Safeguarding governors have an important role and one that requires significant confidence and expertise to fulfil effectively. In this article, I will explore three ways that governors can effectively support and challenge schools to ensure that responsibilities are being met and schools comply with their duties under relevant legislation.
1, Know your stuff
It is essential that all governors (or equivalent) read and understand the statutory guidance document Keeping children safe in education (DfE, 2024), and re-read the document annually, or whenever it is updated.
Part 2 of the document sets out the responsibility of governing bodies, proprietors and management committees and explains what needs to be in place to ensure effective safeguarding leadership.
It is clear that there should be a “senior board level (or equivalent) lead to take leadership responsibility for their school’s safeguarding arrangements” and that all governors should receive “appropriate” safeguarding and child protection training at induction, which is then regularly updated.
What does ‘appropriate’ training mean?
Safeguarding training for governors should be specific to the role and provide them with the knowledge and understanding they need to provide support and challenge.
Training should support them in knowing what to ask to check and how to assure themselves that the safeguarding approaches, policies and procedures in place are effective and that there is a culture of safeguarding within school.
Training should include how to assure themselves that the school has a robust approach to online safety, filtering and monitoring. It isn’t enough for governors to attend whole-school safeguarding training, as this generally would not cover how to provide challenge, or the specifics of the governance role. Safeguarding for governors training is often provided by local authorities, or they will be able to signpost to suitable training opportunities.
2, Ask the right questions
Governors should feel empowered to ask about all areas of safeguarding provision in schools, and use Keeping children safe in education to help them to do so. Although safeguarding governors will take the lead on this area predominantly, all governors can and should ask questions about safeguarding at meetings and during visits. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
Top tips for governors
- Rather than asking closed questions about safeguarding approaches, ask how schools implement policies and practice. For example, rather than asking “do you have filtering and monitoring software in place?”, ask “how do you ensure that staff and children cannot access harmful websites using school devices?”.
- Follow up (almost!) any question with “how do you know this is effective?” to further extend the challenge.
- Think about local and national priorities and use this to frame your questions – asking about how the school responds to locally identified risks, or issues that are particularly prevalent in the school community, is helpful in checking how effective practice is.
- Use resources to help you wherever possible. There are several documents available that seek to support governors in asking the right questions, such as the guidance Online safety in schools and colleges: Questions from the governing board, developed by the UK Council for Internet Safety (2022).
3, Seek the most useful answers
By asking open questions, governors are already beginning to ensure that they are receiving the most useful information. However, there are a range of additional things to consider when seeking assurance from schools on their safeguarding practice.
Top tips for governors
- Who is telling you the information? Are you relying only on the report shared by the headteacher at a governors’ meeting? How can you ensure that you hear from a range of stakeholders (e.g. staff, pupils, parents)?
- Consider how to triangulate answers given, including looking at trends and patterns in safeguarding and attendance data, pupil voice questionnaires, feedback from parents, and staff voice.
- Seek assurance through what you can see as well as what you are told. Visit the school during the day and walk around, visiting classrooms and observing social time. Are policies and procedures reflected in day-to-day practice?
- Ask the school to share feedback from any audits undertaken, including the local safeguarding self-assessment (sometimes referred to as a Section 175 audit) and consider the school’s self-assessment of provision against your own.
Final thoughts
The overarching point is that governors should seek the training that they need to feel confident in challenging all areas of safeguarding practice, in order to assure themselves that this practice is robust. It is also important that governors think about their own experiences outside of their role, as one of the best parts about governance is the wealth of expertise and range of perspectives brought in by people working in roles which are often outside the world of schools and education.
The governance role is a valuable and important one and with some careful consideration governors can have great impact in ensuring that safeguarding practice is as effective as possible.
- Elizabeth Rose is an independent safeguarding consultant and director of So Safeguarding. She is a former designated safeguarding lead. Visit www.sosafeguarding.co.uk. Read her previous articles via www.headteacher-update.com/authors/elizabeth-rose
Headteacher Update Spring Term Edition 2025
- This article first appeared in Headteacher Update's Spring Term Edition 2025. This edition was sent free of charge to UK primary schools in January 2025. A free-to-download digital edition is also available via www.headteacher-update.com/content/downloads
Further information & resources
- DfE: Statutory guidance: Keeping children safe in education, 2024: https://buff.ly/3ZII4ix
- DfE: Maintained schools governance guide, 2024: https://buff.ly/3Vwh434
- DfE: Academy trust governance guide, 2024: https://buff.ly/3Vuhbwh
- UK Council for Internet Safety: Guidance: Online safety in schools and colleges: Questions from the governing board, last updated 2022: https://buff.ly/3BmEEZq