- effective training for those responsible for safeguarding (DSL and any deputies)
- effective training for all adults to recognise and report safeguarding concerns
- identification and sharing of contextual risks and mitigations
- systems and processes that work to protect pupils and that exercise urgency in referring to appropriate agencies where there are concerns
- persistence in gaining help to protect pupils including for early help and for those who are at risk of harm or have been harmed
- working productively with all agencies involved in safeguarding
- attitudes that are alert to the possibility that 'it could happen here' and 'to think the unthinkable' as well as a determination to put the needs of children first
- clear and effective record keeping in accordance with statutory guidance.
- Other sources of evidence include, but are not limited to:
- review of the safeguarding policies of the school (including for child protection and extremism) and their implementation
- discussions with senior leaders and those responsible for safeguarding to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of appropriate safeguarding policies. Inspectors will want to understand how the school's policies ensure that all members of the school community can contribute to the effective safeguarding of pupils
- discussions with members of staff to evaluate their understanding of how to act if they have concerns about pupils and if they have concerns about the behaviour of adults and/or other pupils
- review of records and documentary evidence, including examples chosen by inspectors onsite, to ensure that safeguarding concerns, including for child protection, concerns about staff and any concerns linked to concerns about radicalisation are managed appropriately
- discussions with pupils to consider their understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including online, and their understanding of how they can seek help
- discussions with proprietors to evaluate their understanding of their responsibilities and how they ensure that schools follow the statutory guidance including Keeping Children Safe in Education
- responses to ISI inspection surveys for pupils, staff and parents
- discussions with boarders and boarding staff to consider compliance with NMS for boarding schools requirements related to safeguarding, independent listening, educational guardians, lodgings and host families
- scrutiny of the single central record to check the effectiveness of the system to ensure safer recruitment checks are completed for adults, including staff, volunteers and the proprietors. Inspectors will review the single central record onsite and sample checks, focusing particularly on adults who have been recruited since the previous inspection
- The chart explains the information required for an effective and single central record that meets the requirements
- All checks marked ‘yes’ must be completed, whether or not they are recorded on the SCR. All checks marked ‘yes’ in bold must be recorded on the single central record (SCR).
Note 1: This should be the date on which the school has received written notification from the supply agency confirming that the agency has carried out this specific check for this specific person.