Important Information – Section 175/157 Self-Assessment 2025/26
Under Section 175 of the Education Act 2002 (for maintained schools and local authorities) and Section 157 (for academies, free schools and independent schools), governing bodies and proprietors are required to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. These duties align with statutory guidance set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023).
All education settings are required to complete an annual self-assessment as part of a whole-system approach to safeguarding. We continue to work with the Suffolk Safeguarding Partnership (SSP), and this provides assurance on the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements across education settings.This also supports the SSP in its role to understand and monitor the effectiveness of safeguarding practice across education settings.
The information provided supports both education setting-level reflection and wider partnership understanding, helping to identify strengths, areas for development and emerging themes, and informing future support, training and guidance.
The Section 175/157 safeguarding self-assessment for 2025/26 has been refined in its approach, with a stronger focus on reflection, evaluation and evidencing impact, building on the findings from the 2024/25 report. 2024/2025 - S175/157 Safeguarding Self-Assessment.
The 2025 S175/157 report identified that the following areas needed to be strengthened in our education settings:
- Lockdown procedures not consistently embedded in practice
- Inconsistencies in staff supervision and safeguarding oversight
- Gaps in governance (e.g. Children in Care (CIC) governors)
- Need for stronger contextual safeguarding practice (e.g. misogyny, exploitation, online safety)
- Limited confidence and consistency in trauma-informed approaches
- Inconsistent access to safeguarding information e.g. Counter Terrorism Local Profile (CTLP)
- Child voice not consistently embedded in safeguarding practice
- Lack of clarity in attendance expectations and processes
- Use of part-time timetables not always well-managed or reported
Alongside statutory compliance, this year’s return places greater emphasis on reflection, evaluation and evidence of impact in relation to local safeguarding priorities. Schools are asked to demonstrate how safeguarding operates in practice, rather than simply confirm that policies and procedures are in place.
This includes providing brief examples of:
- how concerns are identified and responded to
- how decisions are monitored and reviewed over time
- how safeguarding practice is evaluated and strengthened
The purpose of this approach is to support meaningful assurance and continuous improvement.
Information from the self-assessment will be used to:
- inform school-level safeguarding action planning
- identify and share effective practice across Suffolk
- shape local authority training, guidance and support
Schools are encouraged to respond openly and honestly. Identifying areas for development will not be viewed negatively; instead, it will support meaningful improvement planning at both school and local authority level.