Three school safeguarding priorities in 2019 Three key safeguarding issues for schools in 2019 are honour-based abuse, bullying and mental health. Dawn Jotham shares her insights into these three areas and provides practical tips that school communities can implement in order to deliver best-practice safeguarding
Dealing with incidents of sexual assault in schools Preventing and responding to incidents of child-on-child sexual assault is a key part of safeguarding in the primary school environment. Emma Banister Dean offers a practical guide for schools and parents
Supporting looked after children in your school Specific support for looked after children is essential if they are to thrive. Darren Martindale focuses on three key elements – the designated teacher, the Personal Education Plan, and the virtual school head
Spotting and tackling child sexual exploitation Spotting potential child sexual exploitation is a key part of safeguarding work. Suzanne O’Connell provides a summary of what CSE refers to, how you and your staff might identify it, and what positive actions a primary school can take
ID verification in schools ID verification for safer recruitment and to prevent other criminal activities is an essential responsibility in schools. Dave Verma offers some quick advice
LGBT: Common questions Equality and diversity consultant Adele Bates answers some of the questions she is commonly asked by teaching staff in primary schools
More depth and detail: The new safeguarding guidance Local Safeguarding Children Boards may be on their way out but schools will still be on the frontline when it comes to child protection. Suzanne O’Connell outlines the major changes and implications for schools of the new Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance
A safeguarding review Having just led her primary school through a safeguarding audit and review, Helen Frostick discusses her lessons learned and best practice safeguarding approaches
Children missing education: It’s time to track the vulnerable Schools are expected to follow up every absence, and yet there are thousands of children who have nobody checking up on them at all. The issue of children missing education is difficult to tackle, so what can be done to protect the vulnerable? Suzanne O’Connell reports
Pornography and other online safety issues The impact that exposure to pornography has on the lives of young people is becoming alarmingly clear – and it is increasingly becoming an issue for primary-age pupils. Stephanie Enson explores the problems and discusses preventative strategies
Will the latest safeguarding changes make a difference? Schools are on the front-line when it comes to safeguarding our children. With government guidance currently being overhauled after the Children and Social Work Act, what should schools be aware of?
Prevent: A curriculum issue? Earlier this year, a report into multi-agency Prevent work suggested that a shift in focus is needed for this agenda in schools. Author Dr David Lundie sets out his findings
Bullying vs banter: Where do we draw the line? We often hear people say that ‘it was only banter’. But where does playful ‘joshing’ turn into something hurtful and when does that become bullying? As planning begins for Anti-Bullying Week 2018, Martha Evans considers how teachers can tell the difference
Supporting your challenging students Daniel Sobel reflects on the challenges often presented by our more difficult students, and how as a whole-school team we might be able to overcome these problems before it is too late 1 comment
Early Help – getting it right Early intervention is crucial if we are to give pupils the best chances of success. Ann Marie Christian offers her practical strategies and advice on creating and managing an effective early help programme
Child abuse: The ‘art’ of listening It takes on average seven years for children to disclose sexual abuse and teachers are on the frontline. Safeguarding expert Sam Preston asks if your staff really know how to ‘listen’ to their pupils
Safeguarding: Are you covering all bases? Creating and maintaining a culture of safety is a priority for all primary schools. National Leader of Education and headteacher Helen Frostick advises on preparing and embedding effective practices and satisfying Ofsted requirements
Relationships education: What should we expect? The campaign has been long and difficult, but at last those determined to see the introduction of statutory relationships and sex education have been rewarded. What can primary headteachers expect now as the discussions and consultations set in? Suzanne O’Connell reports
Safeguarding: What are the early signs of abuse or neglect? Most schools are clear about those signs of abuse and neglect that should lead to a referral. But what about the first warning signs that something needs further investigation? NICE has released draft guidance to help schools and other services know what these are. Suzanne O’Connell takes a look
Safeguarding and the law From radicalisation to female genital mutilation, are your staff up-to-date on their safeguarding duties and will they know what to do if they suspect abuse? Safeguarding specialist Sam Preston offers her advice
Safeguarding: Maintaining professional boundaries Maintaining personal, professional and protective boundaries is a crucial consideration for those working in our schools. Sarah Morgan offers her guide for teachers and education professionals 1 comment
Prevent for primaries – a misplaced strategy? An increasing number of primary-age children are being referred to the government’s Channel anti-terrorism scheme. With a bid to remove the duty for primary schools currently in Parliament, how beneficial is the Prevent strategy for this age group?
Safeguarding: Keeping Children Safe in Education The latest updates to the statutory Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance were published in September. Ann Marie Christian looks at the main implications for our safeguarding work
Maintaining a watertight safeguarding system Safeguarding is one of the most important responsibilities facing schools. Anne Marie Christian runs through her checklist for ensuring that your approach is watertight
Treading the fine line of child protection... Every day in schools, staff need to make safeguarding-related judgements about pupils and their families. But it can often be a fine line to tread and a difficult call to make. Safeguarding expert Ann Marie Christian discusses how to handle these situations and offers some general advice
