Every educational facility has a duty of care to ensure the safeguarding of pupils. All staff, volunteers, and contractors should understand the safeguarding policy. Anyone entering the school to carry out a specific task should, too.
Safeguarding includes various factors, but, in general, it means that young people must be protected.
What are examples of safeguarding issues in education?
Safeguarding is implemented via policies and procedures. The aim is to protect the health and well-being of pupils, keep them safe from harm and abuse, and encourage healthy development.
Some examples of safeguarding issues include:
- Bullying
- Sexual harassment
- Abuse
- Anxiety and depression or any other mental health concern
- Concerns about drug or alcohol use
Concerning behaviour may occur in an educational setting. But that doesn’t always mean the issue stems from there. There could be problems at home, for example. Staff must be able to recognise the signs that suggest a safeguarding problem.
What are some examples of correct safeguarding?
Safeguarding policies include aspects such as:
- Responding to concerns about a young person
- Recognising the signs of safeguarding issues
- Preventing bullying and dealing with any instances of bullying appropriately
- Storing data relating to a child or young person in the correct way
- Adhering to health and safety measures
An educational setting usually has a safeguarding leader. This person or team oversees the policies, procedures, and staff training. Schools with an open environment encourage communication, helping prevent safeguarding issues from arising.
Safeguarding education for children
Safeguarding subjects for children include:
Physical contact
Children should know about appropriateness and suitability around physical contact. For example, ensuring consent and not being physically aggressive.
E-safety
Young people are being exposed to increasing amounts of online content. Nearly 50% of children in England have seen harmful content. Examples of this include racism, extremism, and pornography.
If children know how to keep themselves safe online, exposure to such content is less likely. Schools can use a safe VPN to prevent children from accessing inappropriate sites.
Peer pressure
Young people are sometimes encouraged to partake in inappropriate activities. These might involve bullying or violence. Children should understand that saying no to something they don’t want to do is okay. It’s also important that they feel safe enough to raise any issues relating to peer pressure.
Bullying
Educational facilities usually have an anti-bullying policy for staff and pupils. This sets out the proper procedures to follow in case of any bullying incident.
All state schools are required by law to have anti-bullying measures included in a behaviour policy. Schools in England, Wales, and most in Scotland must also follow anti-discrimination law.
First class headline. Nothing to do with importance then? Looks like the editor failed his English exam.
Yes, let’s not forget the importance of teaching spelling!