The safeguarding governor's annual report: an evidence checklist

The policy and the people

• The child protection policy was reviewed this year. Evidence: the dated policy, the minute of the meeting that approved it, and the paragraph that changed.
• The policy takes account of harm outside the home in the local area. Evidence: the local context paragraph, if the policy has one, with its sources, and the date the sources were last checked. See the guide on the worked paragraph.
• The DSL and deputies are trained and have time. Evidence: training certificates with dates, and the timetable allocation.
• All staff completed safeguarding training and read the statutory guidance. Evidence: the sign-off list, with the dates and the names of anyone outstanding.
• Safer recruitment checks are complete. Evidence: the single central record, audited on a stated date, with any gaps and their closure.

The local context

• Leaders understand the risks in the local area. Evidence: a written description of the area around the gate and along the walking routes, using published data, with the limits of that data stated. See what Ofsted means by local risks.
• Staff know the signs of exploitation relevant to this area. Evidence: the training content, the date, and the places named in it.
• Road danger at the gate has been assessed. Evidence: the collision record for the surrounding roads and any correspondence with the highway authority. See road danger at the school gate.
• The school works with the local safeguarding partnership. Evidence: the partnership's published arrangements, the threshold document, and the record of referrals made and their outcomes.

The numbers

• Concerns, referrals and outcomes. Evidence: counts by type and by term, compared with last year, with no child identifiable.
• Children with a social worker, on a child protection plan, or looked after. Evidence: counts only, and the named governor's confirmation that support is in place.
• Attendance and children missing education. Evidence: the figures, the follow-up procedure and the cases escalated.
• Online safety incidents and filtering and monitoring checks. Evidence: the log, and the date the filtering was last tested.

What good looks like on the page

Two columns: the statement, and the evidence with its date and where it is kept. A governor should be able to pick any line and be shown the record within a day. The context lines are the ones most often thin, because the evidence has to be assembled from outside the school. That assembly, for the area around one school and the routes to it, is what the safeguarding context report provides, with a governor paragraph at the end written to drop into this report.