For schools

Anti-bullying Guidance

Child on Child Abuse: Guidance and Model Policy

A Guidance and Model Policy [Word] for dealing with child on child abuse is available and will help schools comply with the national guidance in 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' and Dfe 'Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges'.
Please contact Katherine Marshall katherine.marshall@nottscc.gov.uk or Kirstin Lamb: kirstin.lamb@nottscc.gov.uk

NCC and NSCP Child Protection and Confidential File Audit Toolkit 2023-2024

Child Protection and Confidential File Transfer between Local Authorities and Child Record Keeping (including maintenance, storage, retention and transfer):
Updated guidance issued to Derbyshire schools/colleges 2020 - Children Protection Record Keeping (including transfer, storage & retention):

Children missing education

Complaints about schools and academies

Please see the resources page for parents and carers. 

Contextual Safeguarding

Please find Safeguarding Guidance Updates and associated documents

Guidance for school staff when listening to children disclose sensitive information

Guidance to headteachers/principals of schools in Nottinghamshire for staff when listening to children disclose sensitive information[PDF]

Guidance on visitors and VIPs to Nottinghamshire Schools

This guidance on visitors and VIPs to schools [WORD] is intended to help schools manage visitors in a way that ensure the safety of the children and adults on the school site.

All Nottinghamshire County and Nottingham City Council employees who visit schools listed within the Safeguarding checks required for local authority staff visiting schools, academies and alternative education provision letters of assurance have been subject to the required pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check, in accordance with the relevant statutory guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 (KCSiE).

Nottinghamshire County Council letter of assurance [PDF]

Nottingham City Council letter of assurance [PDF]

Harmful Sexual Behaviour

In June 2021 Ofsted concluded that the prevalence of child-on-child sexual harassment and abuse was so widespread that, for some, incidents are ‘so commonplace that they see no point in reporting them’ and ‘consider them normal’.  SWGfL and The Marie Collins Foundation has created a support service for professionals working with children and young people in tackling harmful sexual behaviours, funded by the Home Office and in collaboration with the Department for Education.  The support service is available for anyone in England working with children and young people, particularly, designated safeguarding leads within primary and secondary schools and alternative provision.  Support is also available to early years provision, colleges and wider safeguarding professionals (including police, social workers and health care professionals).  If children within your care have been displaying or are affected by specific incidents of Harmful Sexual Behaviour, the support service can provide initial support and signpost to further resources and advice.

Further details about the sup[port service offered by SWGfL can be found at Harmful Sexual Behaviour Support Service,  The service is available 8am - 8pm Monday – Friday, Call SWGfL practitioners on 0344 2250623 or Email hsbsupport@swgfl.org.uk

Keeping children safe in education

Neglect Toolkit and Separate Guidance 

The neglect toolkit and separate guidance document are provided for professionals across Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City to use in partnership with families when there is concern that the needs of a child are being neglected. It is designed to enable honest conversations with families around areas of strength in their parenting and areas which need to change.  The language in the toolkit has been refreshed towards a strength based approach, and additional sections have been added on parental conflict and positive values.  The section on the parents/carers ability to achieve change has been expanded.  The requirement to complete the whole toolkit has been removed, in acknowledgement that professionals are likely to have helpful information focussed in only a few areas of the toolkit.  The toolkit and guidance have been produced jointly by the Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Children Partnership and Nottingham City Safeguarding Children Partnership.

Nottinghamshire knives & weapons guidance for schools and education providers

Please download a copy of the Nottinghamshire Knives and Weapons Guidance for schools and education providers [PDF] dated November 2023.  The guidance has been written by Nottinghamshire Police in partnership with officers within NCC Children and Families Services.

Private fostering

Safeguarding in Education Audit

Section 175 of the Education Act 2002, the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, the Non-Maintained Special Schools (England) Regulations 2015 and the Department for Education ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ statutory guidance 2023. Schools, academies and colleges in England must have regard to this guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

School Safe Alert Protocol

The County Council's  Safeguarding Children in Education Officer (SCIEO) has recently worked with Nottinghamshire Police and the Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Children Partnership to update the advice and guidance to schools regarding the actions to take, when schools become aware of someone displaying concerning or threatening behaviour in the vicinity of a school. Updated School Safe Alert Protocol Covering Letter, Guidance, Notification Form and Flowchart are now available. 

The revised protocol was implemented in June 2022.

The guidance has been designed to help you to decide when it is appropriate to share your concerns with the Police and how to do this. The Notification Form is a template for you to complete to prepare for sharing information with the Police.  The Flow Chart is a diagrammatic summary to aid your decision- making around whether to share your concerns with the Police, or whether your concerns are more appropriately directed elsewhere.

Whole school policy update

Please see below revised Whole School Policy for 2023/24 academic year, providing updates on a number of issues relating to safeguarding, as well as the template whole school policy. Please note that if you wish to adopt the policy or any part of it you will need to ensure that it mirrors the safeguarding arrangements in place in the school.

Young People and Self-harm

Young People and Self-harm: Guidance for Schools [PDF] has been written by the Educational Psychology Service (EPS) in collaboration with  Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

The document complements existing guidance entitled ‘Life is for everyone – supporting pupils who present with suicidal feelings' [PDF].

The local guidance arises from a recent Serious Case Review which highlighted the importance of:-

  1. School staff awareness of self-harm and suicide, and
  2. Young people having awareness of resources and how to access support for themselves as well as for their friends
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