May
Advice For Schools
Four Tips for Keeping Children Safe this Summer
How can we prepare children to stay safe during the summer holidays? With the summer holidays just over six weeks away, Interim School Support Lead and Education Adviser here at SFE, Jo Perrin, offers some practical tips for you to think about…
Every July, almost without fail, the media reports on how long school holidays are.
There’s usually a poll of parents’ views – which inevitably includes discussion on how hard it is to arrange childcare (schools aren’t babysitters so that one has always rankled a bit!).
There’s always a discussion about how teachers don’t realise how lucky they are to get such long holidays – and rarely is there a platform for actual educational staff to explain that they work during the holidays and at weekends too.
It’s only when you have worked in education that you truly understand the need for those regular breaks. Children of all ages are exhausted and need a pause, and the staff do too.
However, for DSLs and senior leaders in particular (though this can be true for any staff who have built strong relationships with vulnerable children), the joys of holidays are also tinged with concern.
At least when children are in school, we can guarantee they are alive.
It sounds dramatic, but you only have to look at recent Local Safeguarding Child Practice Reviews to know this is true.
Pause and reflect on the cases of Sara Sharif and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. Both children were kept away from school and tragically died through abuse carried out in the home environment.
Holidays will happen, and children will face risks in the home and in the wider community at times. So, what can we do to limit these risks?
Practical Tips
Here are some practical tips (not an exhaustive list) on how you can prepare children to be safe for the summer holidays:
- Broaden your RSHE curriculum: Actively teach children of all ages about aspects of personal safety and health at this time of year. For example, teach about sun safety – perhaps an assembly about wearing sunscreen and the risks if you don’t. Perhaps a lesson about personal safety – why wearing a bike helmet is necessary, considering the risks of entering building sites or for older students, the importance of wearing a seatbelt when getting into the car that a friend is driving – every year there are tragedies, often because children wanted to be seen to be “cool”.
- Know the risks in your local area: Although I live in an area which is about as far away as you can get from the sea, water safety is still a really important issue that is close to my heart – a 17 year old friend of my son went missing and subsequently was found drowned in a local quarry. He’d gone for a swim when he was feeling down, in a body of water where it was known locals had previously drowned. What risks are around your setting? Is it a geographical hazard like that example, or is it about social groups who target vulnerable children? Information for children is power.
- Teach children up to age 18 the concept of having a trusted adult outside of your setting: Even if this is the Childline number for some children – it’s really important. For younger children also make sure no-one in your setting is using outdated notions of “stranger danger” – instead inform children about who might be a safer stranger. This means that if a child is in danger or upset they can choose a safer adult to help them, usually someone in uniform or behind a shop counter, as they are traceable.
- Be aware of technology: The “online babysitter” when parents are working at home is a reality for many children. The statistics of internet usage by children in their free time is widely shared in the media – and that means that realistically many children during the summer holidays will be online unsupervised. Actively encourage parents to be aware – signpost them to online safety organisations who can offer guidance and support to put limits on internet access.
Summary
From broadening your RSHE curriculum to understanding local risks, these tips are designed to help you play your part in keeping students safe over the summer holidays.
If this piece has led you to consider the topic in more detail and you’d like further support, please contact us on [email protected] or browse www.servicesforeducation.co.uk/safeguarding/ to see what bespoke support we can offer.
If you found this blog useful, you may also be interested in reading the following blogs:
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Statutory Safeguarding Courses for 25/26
Book now for the academic year 2025/26. We’ve published new dates for our highly regarded statutory DSL half-day Updates and two-day Safeguarding and Child Protection for DSLs training courses. There are also a few places available for this year, but book soon to avoid missing out.
Book Here 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.
