Inspectors should consider the provider’s record-keeping processes for attendance and absences from school (this may include absences for all or part of the school day). They should consider how well the school or PRU addresses persistent absenteeism, for example, through partnerships with education welfare services, social care services, health services, youth services or the police.
The RI should provide the team with information about pupil movements (in and out of the school) between Y10 and Y11 for the last 3 years. You should ask the nominee to provide (anonymised) information on the individual pupils who did not transfer from Y10-11 ( sometimes referred to as ‘off-rolling’), reasons why they didn’t and what provision they did access in their final year of compulsory education.
The team should consider any other data the school wishes to share, for example behaviour referrals. However, inspectors should focus on how the school uses this information to monitor and support pupils’ wellbeing and progress.
Inspectors should evaluate how well staff and governors understand and implement the school’s safeguarding procedures, for example in the following areas: the recording and management of incidents of bullying
- child protection
- safe recruitment of staff and volunteers
- first aid
- welfare of pupils with medical conditions
- welfare of pupils on vocational placements
- safety on educational visits
- school security
- the management of pupil discipline including physical intervention and restraint
- the management of transport including traffic on the school site
- arrangements for the use of Liberty Protection Safeguards where appropriate for young people aged sixteen and above.
Inspectors should assess carefully not only whether these documents exist, but their quality and crucially, how well they are understood and applied. These policies should cover services that extend beyond the school day (e.g. where provided, community activities on school premises.)
In addition the following inspection areas will include aspects of safeguarding
Inspection Area 2 is concerned with the extent to which pupils feel safe and secure, and free from physical and verbal abuse in the school. It is here that inspectors will evaluate and report on the impact of the school’s provision for safeguarding and on pupils’ wellbeing.
Comments on the school’s provision for safeguarding and promoting welfare will be in Inspection Area 3 (section 3.1, the school’s curriculum) and in Inspection Area 4 (section 4.1 Personal Development) which is concerned with the school’s arrangements for the care, support and guidance of pupils.
Inspectors will evaluate how well the provision helps pupils to develop skills, knowledge and understanding in making healthy lifestyle choices. This includes evaluating the school or PRU’s personal and social education programme. Inspectors should consider how well the provider supports the social and emotional skills of all pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. For examples, inspectors should evaluate the school’s arrangements for teaching pupils about:
- bullying including cyber bullying
- internet safety
- harassment and discrimination
- drug and substance abuse
- sex and healthy relationships education
- preventing radicalisation and exploitation
- pupils’ age-appropriate knowledge and understanding of emotionally damaging or unsafe behaviours, for example grooming, child sexual exploitation and extremism.
Inspection Area 5 is about leadership and management.
Inspectors should evaluate the priority that leaders have given to ensuring that all staff understand and promote the school’s safeguarding culture. A school’s leaders and managers should be clear about their statutory responsibilities regarding safeguarding and the steps they are taking to develop good practice beyond the statutory minimum. Inspectors should consider the priority that leaders have given to ensuring that all practitioners understand and promote the school’s safeguarding work.
The governing body of a maintained school, management committee of a PRU, and the proprietor of an independent school, is accountable for ensuring that the school has effective policies and procedures in place in accordance with the Welsh Government’s guidance, and should monitor the school’s compliance with this. This includes ensuring that safe recruitment checks are carried out in line with statutory requirements.
Since 2019, the governing body has had specific responsibilities regarding the school’s anti-bullying policy and procedures. In particular, the Welsh Government expects school governing bodies to monitor the following in relation to bullying:
- that schools maintain an overview of recorded bullying incidents in their setting to see how long it takes on average for cases to be resolved
- the recurrence rates
- whether learners who have reported bullying incidents believe they got a satisfactory outcome
- whether there are any emerging trends or groups being discriminated against
- whether there are online cases that suggest work is required with the learners, parents/carers and staff to counter new forms of bullying
- absenteeism rates
- that the regularly collected data on reported incidents is showing progress towards the equality objectives.
Inspectors should assess carefully how well senior managers and governors monitor and evaluate all the aspects for safeguarding, and promote the school’s safeguarding culture. If the school does not have effective policies and procedures for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils, and does not take sufficient steps to ensure these are adhered to, this will influence the evaluation made about the quality of leadership and management in the school.