Almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of school staff feel that there are more safeguarding concerns being raised than this time last year, a Tes survey has found.
And nearly two-fifths (39 per cent) of respondents did not feel that there is sufficient guidance for schools overall on how to deal with allegations of sexual harassment and violence.
One in four (25 per cent) said they do not think pupils feel safe at their school, according to the survey of more than 1,200 staff.
Dawn Jotham, pastoral and safeguarding lead for Tes, said: “Safeguarding is a priority for schools, but it is clear from the results of our survey that not all staff feel confident in the role they must play. A whole-school approach where anyone a child may address feels properly equipped to deal with a disclosure is vital.”
The findings follow warnings in a government report late last year that teachers feel “powerless” over pupil safety, with safeguarding hampered by a “frustrating” lack of communication with children’s social care services.
And a Tes investigation earlier this year revealed that as many as three-quarters of referrals from schools are resulting in no further action being taken by some local authorities.
National figures suggest that the number of safeguarding referrals from schools to councils has surged.
In 2022, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 129,090 referrals. This represents a significant increase after a dip in numbers in 2021, when just 81,180 cases were referred. In 2020, the figure was 117,010.
There were some positive findings in today’s Tes survey, with an increased number of staff saying they feel confident handling reports of disclosures from pupils - 83 per cent, up from 76 per cent last year.
The findings have been published during Tes Safeguarding Awareness Week, when Tes is partnering with the NSPCC, to deliver a live lesson aimed at key stage 2 classrooms.
This will cover areas such as who the safe adults are in pupils’ lives, where they can go for support and how to develop healthy relationships.
