Safeguarding


Safeguarding priorities and safer recruitment

What steps can your school take to strengthen safer recruitment and to keep on top of emerging safeguarding issues? With a focus on addressing issues of child-on-child abuse, James Simoniti advises





Protecting students from online sexual exploitation and abuse

Horrifying recent figures show the extent to which online sexual exploitation and abuse has proliferated since Covid lockdowns – and much of this material is being self-generated by the victims themselves. Elizabeth Rose explains what schools should be doing to protect children


Andrew Tate: Responding to misogyny in primary schools

The hate and misogyny of Andrew Tate has entered our classrooms and is reaching down into primary age. How can we respond? Lucy Emmerson urges us to consider how RSE tackles issues including gender, power, equality, respect, consent, and healthy relationships


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



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...


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





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



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


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