Nov
Safeguarding
Is Safeguarding, once again, best described as the Golden Thread that runs through the new Ofsted Education Inspection Framework (EIF)?
Education Adviser and Interim School Support Lead, Jo Perrin, discusses the new Ofsted Education Inspection Framework (EIF)…
For those who’ve worked in safeguarding for many years, there was a time when you’d hear that expression, “the golden thread of safeguarding” running through training dialogue and discussion of inspections. That language seemed to fall out of favour, but perhaps with the new EIF, it’s time that we bring it back.
The accompanying Inspection Toolkits, dated September 2025, describe what Inspectors will be looking out for during visits. What is clear is that whilst safeguarding itself will be judged as “met” or “not met”, actually there are many other areas of provision within the 7 judgment areas (9 if all are applicable to your setting) where wider safeguarding is key and potentially will affect outcomes.
Safeguarding is much more than a tick-box approach, it affects culture, community and curriculum to name but a few aspects.
A key thing for Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) and Senior Leadership Teams (SLT) to embed across the school community is that safeguarding isn’t just Child Protection. We are not only talking about receiving disclosures of abuse and serious neglect, then reacting, reporting and referring those cases on to statutory agencies.
The new EIF really delves into the breadth of safeguarding – ensuring all in the community (children and staff) are kept safe from harm and their widest welfare is promoted.
The links to vulnerability in terms of the Inclusion judgement and the importance of a contextualised safeguarding curriculum in the Curriculum and Teaching judgment for example, are explicit in detailing the safeguarding elements which need to be demonstrated.
A couple of things Ofsted have said they are aiming to achieve through the new EIF are inclusive education for every child and great outcomes for everyone, including for those who are disadvantaged, those with SEND, those known, or previously known to children’s social care and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or well-being. If this isn’t safeguarding at its widest, I don’t know what is!
So how can Safeguarding Leaders demonstrate the breadth of safeguarding measures they provide to support children to develop into competent and safe adults in Modern Britain?
Using the Inspection Toolkit for state-funded schools (*State-funded school inspection toolkit), here are some aspects where safeguarding strength will need to be demonstrated and some questions for DSLs and SLT to pose to help to satisfy themselves that they are demonstrating the breadth and depth of safeguarding provision they offer (this is not a complete analysis of the entire document, rather a sample of the style of self-audit you might choose to undertake).
Toolkits now include a description of expected standards that replace the old grade descriptors. There are toolkits for other types of establishment too.
The following quotes are taken from pages 3 and 4 of the toolkit (it’s 80 pages long so I couldn’t go through the entire document here!).
|
Quote |
Questions for Leaders to ask in their setting |
| 1.“open and positive safeguarding culture that puts pupils’ interests first” | 1. Does our behaviour policy allow for allowances and reasonable adjustments to be made to sanctions due to safeguarding concerns? Does everyone understand why this is necessary? Is our curriculum explicit in all subject areas of where safeguarding messages are encountered? |
| 2.“an effective, whole-school approach to safeguarding” | 2. Are all staff, not just classroom based staff, confident that safeguarding is their responsibility? How often do we train staff and then check this? Have we analysed which staff have not recently recorded anything on our recording system and asked why not? |
| 3.“protecting pupils from maltreatment and harm, whether within or outside the home or online” | 3. Do all stakeholders understand the contextual safeguarding risks for our pupils? Have we cross-referenced with the child’s lived experience? Have we asked staff who live in the local community for their experiences? |
| 4. “open and transparent, sharing information appropriately” | 4. Are our records complete with the rationale for all decisions we have made recorded and all communication with external agencies and their decision noted? Have we evidenced use of the Information Sharing Guidance 2024 where appropriate? |
| 5.“pupils who do not attend school (children missing education) might indicate safeguarding concerns” | 5. How often do our DSL team and our Attendance Officer have protected time to meet together to analyse absences and reasons provided? Are cases escalated to outside agencies as soon as concern arises and how is attendance data used to strengthen existing safeguarding concerns? |
| 6.“manage safer recruitment and allegations about adults” | 6. When did we last train staff in detail about our staff Code of Conduct/Behaviour Policy? Do staff understand what behaviours may lead to an allegation and do they understand how to reduce the risk – can we evidence their understanding through case study training or otherwise? Are our whistleblowing procedures and low-level concern procedures clear and do staff understand this is a duty not “trouble-making”, with an understanding that adults may groom their colleagues too? Have we referred to the Designated Officer recently and can we evidence lessons learned? |
| 7.“some pupils’ increased risk of needing help and protection, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and pupils who do not communicate verbally” | 7. How often does our SENCO meet with the DSL team to discuss children with safeguarding risks who may have extra vulnerabilities or susceptibilities to harm? When is this information shared with staff? Is our Vulnerable Children record up-to-date and accessible to staff as more than a register, but detailing enough information for staff to keep children safe? |
| 8.“maintaining a single central record” | 8. How often is our SCR audited and is it by someone who has had recent training on the Safer Recruitment and the SCR process? Do we have any gaps? If gaps are from long-standing members of staff, do we ever update DBS checks and ask for a character reference if references are missing for example? |
If these reflective questions are helpful, the next step is to delve deeper into the document and look within each of the judgment areas and cross-reference where safeguarding is discussed.
For example p.10 talks of the need as part of inclusion to identify and support “pupils who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care, such as children in need and looked-after children”.
p.27 in the achievement section considers “whether the school provides a high-quality education for all pupils (the impact), especially disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or well-being, that gives them the necessary knowledge, skills and qualifications to succeed in life, and equips them for the next stage of their education, training or employment.”
p.35 covers “whether the school provides a high-quality education for all pupils (the impact), especially disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or well-being, that gives them the necessary knowledge, skills and qualifications to succeed in life, and equips them for the next stage of their education, training or employment”.
You will see the repetition and emphasis placed on keeping all students, especially those who may be the most vulnerable, safe. Again, these are drawn from many examples in the entire document but the activity can be repeated.
If you cross-reference your support as you go through the document, you should be able to easily spot any gaps in the evidence you have of your strong work to keep everyone in your setting safeguarded. Fill in those gaps and the golden thread of safeguarding will shine out amongst the work that you do.
If any of this has got you thinking and you’d like more support or advice, our expert RSHE and Safeguarding Advisers can help. Contact us on hello@servicesforeducation.co.uk for more information.
If you found this blog useful, you may also be interested in reading the following blogs:
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About the Author
Jo Perrin - Interim School Support Lead, Adviser, Services For Education
Jo Perrin is a seasoned Education Adviser with a strong background in safeguarding. She has held key roles as a Designated Safeguarding Lead and pastoral lead in the education sector. Facilitating training to enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals working directly with children and young people is her passion.
With a wealth of experience in teaching PSHE and expertise in childhood trauma from her time as a foster carer, Jo is dedicated to supporting organisations that work with children and vulnerable adults on safeguarding issues. She is actively involved in professional safeguarding groups in the West Midlands and is currently collaborating on a research project with colleagues from the University of Birmingham and the NHS focusing on FGM awareness within communities. Jo’s has worked as a West Midlands' Adviser for national PSHE resources, presented at the Sex Education Forum National Members' Event and authored an advertorial for PSM magazine and an article for SEND magazine.
Jo's expertise extends to training on topics such as Safer Recruitment and Mental Health at Work. She is also a facilitator for the nationally recognised NPQSL qualification, supporting senior leaders in education. Her contributions to publications and development of resources for RSE provision have been well-received by schools nationally and internationally.
With her extensive experience and dedication to professional development, Jo Perrin is a highly respected figure in the field of education. Her guidance on safeguarding, mental health awareness, personal development, and relationships education is highly valued within the industry.
