What do you consider comes under safeguarding at school?

[RoseGoldSatsuma]

So, for example, if I go into my primary school and complain about children being able to access sexually inappropriate pictures on their computers. Also, very inappropriate comments from students and sometimes the teachers.

If I refer to this as a safeguarding issue, am I correct?

I would say yes for the pictures. We've had this problem...

So I'm trying to get my facts right for the next time I bring this up.

Why is it a safeguarding issue?

MrP

What did your school do about it?

Is there not a block put on the computers? I am in a college and it is impossible to view anything that falls foul of the e safety block.

Safeguarding is about keeping children safe in school, and school playing their part in keeping children safe in their families.

So yes, accessing sexually inappropriate pictures on a school computer is a MASSIVE safeguarding issue, this should never be possible as schools should have the tightest filters possible!! It is an offence to allow children to see sexual activity, therefore the school are culpable if children can access them through school computers. If the children are using their own devices with mobile data, then that is more difficult to control but should be stamped out in no uncertain terms.

What sort of inappropriate comments from pupils and staff? That's more difficult to judge as some parents are pretty laid back with what they're happy with and others are very strict. Swearing should not be tolerated from either, neither should any sort of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.

My LA is meant to filter all content but it is sometimes very hit and miss blocking Educational sites and allowing access to sites staff don't deem age appropriate. We do have a system in school that immediately flags up any attempts to search for inappropriate content

The first one possibly if it's a school computers, not if it's a home computer, you can't police lax parental internet controls if the children are accessing it themselves. Absolutely safeguarding if a child is being shown explicit material by an adult.

What inappropriate sort of comments are you talking about? The safeguarding concern would be off the child originating the comments and what they have been exposed to. Not particularly of your child over hearing them a brief 'We don't use that language at school' and a change of subject is more likely and then writing up what I heard the child say later.

If you read the governments 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' document this will give you both an idea of school's responsibilities and the ammunition to argue what the school is failing to do. Most current version Sept 2019.

If you are concerned about the conduct of a member of staff you need to read the schools whistleblowing procedure (legal requirement to publish on their website).

What you have written is cause for concern (safeguarding) and I would take very seriously in my school.

Go to the school website and look at the safeguarding policy. That should also give you the name of the safeguarding officer that you need to report the issue to.

Yes everything you mention would be considered a potential safeguarding issue and logged on CPOMs in the secondary school I teach in

HP
Yes comments that make you think where on earth have they been exposed to that?

Thanks all. I have expressed my concerns verbally to the school but from now on will be doing it via their safeguarding reporting system to make sure they are dealing with it, which I don't believe they have been.

My daughter's school go mental if the kids even so much as click on an add for a social media site or youtube. What kid if school wouldn't flag up kids viewing sexually explicit material in primary schol?!

Kind*

If you have made the school aware of these glaring safeguarding issues verbally and nothing much seems to have happened then I would definitely be putting it in writing.
If you have serious concerns that the school are not taking this seriously then I might be tempted to speak to what is called the LADO (local authority designated officer). This might well be someone in social services but the LA has to have someone designated as the LADO.
The LADO is more there for child protection issues but the way you describe being able to view inappropriate sexual pictures, you are for intents and purposes at a child protection issue because it would seem that we are talking learned behaviour outside of the school so anything is possible.

The sexually inappropriate pictures at school on a school pc should be a school safeguarding issue. The child coming home saying stuff it shouldn't know about I would raise with the school. All they can do is discuss the topics with the children and explain it's not age appropriate conversation. It would be surprising if it's coming from staff .

In our case it wasn't pictures but text my child printed off a primary school pc and stuck in his book. The teacher even ticked it and wrote 'interesting work'! I was outraged. The school blamed a student teacher and then Clipart and so it went on. We never got a satisfactory outcome. The relevant procedure was all about how to discipline children who deliberately accessed inappropriate content. There was nothing about if it was the school'system fault. Our child was 7 so he didn't understand what it said luckily but it included swearing and pedophile. We removed our children from the school 6 months later.

School will have a filter on their system and a regular feedback report on who is logging in and accessing inappropriate information or posting it themselves. Sometimes an odd word triggers it.

There will also be a filter on sites and log on details.

Students and staff also agree the policy on what is and is not appropriate behaviour online and what the should not access and the language they should not use.

The filter allows staff to see what student said what on which computer and at what time.

They need to investigate who did what when and get the evidence from the filter. But the system should be regulated and monitored anyway.

The Safeguarding policy will be on the schools web site. It must be there by law and it will be easy to find. The safeguarding officer will be named on the policy. They should be contacted first. It’s often the Head at primary schools.

If you feel it needs reporting to the LADO mentioned above, do this. However going to the school’s safeguarding officer is usually the first step.

Yes, the images are safeguarding. Language from adult staff could be. Depends what it is and context. Language from children is a cause for concern but normally it’s an issue for the schools safeguarding officer first. It should all be reported though.