Boarding school inspections

The detailed inspection of boarding standards is undertaken by Ofsted inspectors; prior to 1 April 2007, these were undertaken by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). The Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI) works in partnership with Ofsted for the inspection of boarding schools.

Ofsted’s inspection reports will relate to the current National Minimum Standards. The Standards are based both on legislation and on the development of good practice in boarding over the past 20 years. There has been significant growth in good practice in boarding in recent times, and also in the sense of accountability to pupils, parents and society as a whole. Good boarding schools have had that sense of accountability for years, and the Standards have put that accountability into a national format to ensure that all boarding schools promote and meet the highest standards in the care, education and development of young people.
There are 52 National Boarding Standards, covering three main areas, as follows.

1. Policies, procedures and practice: includes bullying, child protection, punishments, complaints, management and leadership, crisis management, role of prefects, confidential counselling and guidance, first aid and sickness discrimination, contact with parents, guardianship and school meals.
2. People: includes essential employment checks, staff/pupil ratios, staff accessibility, relationships between pupils and staff, pupil privacy.
3. Premises: includes boarding accommodation, toilet and washing facilities, changing rooms, recreational facilities, provision for sick pupils.

Ofsted and ISI inspections are, wherever administratively possible, to be conducted together. Each will produce its own report, sent to all parents. Where joint inspection is not possible, ISI inspectors will not inspect the National Boarding Standards, but will check whether schools have followed up the recommendations of the previous welfare inspection report. In any case, ISI teams will always consider the impact of boarding on the educational development of the pupils. ISI teams always consider the impact of boarding on the outcomes for all pupils in the school. They will write about this in the sections of the inspection report on the Quality of Boarding Education, Quality of Pastoral Care and the Welfare, Health and Safety of Pupils.

Child protection

Choosing a school is one of the most complicated and emotional decisions you have to make as a parent. League tables, catchment areas, open days, tests – all these things and many others play a part in your decision. A school’s child protection policy rarely does. Here are four key areas every school has to cover.

Where is the school’s child protection policy freely available for parents to read? 
Every school is expected to have a child protection policy that is revised annually, is made available to all staff and volunteers and is freely available to parents on request. Some schools will put this policy on the school’s website to ensure ease of access.

Who are the child protection officers at the school, other than the head teacher?
A senior member of the school’s leadership team is designated to take lead responsibility for dealing with child protection issues, providing advice and support to others. The designated person need not be a teacher but must have the status and authority within the school management structure to carry out the duties of the post, including committing resources to child protection matters and, where appropriate, directing other staff.

What training do staff receive in child protection? What does this training cover and is it ongoing?
All staff who work with children in schools are expected to have received, during their induction period, basic child protection training, which is updated every three years. As well as being made aware of the categories of abuse (physical, sexual, emotional and neglect) and the identity of the designated child protection officer and his/her deputy, they should also be given a copy of the school’s child protection policy, which will include details of how and where to take forward a concern or to report an allegation. While the normal route for concerns and allegations will be through the designated child protection officer, staff should also be informed about how to take forward concerns or report allegations directly to the local authority or police.

Is it the school’s written policy to report child protection allegations to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) or the police? 
Where an allegation is received by a school that a staff member or volunteer has behaved in a way that has harmed a child (physically, emotionally, sexually or through neglect), or has behaved in a way that indicates that he or she is unsuitable to work with children, a referral should be made to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) or to the police.

Further information

The National Boarding Standards can be viewed in full and downloaded at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/ Publications/ PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4006331