111 Shoulds, One Must: What KCSiE Part One Requires Of You

843. You're on the way to your own room, arms full. Right, the standard morning rush. Yeah. And a child you teach twice a week falls into step beside you and, well, they say something. Not a disclosure with a capital D. Just something casual. Exactly. Six words, sideways, about somebody at home. And then they look at you and say, don't tell anyone. And the bell goes. And the bell goes. And what happens to that child in the next 24 hours, it isn't decided by a policy or, you know, a training video.

No, definitely not. It's decided by whatever you can actually remember from a document you were handed in September. This is the education commute. Both voices on this show are synthesized. The judgment isn't. Today, our mission is reading the whole thing. We're looking at part one of keeping children safe in education. Right. That is the exact part every single adult. in an English school and college is expected to have read. Yeah. All 82 paragraphs. It is, it's the long one. It is long. And before we get into the weeds, here's the count at the bottom of it, because this completely reframes everything that comes after.

Okay, let's hear it. In part one, the word should appears 111 times, but the word must appears only five times. Wait, only five? Just five. And of those five musts, Exactly one places a duty on you personally as a member of staff. Literally only one. Just one. And I should clarify here, I counted the words in the document myself. Right. This isn't a figure the Department for Education publishes anywhere. It's just my own arithmetic on the text. But I'll tell you which one the must is when we reach it.

Okay, let's set our chairs then. Yeah. I am playing the role of the person who isn't on the safeguarding team at all. The normal adult. Right. I'm a subject teacher, I've got a full timetable, and I'm just rushing between classrooms. I was handed part one at induction, I signed a sheet of paper to say I'd read it, and I'll be perfectly honest with you, on air, I skimmed it. And most people do skim it. Meanwhile, I'm sitting in the designated safeguarding lead's chair. I've got the document open, the process is fully in my head, and I genuinely think the process is the kindest thing we have.

So my job today is to ask the central... Ungenerous but highly practical question. Go for it. What of this can a normal adult with a full teaching load actually hold in their head at 843? It's a completely fair question. And the good news is the document is actually better than you're expecting. We're going to walk through this logically to answer that. Okay. What's the blueprint? We'll look at who it's for. what you need to know before you start, what you're actually looking out for, what you do when you see something, what happens when the concern is about a colleague, and finally, what happens when the setting itself is the problem.

So let's start with the absolute basics. Who is this actually for? And what are we even talking about when we say safeguarding? Because I think the who has shifted over the years. It definitely has. And you'll find that in the summary right at the beginning, rather than in a numbered paragraph. It says governing bodies and proprietors should ensure that those staff who work directly with children read at least part one of this guidance. But then immediately after, it adds that they should now also ensure that those staff who do not work directly with children read part one of this guidance.

Now also. That's a deliberate addition, isn't it? Exactly. So that means the caretaker, the finance officer, reception, the exams officer, the minibus driver. Right. All of them need to read part one itself, not some condensed bullet point version of it. And the summary asks for one more crucial thing that leaders often skip. What's that? It says mechanisms are in place to assist staff to understand and discharge their roles and responsibilities as set out in part one. Because handing someone a stapled packet isn't a mechanism. No.

Handing it out is just handing it out. Right. That makes total sense. Right. But what about the definition itself? Because I've sat in plenty of staff meetings where safeguarding seems to mean, well, whatever the loudest person in the room needs it to mean. Yeah, that happens. You'll find the actual definition in paragraph two. It starts by saying, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone's responsibility. Okay, standard. But it's the very next bit that nobody quotes. Children means everyone under the age of 18. Under 18?

Yes. That is vital in a sixth form and in a college where you've got people walking around who can vote, who can drive, but who are still legally children for the purposes of this document. OK, so that's the who. What is the actual definition of safeguarding, though? That's paragraph three. It outlines five distinct parts and the breadth is the entire point. First, providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge. Early intervention, yeah. Second, protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online.

Third, preventing the impairment of children's mental and physical health or development. Fourth, ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care. And fifth, taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes. Okay, wait, I'm going to challenge that last one. I thought you might. Enabling all children to have the best outcomes is officially inside the definition of safeguarding. So safeguarding includes teaching them well. Based on the document's own definition, yes. Then I'll push back on that. Because if safeguarding is everything, then it's effectively nothing.

I mean, you can't put best outcomes on a standard safeguarding concern form. That's a fair hit. But paragraph three isn't meant to be a referral threshold. It's a scope statement. And the document gives its own reasoning for being that wide. Which is? It says, no single practitioner can have a full picture of a child's needs and circumstances. So if safeguarding is this broad, how on earth is a new teacher supposed to know what the actual systems are before they even step into a classroom? That brings us to what you're expected to know before you start.

And school leaders should really be nervous about this one because paragraph 11 provides a concrete list and a list can be audited. Let's hear the list. Yeah. What do I need to know at induction? All staff should be aware of the systems which support safeguarding. Specifically, you need to know the child protection policy, which should also cover child on child abuse. Okay. The behavior policy, including measures to prevent bullying, cyberbullying, prejudice -based and discriminatory bullying. The staff behavior policy, sometimes called a code of conduct. Right.

Which should include low -level concerns, allegations against staff, and whistleblowing. That's a lot already. It goes on. The safeguarding response to... children absent from education, particularly on repeat occasions and a prolonged periods. And finally, the role of the designated safeguarding lead, including the identity of the designated safeguarding lead and any deputies. Hold on. The identity, not just understanding the role, but their actual names, their names and the guidance specifically states. Copies of policies and a copy of part one of this document should be provided to all staff at induction.

Here's my ungenerous test for that. You could walk into any staff room right now, ask five adults to name the deputy designated safeguarding lead, and you will not get five right answers. Yeah. And I'd argue that failure sits entirely with the school, not with those five busy adults. I'm going to concede that because from where you're sitting, you are absolutely right. Paragraph 11 puts the duty squarely on the school to. Explain those systems. Right. If a member of staff can't name the deputy, the honest reading of that is that the mechanism isn't there.

That's a failure in my chair, not yours. I appreciate that. What about ongoing training? Is reading the document at induction the end of it? Not at all. Paragraph 12 covers training. You need safeguarding and child protection training at induction, including online safety. And it specifically names an understanding of the expectations, applicable roles, and responsibilities in relation to filtering and monitoring. Oh, filtering and monitoring. Yes. That training should be regularly updated. And those updates, whether through email, e -bulletins, or staff meetings, must happen as required, and at least annually.

So going to one September Twilight session once isn't meeting the standard. The Twilight session is just the induction. The updates are a separate requirement and the absolute floor on them is annual. OK, now let's talk about the paragraphs I actually needed at 843 in that corridor. When that child starts talking, what are my rules? These are paragraphs 14 to 17. And frankly, it is the best writing in the entire document. Oh, really? Yeah. Paragraph 14 says all staff should know what to do if a child tells them they are being abused, exploited or neglected and should manage confidentiality by only involving those who need to be involved.

And then. Here is the critical line for your corridor. Staff should never promise a child that they will not tell anyone about a report of any form of abuse, as this may ultimately not be in the best interests of the child. Okay, so when the child looks at me and says, don't tell anyone? You don't agree to it. And you certainly don't lie to them either. You say what's true, that you have to tell one person whose job it is to help. Okay, so that's what you do when they tell you.

But what about how you leave that conversation? Because I imagine a child is highly sensitive to the adult's reaction in that moment. That's exactly what paragraph 15 addresses. It dictates how the child should leave the conversation. Right. But nobody ever does that on purpose, do they? I mean, nobody intentionally makes a child feel like a burden. No, it's rarely intentional. It's a heavy sigh. It's a quick glance at the clock because you're late for period one. It's saying, can this wait until break? Oh. Oh. Wow.

That one really landed. It does. Paragraph 16 explains why they don't tell you cleanly in the first place. Children may not feel ready or know how to tell someone and may not recognize their experiences as harmful. Because it's normal to them. Exactly. They may feel embarrassed, humiliated, or be being threatened. And this could be due to vulnerability, disability, sexual orientation, or language barriers. Right. And then it gives us the phrase I'd put on a lanyard card. This should not prevent staff from having a professional curiosity.

Professional curiosity. That sounds like explicit permission to dig a little deeper. But why specifically language barriers or disability? Because a child might literally lack the vocabulary to explain what's happening to them. Or a disabled child might be so accustomed to feeling physically vulnerable or having adults manage their bodies that they don't recognize a line has been crossed. That makes a lot of sense. Sometimes an abuser specifically targets them because they know the child can't easily articulate their abuse. Professional curiosity means you don't just accept a surface level explanation when your gut says something is wrong.

That is incredibly important context. What about paragraph 17? Paragraph 17 states that children may experience prejudice based harm, including racism and faith based prejudice, and it may affect their welfare, well -being, mental health and willingness to seek help. Willingness to seek help. So the prejudice isn't only the harm itself, it's the actual reason you never hear about the harm. That's the core of it. Four sentences really carry this section. Never promise silence. Never let them feel like a problem. Professional curiosity is authorized. And you should be able to name your designated safeguarding lead and the deputy without looking.

Okay, so I know the names, I know the policies, I know how to handle the conversation. But on a random Tuesday... What exactly am I supposed to be looking out for? I'll be selective here. Because paragraph 18 alone is a massive list of 15 kinds of vulnerable children. Yeah, give me the broad shape of it rather than just reading the whole list. It covers children who may benefit from support before statutory intervention. Crucially, it includes the ones a teacher sometimes forgets are on it. For example, a child with special educational needs.

And the document explicitly says this in brackets, whether or not they have a statutory education, health and care plan. Wait, pause there a second. Did you say whether or not they have a plan? Yes, exactly that. Because in my experience, in most schools. send, and plan have quietly fused together, and the child without the official paperwork is usually the child nobody's counting. Exactly. It also names a young carer, a child who is pregnant or is a parent themselves, a child frequently missing from education, home, or care, and then it lists a run of school shift categories.

A child repeatedly removed from the classroom, one who has experienced multiple suspensions, one on a part -time timetable, one at risk of permanent exclusion. or an alternative provision, or a pupil referral unit. Let me make sure I've got this. That's four consecutive entries describing things the school itself actively does to a child. Yes. And they're listed as indicators this child may need additional support, not as punishments that have already been dealt with. I think that's the most uncomfortable sentence in the whole read, and I really want that on the record.

What about the actual categories of abuse? That's paragraphs 25 to 29, physical abuse, emotional abuse. Sexual abuse, neglect. Right. And each is defined much wider than the picture in most people's heads. Somebody may abuse a child by inflicting harm or by failing to act to prevent harm. And harm can include ill treatment that is not physical as well as the impact of witnessing ill treatment of others. So witnessing it counts as harm. Yes. On sexual abuse, it's incredibly careful in three specific ways. It can be non -contact.

It can happen wholly online. And, to use its own words, sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children. And I'm assuming these things don't just neatly arrive one at a time. Never. Paragraph 20 says abuse, neglect, exploitation and safeguarding issues are rarely standalone events and cannot be covered by one definition or one label alone. In most cases, multiple issues will overlap. Which is a pretty strong argument against the standard concern for. forcing me to pick just one box quietly yes it is and paragraph 21 takes it outside the family entirely covering teenage relationship abuse criminal exploitation serious youth violence county lines and radicalization let's talk about the child on child section Because that's the stuff that literally walks past me in a busy corridor every single day.

Two lines do all the heavy lifting here. Paragraph 33. Even if there are no reports in their schools or colleges, it does not mean it is not happening. It may be the case that abuse is not being reported. So having a completely clean log isn't evidence of a safe school. A clean log is a question, not an answer. And paragraph 34 names the exact language it wants staff to challenge. What language? It talks about downplaying behaviors, for example, dismissing sexual harassment as just banter, just having a laugh, part of growing up or boys being boys.

Wow. It tells you exactly where that leads, a culture of unacceptable behavior, misogyny, an unsafe environment, and in worst case scenarios, a culture that normalizes abuse, leading to children accepting it as normal and not coming forward to report it. Step. Statutory guidance deliberately putting boys being boys in quotation marks is... Quite a powerful thing. It's extremely deliberate. It's giving you the exact words so you recognize them the second they come out of an adult's mouth. Is there anything else in the section I'd regret skipping over?

Paragraph 50 on mental health. It's the most practical sentence in the document, but it's buried. What does it say? If staff feel a child is in danger, they should call 999 or arrange for them to be taken to A &E immediately by a parent, carer, or other suitable person. And if a child needs help urgently, but it isn't an emergency, staff can get help from NHS 111. Okay, we've talked a lot about shoulds. What about that one must? Paragraph 46. That's the one. That's the one.

In 82 paragraphs, that is the only place... Part one puts a legal must on an individual member of staff rather than on the school or the local authority. Everything else is a should. Then I have to ask the obvious question. You probably won't like it. Try me. If almost everything is just a should, does that mean it's optional? No. And the document answers you itself right on page two. It states we use the term must when the person in question is legally required to do something and should when the advice put out should be followed unless there is good reason not to.

Unless there's good reason not to. Right. And underneath it, the first line of the summary reminds us this is statutory guidance, which schools and colleges in England must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. So the honest translation is departing from a should isn't strictly forbidden. It is answerable. You'd have to be able to explicitly say what the good reason was. In writing, presumably. Right. So I spotted something. The alarm bells are ringing. What is the actual step by step of what I do next?

The entire step by step process fits into just six sentences. Paragraph 57. Staff are advised to maintain an attitude of it could happen here and should always act in the best interests of the child. Okay, 57. 58. If staff have any concerns about a child's welfare, they should act on them immediately. 59. Follow your own organization's child protection policy and speak to the designated safeguarding lead or a deputy. And if I can't find you? Let's say it's period five. You're in an important meeting and the door is completely shut.

Paragraph 61 is written for exactly that scenario. If, in exceptional circumstances, the designated safeguarding lead or a deputy is not available, this should not delay appropriate action being taken. Speak to a member of the senior leadership team or take advice from local authority children's social care. Then you just tell me as soon as is practically possible. So the designated safeguarding lead wasn't in isn't an acceptable reason a whole day passed. It is explicitly not a reason a day passed. And what are the options once I've actually told you?

Paragraph 60, outlines 3. We can support the child internally through pastoral processes, including considering whether to inform parents or carers, where doing so does not place the child at additional risk. Okay, that's one. We can undertake a family help assessment, which paragraph six defines as providing support as soon as a problem emerges at any point in a child's life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years, or we make a formal referral to statutory services. Now I want to jump to the two paragraphs I think are the real heart of this entire document.

You mean 62 and 63? Yes. Paragraph 62 says staff should not assume a colleague or another professional will take action and share information that might be critical in keeping children safe. Which is the direct answer to that little voice in your head that says, well, somebody must already know. Somebody already knowing is the most common way nothing happens. And then 63, which the document actually puts in bold. Data protection laws do not prevent the sharing of information for the purposes of keeping children safe and promoting their welfare.

Good. And it continues. Fears about sharing information must not be allowed to stand in the way of the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. I have personally heard data protection used as an excuse to stop a safeguarding conversation dead in its tracks. More than once. So has everyone. Paragraph 63 exists specifically because of it. What happens after a referral is made? Because honestly, that's where staff usually just feel a wall of silence. Paragraph 70 says, within one working day of a referral being made, a local authority social worker should acknowledge its receipt to the referrer and make a decision about the next steps and the type of response that is required.

One working day. Paragraph 71 is just one blunt line. The referrer should follow up if this information is not forthcoming. So it stays with you. Yes. And 73, if the child's situation does not appear to be improving, the referrer should consider following local escalation procedures. So tossing a referral over the fence isn't a handover. Not at all. A referral is the start of something you are still actively in. And what about records? Because you mentioned in writing earlier, and I let it go. Paragraph 74. All concerns, discussions, and decisions made and the reasons for those decisions should be recorded in writing.

Kept confidential, I assume. Yes. Kept confidential, stored securely. And it says it's good practice to keep concerns and referrals in a separate child protection file for each individual child. And the reasons for those decisions. That's the phrase that jumps out. It's not just what you did. It's why you did it. And paragraph 70 psychs lists what it looks like when this process fails. It's a list. Every school really should read out loud once a year. Failing to act on and refer the early signs of abuse and neglect.

Poor record keeping. Failing to listen to the views of the child. Yeah. Failing to reassess concerns when situations do not improve. Not sharing information with the right people within and between agencies. Sharing information too slowly. Right. And a lack of challenge to those who appear not to be taking action. That's sobering. Six of those seven are things a busy, decent adult does completely by accident. Every single one of them is a Thursday, not a scandal. Okay. We've talked about protecting kids from external harm. What happens when the concern isn't about what's happening at home, but what's happening in the staff room?

What if the concern is about a colleague? This section is shorter, and sadly, most staff have never read it. Okay. Paragraph 77 says schools and colleges should have processes to manage any safeguarding concern or allegation, no matter how small about staff members. And it defines staff incredibly widely. Supply staff, trainee teachers, volunteers, and contractors. So that includes the sports coach who comes in on a Friday and the person fixing the boiler in the hallway. Both of them. Paragraph 78 gives the route, and it has three rungs.

Right. And if they are the proprietor? Where the head teacher is also the sole proprietor or there's a conflict of interest, it goes directly to the local authority designated officer whose details the document says should be easily accessible on your local authority's website. So in plain English, if the person running the school is the problem, the document gives you a direct bypass route to the local authority. You never have to investigate your own boss. Yeah. There is literally no version of this where the answer is there's nobody to tell.

No version. That is the exact design of the paragraph. And what about the ones that aren't full -blown allegations? The subtle thing that just made you feel uneasy and nothing more? Paragraph 79 covers that. A concern that does not meet the harm threshold should be shared in accordance with the school or college's low -level concerns policy. Which is a specifically named policy, and I'd bet fewer than half our listeners could say where theirs actually lives. Which is exactly why it's mandated in the paragraph 11 induction list.

And what if the problem is bigger than one colleague? What if the school itself is the problem? This is the one that takes real courage. Paragraph 80 states that all staff and volunteers should feel able to raise concerns about poor or unsafe practice and potential failures in the school or college's safeguarding provision, and no such concerns. Right. Paragraph 81 adds that appropriate whistleblowing procedures should be in place for that. And if they're not in place, or if raising it internally went absolutely nowhere. Paragraph 82, this is the one I would want every single member of staff to know exists.

What does it say? Where a staff member feels unable to raise an issue with their employer or feels their genuine concerns are not being addressed, other channels are open. General advice on whistleblowing for employees. And the NSPCC whistleblowing advice line, which is available as an alternative route for staff who do not feel able to raise concerns regarding child protection failures internally or have concerns about the way a concern is being handled. Is there a number? The number is... 800 -028 -0285. Open from 8 in the morning to 8 in the evening, Monday to Friday, and 9 in the morning to 6 in the evening at weekends.

They put a phone number for the adult directly into statutory guidance just in case the adults are the problem. And it is the very last paragraph of Part 1. I don't think that placement is an accident. Let's pull over for a second because here is the thing I've been building to this entire time. The document is good. It's better than its reputation and much better than the Twilight Session it usually arrives in. But nothing in it protects a child unless one adult. at 8 43 with a full timetable decides six sideways words were worth walking somewhere with and part one knows that perfectly well which is why it spends four whole paragraphs on how to be with a child and only one on what a local authority does in a working day then let's do the rooms because professional curiosity is just a nice poster until somebody explains what it actually looks like in practice same idea three different rooms here's what act immediately and don't promise sign could actually look like.

In a primary school, it might be at the end of the day with coats going on. Right, pickup time. A child says the person picking them up isn't the usual person, and they really don't want to go. It could sound like, thank you for telling me I'm not going to keep that to myself because it's my job to make sure you're safe. And you tell them what happens next. Exactly. I'm going to talk to the person in school whose job that is right now, and I'll tell you what happens.

And it's written down before the bags are even picked up. with the child's own words in it. What about secondary? In secondary, it might not be a conversation at all. It could be a strange line in a piece of written work that doesn't fit the task. Okay. The move could be as small as marking that book last, so it stays on the desk while you write the concern, and putting the sentence in quotation marks rather than summarizing it. Remember, paragraph 74 wants the reasons as well as the decision.

So writing, I'm passing this on because the phrasing was new, for this pupil belongs in the box. And in a specialist setting. Their professional curiosity might be almost entirely nonverbal. And this is where paragraph 16, naming disability and language barriers, really earns its place. A pupil who uses symbols or a communication board may have no way to report anything the board doesn't already contain. So what do you look for? It could look like the adults who know that pupil best noticing a subtle change in what they choose or who they'll sit near or refusal at a particular time of day.

Yeah. And it being logged as a concern with reasons rather than just logged as a behavior issue. In that room, no disclosure is the least surprising thing in the world. And let's bring it back to the gate. 843, same corridor, same child, same six words, same don't tell anyone. The same bell, too. But this time you don't just say, of course. You say, I'm glad you told me. I can't promise to keep it to myself because keeping you safe matters more than keeping a secret. Yeah.

I have to tell one person whose job it is to help. Yeah. And I'm going to do it before lunch. Then you go and do it before lunch and you write down what they actually said, not what you concluded. And if you can't find the designated safeguarding lead, paragraph 61 kicks in. You don't wait. You tell a member of the senior leadership team and you tell me afterwards. One conversation handled differently. That's really all this is. Here is a staff room seed for you. At break today, ask whoever is nearest the kettle, who's our deputy designated safeguarding lead.

Not to catch anybody out genuinely, just see how many of you can name them without looking. And here is a watch for, because I like paragraph 34, too much to let it go. Today. Count how many times you hear an adult explain a behavior between children using the exact words banter, having a laugh or that's just what they're like. Yeah. Don't challenge anyone today. Just count. Now for the walk in. If a visitor came in tomorrow, an inspector, a safeguarding governor, a local authority reviewer. Yeah.

The thing. Paragraph 12 makes them highly likely to ask. And the thing schools most often can't show is this. Can you produce a record that your all staff safeguarding training included online safety and inside that filtering and monitoring expectations, roles and responsibilities? And that's not just the IT team's training. Everybody's. Everybody's because paragraph 12 puts it strictly inside the training all staff receive. If your induction log just says safeguarding completed and nothing more, that's a today problem, not a September problem. Right. One line added. the training record now explicitly naming what was covered is the fix.

And the cheaper one while you're in there. Paragraph 11 wants staff to know the identity of the designated safeguarding lead and the deputies. If that's just a name on one faded poster by the front office, it isn't a mechanism. So four things to take off the drive today. One, everyone reads part one now, including the staff who don't work directly with children. Two. Never promise a child silence and never let them leave the conversation feeling like a problem. That's paragraphs 14 and 15. Three. Data protection isn't a reason to stay quiet.

The designated safeguarding lead being unavailable isn't a reason to wait. And somebody else probably knows isn't a reason at all. Four. Write down the reasons as well as the decisions. And know that if the failure is the school's, paragraph 82 has a phone number in it. Before we wrap. There's a lingering thought I want to leave you to mull over. Paragraph 12 specifically names filtering and monitoring and online safety. Given how rapidly technology and AI are evolving, the very definition of what online safety means is going to look completely different before the ink is even dry on the next update of this document.

It's something we're all going to have to stay ahead of. Everything we discuss is linked in the show notes. the guidance itself, and every single paragraph number we quoted. So you can check us, read them. We are just the trailer. Both voices on the show are synthesized. The judgment isn't. Safe trip in. See you at the gates.