The Safeguarding Self Assessment Audit was completed by schools in the summer term. Analysis of the submitted audits highlighted themes and good practice. These were circulated in a report last term.
This year good practice will be shared for all key areas from the audit. This article focuses on ideas for delivering an effective safeguarding curriculum.
Examples of good practice for delivering an effective safeguarding curriculum, shared by Suffolk schools are:
- Embedding a PSHE programme across all year groups that incorporates online safety, bullying and protected characteristics
- Careful development of a tutor and assembly programme that focuses on contextual safeguarding linked to the local area
- A Curriculum leader in charge of PSHE, coordinates the programme ensuring student voice responses are embedded in the Scheme of Work. The assembly programme works alongside this work constantly reinforcing key information that is covered in lessons
- Whole school initiative with an accreditation. For example one school is working towards becoming a platinum accredited school for anti-bullying
- Students have asked for anonymous incident reporting system which has been implemented
- Use of external visitors to reinforce key messages from the safeguarding curriculum and linked to themed weeks
- Student voice discussions around peer on peer abuse led to changes to a school’s behaviour policy
- Curriculum review boards ensure that faculty leaders are constantly reviewing the current curriculum offer within their departments. This helps to ensure the curriculum is up to date with the content and covers current issues
- Working with partner agencies to address specific concerns and enhance curriculum provision. For example NSPCC and Lighthouse Women’s Aid Group
- Online safety embedded as part of every computer lesson
- Issuing parental guidance and awareness letters generally as well as individually in response to an incident
- Delivering a dynamic curriculum which can be adjusted and provide additional teaching if needed to respond to contextual safeguarding or a whole school message
- Have a range of ways to gather information. Examples of these are “Worry boxes”, concerns reported by parents, Thrive team reporting trends they become aware of through pastoral sessions
- Regular pupil perception questionnaires to gather views around safeguarding. This can then be used to take action and feedback to children. The best practice was when schools could demonstrate actions they had taken in response to what the children and young people had said