This page highlights national and local guidance to assist professionals working in the education sector to safeguard learners - this list is not exhaustive.
If you're seeking further guidance and resources bespoke to your roles and responsibilities - please use the following links
Contact a member of the Safeguarding in Education Team if you require additional support.
For Model Policies, please click here. We have also developed an Education Settings Safeguarding Policies & National Guidance checklist which will support integrating national guidance into local arrangements.
Please note: Statutory means you must follow it unless you have good reason not to.
Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024) - Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.
Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) - Statutory guidance on inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Statutory
Children Missing Education (2016) - Statutory guidance for local authorities and advice for other groups on helping children who are missing education get back into it.
Education for children with health needs who cannot attend school (2013) - Statutory guidance for local authorities and departmental advice for others ensuring children with health needs receive education.
School Admissions Code (2014; Updated 2022) - Statutory guidance that schools must follow when carrying out duties relating to school admissions.
Working together to improve school attendance (2024) - Statutory guidance that replaces School attendance: guidance for schools (2020; updated 2021) non-statutory guidance to help schools, trusts, governing bodies, and local authorities maintain high levels of school attendance.
School behaviour and attendance: parental responsibility measures (2015; Updated 2020) - Statutory guidance for schools, local authorities and the police on dealing with poor attendance and behaviour in schools.
General
Resources for families | Children's Commissioner for England (childrenscommissioner.gov.uk) - Members of the Attendance Action Alliance have worked with the Department for Education to develop this short guide which helps parents understand how they can work with their school and local authority to support their children to attend school and get the right support.
Statutory guidance
Alternative provision (2013; Updated 2016) - Statutory guidance for local authorities, as well as head teachers and governing bodies of settings providing alternative provision.
School behaviour and attendance: parental responsibility measures (2015; Updated 2020) - Statutory guidance for schools, local authorities and the police on dealing with poor attendance and behaviour in schools.
Suspension and permanent exclusion from maintained schools, academics and pupil referral units in England, including pupil movement (2023) - Replaces Exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England (2017; updated 2021), statutory guidance on the exclusion of pupils from local-authority-maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units.
General guidance
Behaviour in Schools (2024) - Replaces Behaviour and discipline in schools (2016; updated 2020), non-statutory advice for headteachers and school staff to support them to improve and maintain high standards of behaviour.
School exclusions: guide for parents (2023) - A guide to help parents and carers understand the suspension and permanent exclusion system in schools in England.
Searching, Screening and Confiscation (2023) - Replaces Searching, screening and confiscation at school (2018), advice regarding the powers schools have to screen and search pupils, and to confiscate items they find.
Reducing the need for restraint and restrictive intervention (2019) - How to support children and young people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions and mental health difficulties who are at risk of restrictive intervention.
Use of Reasonable Force in Schools (2013) - Guidance about the use of physical restraint in schools for governing bodies, head teachers and school staff.
Statutory
Designated teacher for looked after and previously looked-after children (2018) - Statutory guidance for schools carrying out duties for looked-after and previously looked-after children.
Promoting the education of looked-after children (2014; Updated 2018) - Statutory guidance for local authorities to support looked-after and previously looked-after children's aspirations to achieve in further and higher education.
Children Act 1989: private fostering (2005) - Statutory guidance for local authorities on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of privately fostered children
Data protection in schools (2023; updated 2024) - Guidance to support schools with data protection activity, including compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Information sharing: Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers (2018) - Guidance on information sharing for people who provide safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers.
Parental responsibility: guide for schools and local authorities (2016; Updated 2023) - Guidance for local authorities and schools dealing with adults who have legal rights and responsibilities for children at their school.
School complaints procedures: guidance for schools (2020; Updated 2021) - How education and nurseries can set up or review their complaints procedures.
Gender Separation in mixed schools (2018) - This non-statutory guidance is provided to support schools in identifying what is expected of mixed schools (maintained, academies and other independent) when it comes to separation by sex following the Court of Appeal’s judgment in HM Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills v the Interim Executive Board of Al-Hijrah School [2017] EWCA Civ 1426 (Ofsted v Al-Hijrah).
The Equality Act 2010: advice for schools (2014; Updated 2018) - Guidance to help schools understand how the Equality Act affects them and how to fulfil their duties under the act.
Race, Education and Inequality in Contemporary Britain – The Runnymede School Report (2015) - With contributions from the UK's leading educationalists including David Gilborn, Heidi Mirza and Debbie Weekes-Bernard, tackling questions such as how did hate become honourable? What are fundamental British values and what are schools role in imparting these? What ramifications does the entrenched racial stereotyping and discrimination evident in schools have for BME communities? The School Report answers these and much more.
SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years (2015; Updated 2020) - Guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, from 1 September 2014.
Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (2015; Updated 2017) - Statutory guidance about the support that pupils with medical conditions should receive at school.
Technical Guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty: England (2014; Updated 2021) - From the Equality Human Rights Commission - this document has absorbed the Public Sector Equality Duty Guidance for Schools in England (2014); a guide to help school leaders meet the equality duty. It describes some of the benefits that the equality duty can bring.
Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges (2022; updated 2024) - The Department for Education (DfE) has created filtering and monitoring standards for schools and colleges in England to help protect children online.
Education for a Connected World framework - 2020 edition - Describes the Digital knowledge and skills that children and young people should have the opportunity to develop at different ages of their lives. It highlights what a child should know in terms of current online technology, its influence on behaviour and development, and what skills they need to be able to navigate it.
Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations for managers (2019) - Guidance to help those who work in early years settings consider their practice and to take steps to safeguard both children and adults online.
Teaching online safety in schools (2019; Updated 2023) - Guidance supporting schools to teach pupils how to stay safe online when studying new and existing subjects.
Online Safety in schools and colleges: questions from the governing Board (2016; Updated 2022) - Questions school governors should ask to help ensure their school leaders are keeping children safe online.
Disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006 (Updated 2018) - Statutory guidance for schools about employing staff who have been disqualified from providing childcare.
Guidance for safer working practice for those working with children and young people in education settings (2022) - This safer working practice document is NOT statutory guidance from the Department for Education (DfE); it's for employers, local authorities and/or the Three Safeguarding Partners to decide whether to use this as the basis for their code of conduct/staff behaviour guidelines.
Teachers’ Standards (2011; updated 2021) - These standards set the minimum requirements for teachers’ practice and conduct.
Supervision of activity with children (2012) - Guidance on supervising the activities of workers and volunteers with children.
Staffing and employment: Advice for schools (2017; Updated 2021) - Guidance for managing staff and employment issues.
Developing and implementing a low-level concerns policy: A guide for organisations which work with children (2022) - This explains how organisations working with children can develop and implement a written low-level concerns policy, as part of a culture that enables staff to share any concerns – no matter how small, and how these organisations should respond to them.
Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education, and Health Education in England (2019; Updated 2021) – Statutory guidance on what schools should do and sets out the legal duties with which schools must comply when teaching Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education.
Inspecting teaching of the protected characteristics in schools - GOV.UK (2023) - This guidance explains Ofsted’s approach on inspection to evaluating how schools support pupils’ personal development and meet their duties in relation to teaching pupils about the protected characteristics, including the DfE’s statutory guidance.
Check out our topical safeguarding issues where you can find respective resources
Listening to and involving children and young people (2014) - Statutory guidance from the Department for Education. It applies to local authorities and maintained schools, who are required to have regard to it when considering how best to provide opportunities for pupils to be consulted on matters affecting them or when contributing to school decision-making.
This can be found in Keeping Children Safe in Education.
National Guidance
Emergency planning and response for education, childcare, and children’s social care settings (2024) – How educational and childcare settings should plan for and deal with emergencies, including significant public health incidents and severe weather.
Protective security and preparedness for education settings - GOV.UK (2024) Government guidance on how education settings should prepare for and respond to terrorism and other major incidents. There are also self assessment templates
School and college security (2024) -Guidance to help schools and colleges manage their security effectively so they can meet their obligations.
These topics will have relevance both nationally and locally. Please do ensure that you read the policies and procedures from the Local Safeguarding Partnership (Keeping Bristol Safe Partnership) in line with your duties under Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children. Local multi-agency guidance can be accessed here.
What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused: advice for practitioners (2015) - Guidance to help practitioners identify the signs of child abuse and neglect and understand what actions to take.
Contextual Safeguarding is an approach to understanding, and responding to, young people’s experiences of significant harm beyond their families. For policies and practice resources please join the Contextual Safeguarding Network.
When to call the Police (2020) - This advice covers incidents on school and college premises where students have potentially committed a crime. It provides guidance on what schools and colleges should bear in mind when considering contacting the police. This advice covers the following situations:
Local guidance
You can find more information about the local Police constabulary Avon and Somerset by clicking here or visiting the Youth and Police education hub.
National guidance
Child sex offender disclosure scheme guidance – Updated in April 2023 - Guidance and tools for the implementation of the child sex offender disclosure scheme, also known as Sarah’s Law.
Child exploitation disruption toolkit (2019; Updated 2022) - Disruption tactics for those working to safeguard children and young people under the age of 18 from sexual and criminal exploitation.
Child sexual exploitation: definition and guide for practitioners (2017) - Definition of child sexual exploitation, potential vulnerabilities and indicators of abuse and appropriate actions to take.
Advice to schools and colleges on gangs and youth violence (2013) - Advice for leaders, their senior teams and staff in schools or colleges affected by gang or youth violence.
Offensive Weapons and Controlled Drugs in Educational Settings (2021; Updated 2022) - Local Guidance has been developed to reflect local arrangements with the role of the violence reduction unit.
Cover letter for Drugs in schools work.
You can find more information about the Bristol Violence Reduction Unit: Safer Options by clicking here.
Mandatory Reporting of Female Genital Mutilation – procedural information (2015; Updated 2020) - Gives relevant professionals and the police an understanding of the female genital mutilation (FGM) mandatory reporting duty.
Multi-Agency statutory guidance on female genital mutilation (2016; Updated 2020) - Multi-agency guidelines on FGM for those with statutory duties to safeguard children and vulnerable adults.
Resources from the National FGM Centre - A selection of educational resources that can be used in schools to educate young people, help aid conversations with parents and implement strong FGM policies.
Local guidance
KBSP Polices and procedures including the FGM Referral Risk Assessment template can be found here.
The Bristol Against Violence and Abuse (BAVA) website was closed down. Content has been transferred to the Keeping Bristol Safe Partnership website.
Anti-bullying practice
Anti-Bullying Alliance’s 3 step Response to Bullying Framework – Guidance to help educators develop a consistent, reflective and effective approach to responding to bullying incidence in schools and other settings.
Preventing and tackling bullying (2013; Updated 2017) - Guidance for schools on preventing and responding to bullying.
Cyber bullying: advice for headteachers and school staff - This is non-statutory advice from the Department for Education for headteachers and all school staff on how to protect themselves from cyberbullying and how to tackle it.
The Anti-Bullying Alliance holds lots of free resources for education settings.
Bristol is United Against Bullying Local Authority; join the United Against Bullying (UAB) Programme - The Anti-Bullying Alliance's free whole-school anti-bullying programme.
Sexual Violence and Sexual harassment
Advice for schools and colleges on how to prevent and respond to reports of sexual violence and harassment between children - the guidance "Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges (2018)" has now been amalgamated into Part 5 of statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education (2022)
Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people (2020) - This guidance replaces Sexting in schools and colleges (2016) and outlines how to respond to an incident of nudes and semi-nudes being shared.
Local guidance
Be Safe is a multi-agency partnership service working with children and young people with problematic/harmful sexual behaviour in Bristol. Be Safe offers holistic assessment and therapeutic intervention services informed by strength based, systemic, cognitive behavioural therapy, resolutions, relapse prevention and attachment based approaches.
Counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST) (2018) - The aim of CONTEST is to reduce the risk to the UK and its citizens and interests overseas from terrorism, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.
Revised Prevent duty guidance: for England and Wales (2021) - Guidance for specified authorities in England and Wales on the duty in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.
Protecting children from radicalisation: the prevent duty (2015) - Guidance for schools and childcare providers on preventing children and young people from being drawn into terrorism.
