Improving Safeguarding in Independent Schools, non maintained special schools and all boarding schools: Oct 2010

Government accepts all Sir Roger Singletons recommendations

Children's Secretary Ed Balls and Childrens Minister Delyth Morgan today announced that the Government accepts Sir Roger Singleton's findings in his report

'Keeping our schools safe' and will look at how best to implement his recommendations alongside those made by Lord Laming in his recent report, The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report. 

Sir Roger Singleton was commissioned by Ed Balls to look at how the current laws and guidance on safeguarding in independent schools, non-maintained special schools and all boarding schools is currently working.

During his review, Sir Roger found evidence of excellent practice of schools, inspectorates, local safeguarding children boards (LSCB), local authorities and Government working together to keep children safe but there is still more to do to ensure good practice is universal.

He recommended that Government should streamline the rules and regulations governing how schools protect the children in their care to ensure that safeguarding standards are clear, measured and easy to follow. Government will start this immediately. 

Other recommendations include:

  • there must be independent scrutiny of a school's safeguarding arrangements, which could be carried out by a governor or trustee, or someone fully independent of the school;

  • local authorities and Local Safeguarding Children Boards should work with all schools to develop good practices for protecting children as well as to take action where problems arise;

  • Independent schools must inform Local Authorities when a child leaves the school;

  • schools should have access to clear information, support, advice and guidance about safeguarding requirements;

  • when schools are subject to different sets of requirements, the Government clarifies whether a member of staff can start work before their CRB checks come through; and

  • all children who live overseas but go to school in England will be included on ContactPoint, the Government's online directory of children's services, so that no child slips through the net.

*NB: Contactpoint has been abandoned.

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families said:

"Ensuring the safety of every child is an absolute priority. I am very grateful to Sir Roger Singleton for carrying out his thorough and careful review. 

"It is our first duty in government and as a society to do all we can to keep our children safe. And it is our responsibility to act decisively ? as we have done in recent months, and as we will do as we implement all of Sir Roger's recommendations alongside the ones made recently by Lord Laming to ensure that this country is the best it can be at protecting and nurturing our children.

Sir Roger Singleton said:

"Throughout my review I found some excellent examples of schools, big and small, working in partnership with other agencies to ensure that all the children in their care are given the protection they need to be safe. But this good practice is not yet universal and the aims of my recommendations are to promote sensible and proportionate measures to keep every child safe, regardless of the decisions that have been taken about where they are educated and cared for.

"The time has come to take a fresh and holistic look aimed at simplifying and reducing the regulatory burden on schools while eliminating overlaps and filling gaps. More also need to be done to improve local partnership working and inspection of safeguarding arrangements and I am confident that the Government is going to take this forward together with all the different agencies involved."

Children's Minister, Delyth Morgan, said

"All children deserve the highest level of protection at school. The rules and regulations that govern the way the schools in the scope of this review must work to protect the child in their care have developed over time. We must cut through any overlapping requirements and put in place a simpler, more streamline framework. That is why we will be starting work on this today.

"We will also look to take action to update the rules governing ContactPoint to include all children who live overseas but go to school in England. ContactPoint is a vital part of the Government's work to improve the well-being of all children, young people and families, and help protect children who may be at risk. Extending its reach, as recommended by Sir Roger Singleton, will help make sure no child slips through the net of support services."

  1. A more detailed action plan on the implementation of Lord Laming's and Sir Roger Singleton's recommendations all will be published by Government by the end of April.

  1. The report, Keeping our schools safe ? review of safeguarding arrangements in independent schools, non-maintained special schools and boarding schools in England, can be found at

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/familyandcommunity/childprotection/safeguarding/

  1. The terms of reference for this review, announced by Ed Balls in October 2008, can be found at http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/resources-and-practice/CM00093/