Safeguarding report to governors each term: what to share

Governors hold strategic responsibility for safeguarding. In England, Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) says governing bodies and proprietors carry that responsibility and should name a senior board-level lead. Outside England, many schools use KCSIE as a benchmark, and local law may differ.

The International Taskforce on Child Protection (ITFCP) is a coalition of international school leaders and education bodies. Its 2025 governance briefing asks the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) to give the board a report at least once a year. It also suggests a named board member meets the DSL each term.

The Council of British International Schools (COBIS) advises a named governor to meet the DSL at least once a term. A short report each term keeps that meeting useful, and it gives you a place to ask for the time and support the role needs. Read what a board is responsible for for the wider picture.

Keep it to two pages and use the same headings every term. Governors can then compare terms at a glance. ITFCP suggests trends, risk updates, audit findings, anonymous outcomes of any allegations against adults, and progress on the development plan.

Share the draft with the Head and the named governor first, as ITFCP recommends. Then use these seven headings.

• Headline: three lines on how the term went and what worries you most
• Numbers: concerns by type, referrals to outside agencies, and change since last term
• Training: induction, refresher and DSL training, with completion rates
• Adults: an anonymous count of staff conduct concerns and how each one ended
• Risks: your top three risks and what changed since last term
• Actions: progress on last term's actions, and the next ones
• Requests: what you need from governors, and by when

Share totals and trends. ITFCP says governors should see child protection data in anonymous, aggregate form. The board looks at the pattern, and you hold the cases.

Use the same categories all year so terms can be compared. ITFCP's data briefing suggests at least six: online abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, identity-based abuse and sexual abuse. Schools can add self-harm, mental health and peer-on-peer abuse.

Clean totals start with steady records. See how to record a safeguarding concern.

• Concerns logged this term, by category
• Referrals made to outside agencies
• Concerns by age group or school section
• Where and when concerns happen, such as buses, trips or break times
• Staff training and induction completion rates
• How staff conduct concerns ended, with no names

Governors do not manage cases. ITFCP says the board should not receive individual concerns or take part in day-to-day case work. Names, initials, family details and health details stay with you.

Small numbers can identify a child. Agree a rule with your data protection lead, for example showing "fewer than five" instead of an exact count. Some governors are parents or staff, so a harmless-looking detail can point to a child they know.

An allegation against the Head goes to the chair or the named governor, never to the Head. A concern with serious legal or reputational risk may also go to the named governor, if local law allows. Other allegations against staff follow your own process.

If a governor hears a worry about a child, they follow the school's child protection procedure and tell you the same day. If a child is in immediate danger, call local emergency services at once, then follow your school's child protection procedure.

• Names, initials, photos or class lists
• Family, health, immigration or religion details
• Case notes copied from your records
• Staff names or roles that point to one person
• Anything a parent could use to guess who it is

A number alone tells governors little. A rise in concerns can mean more harm, or it can mean staff are noticing and reporting more. Say which you think, and why.

Add a plain sentence of context to each figure. The Charity Commission, which regulates charities in England and Wales, tells trustees to read qualitative reports as well as statistics.

Here is wording you can adapt: "Concerns logged went up this term. Most of the rise came after staff training, so I think staff are noticing more. I will test that against next term's figures."

Good questions ask for assurance and leave cases alone. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) lists questions for trustees, such as whether staff feel confident raising concerns and whether training matches the risks the school faces.

Governors can also ask about your workload. KCSIE says the DSL should have the time, funding, training and resources to do the role well.

A staff survey on policy and practice gives governors real evidence for the first question below.

• Do staff know who to tell, and do they feel safe doing it?
• Which kinds of concern are rising, and what do we think is behind that?
• How fast does a concern reach you, and how fast does action follow?
• Has every adult finished induction and refresher training?
• Who covers your role when you are away?
• What did students and staff tell us this term?
• What do you need from us, and what happens if we say no?

Open with the shape of the report. Say: "I will cover four things: the numbers, training, risks, and what I need from you. I will not share details of any child."

Ask for a decision. Say: "I am asking governors to approve a trained second deputy, so concerns are covered when I am away." Governors can then answer yes, no or not yet.

If someone asks for names, stay calm and clear. Say: "I cannot share details of individual children. I can tell you what we did and what we learned."

Set the dates at the start of the year. Ask the chair or clerk to make safeguarding a standing agenda item, as ITFCP and the Charity Commission both suggest.

Write down what governors decide and what they ask for. Open next term's report with those actions, so governors see that their questions lead somewhere.

• Three weeks before: pull your figures and check them with your deputy
• Two weeks before: share the draft with the Head and the named governor
• One week before: send the final two pages to all governors
• At the meeting: present in person for ten minutes, then take questions
• Afterwards: minute the decisions and set actions for next term