Online safety: Moving beyond compliance The challenges of recognising and responding to online safety concerns are far-reaching and complex. Laura McPhee discusses moving beyond compliance and developing a safeguarding culture and considers a case study of one school’s approach
At crisis point: Poverty in our communities The cost-of-living crisis has not left many untouched and those working in schools are experiencing first-hand the impact it is having on families. Suzanne O'Connell speaks with three schools to find out what they are seeing and what they are doing to help
Lessons to learn: Keeping children safe from sexual abuse The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has published its final report. What lessons can we learn and what can schools improve on when it comes to keeping children safe from sexual abuse? Elizabeth Rose advises
Radicalisation and extremism: Prevent self-assessment tool As the government launches a Prevent self-assessment tool and new guidance on responding to extremism, safeguarding expert Elizabeth Rose offers schools a refresher and some pointers to ensure your safeguarding practice in this area is effective
Black and female: Adultification, bias and racism Black children are more likely to be excluded from school and face systemic adultification, bias and racism. Our response to this often focuses on boys, but Orlene Badu looks at the barriers faced by students who are both female and of black heritage... 1 comment
Emergencies in school: Preparing for the unknown All education settings are required to have emergency plans in place. These are designed to help you respond effectively to unforeseen incidents and a range of materials have been published to assist you with this. Suzanne O’Connell takes a look
Searching, screening and confiscation: Dos and don’ts How can schools safely approach searching, screening and confiscation? Safeguarding expert Elizabeth Rose looks at what to do and what to avoid
Keeping Children Safe in Education: Key changes and actions for schools The updated Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory safeguarding guidance has come into force. Elizabeth Rose looks at what has changed and what we should be doing about it in schools
Safeguarding: Responding to harmful sexual behaviours Responding to and addressing harmful sexual behaviours is a key part of safeguarding. Carmel Glassbrook considers eight forms this behaviour might take for primary-age children and how we can respond
Statutory RSE – a role for all teaching staff Statutory RSE is not just a list of topics to tick off a list, it should be relevant to children’s everyday lives and reach across the curriculum. Indeed, in many ways, all teachers are teachers of RSE. Lucy Emmerson explains
Welcoming the refugees seeking sanctuary from war Every month there are pupils arriving in our schools from abroad as refugees and the Russian war in Ukraine means this issue is at the forefront of our minds. Suzanne O’Connell considers how schools can support newly arrived pupils, and how they might prepare and plan for longer-term integration
Safeguarding: Getting the basics right – every time The basics of safeguarding revolve around identifying children at risk of harm and we can never take this work for granted. Elizabeth Rose recaps the four main types of abuse, the principles of effective staff training, and the basics of keeping children safe from serious harm
A Champion for Every Child: A case study of one-to-one tutoring provision A Champion for Every Child is a pastoral tutoring programme that has had a notable impact for thousands of Pupil Premium pupils across the Kemnal Academies Trust. Emma Lee-Potter finds out how it works in practice at Smarden Primary School
Inclusion is a verb: Belonging and schools Inclusion boils down to belonging, but how can we ensure that children from a diverse range of backgrounds and with diverse needs feel that they belong in their schools and classrooms? Daniel Sobel offers some tips, reflections – and a checklist!
How can we support pupils who have Long Covid? How does Long Covid affect children and young people in the classroom and what can teaching staff do to help them? In the second of two articles on the impact of Long Covid on the young, Dr Sue Peters offers some practical advice
Emotionally based school avoidance: Five tips Some pupils find it difficult to come to school and there are reports that emotionally based school avoidance has become an even bigger issue as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this article, Dr Pooky Knightsmith offers five steps to re-engage with pupils who struggle to attend school
Safeguarding: What does a culture of safety look like? Safer working practice in schools is crucial to establishing safe cultures and ensuring effective safeguarding. In this article, Elizabeth Rose explains how schools can minimise opportunity for harm perpetrated by those working with children
Pupil Premium tutoring: A Champion for Every Child A Champion for Every Child is a pastoral tutoring programme that has had a notable impact for thousands of Pupil Premium pupils across the Kemnal Academies Trust. Emma Lee-Potter finds out more
Online safety and safeguarding: A guide for schools Following disturbing revelations from the Internet Watch Foundation, safeguarding expert Elizabeth Rose looks at online safety considerations and details what schools must have in place to respond to ever-changing risks
Social media, teachers and schools: How to avoid the pitfalls Planned changes to safeguarding law could see schools conducting social media checks on prospective teachers. Legal expert Sarah Linden considers the common pitfalls of social media use for teachers…
Vulnerable students: The four domains of safety What are the four domains of safety and why are they so important in enabling vulnerable and other children to flourish? Dr Pooky Knightsmith explains
Incels: Safeguarding implications for primary schools We must not assume that the incel phenomenon only has implications for secondary safeguarding practice – primary schools must be alert too. Elizabeth Rose considers how we can respond to this new and rapidly emerging threat, offering practical advice and reassurance
One-to-one tutoring: Dos & don’ts Many schools are implementing small group or one-to-one tutoring programmes as part of their Covid recovery work. This article asks tutors at the Kemnal Academies Trust for their dos and don’ts of effective tutoring provision
Safeguarding: Spotting the signs of domestic abuse Sadly, some children returning to school after Christmas will have been victims of domestic abuse. Elizabeth Rose considers what this could look like, the signs and symptoms staff might see and practical ways to respond
Case study: Developing an Early Help offer in response to Covid Given the impact of the pandemic on families and children’s lives, work is on-going in Lambeth to revisit and revamp intervention and support via the Early Help offer. Headteacher Laura McPhee explains
