Guidance for Schools : Off-Site Direction

As per Keeping children safe in education (GOV.UK statutory guidance), it is essential that everybody working in a school understands their safeguarding responsibilities. Schools and their staff are an important part of the wider safeguarding system for children. This system is described in the statutory guidance Working together to safeguard children.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone's responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all practitioners should make sure their approach is child-centred.

It is the responsibility of every member of staff, volunteer and regular visitor to schools to ensure that they adhere to the school's Safeguarding Policy, procedures and Code of Conduct. This includes the responsibility to provide a safe environment in which students can learn. When an off-site direction is implemented, the relevant safeguarding information should be shared with the receiving school. This would include multi-agency plans, contact details for allocated workers and a plan made as to how safeguarding information will be recorded and shared with the home school DSLs.

The home school should seek written assurances that appropriate safer recruitment checks have been undertaken on staff at the receiving school as required in Part 3 of "Keeping Children Safe in Education" (link above).