header-logo header-logo

08 April 2021
Categories: Legal News , Criminal , Education , Community care
printer mail-detail

LNB news: Ofsted outlines plans to review sexual abuse policies in schools and colleges

Ofsted has published details of its plan to undertake an immediate review of safeguarding policies and practices relating to sexual abuse in state and independent schools and colleges. 
Lexis®Library update: It follows the publication of anonymous sexual abuse testimonials on the ‘Everyone’s Invited’ website. As part of its investigation, Ofsted will visit a sample of schools and colleges where cases have been highlighted and talk to leaders, pupils, and students. Ofsted will also work with representatives from social care, police, victim support groups and the Independent Schools Council. The review is aimed to conclude by the end of May 2021.

The review will:

  • assess whether schools and colleges have appropriate safeguarding processes in place
  • consider whether current guidance is understood by schools and colleges and is sufficient to help them respond effectively to allegations
  • establish whether current regimes are robust enough around the issue of sexual abuse, and whether schools and colleges need further support in teaching about sex and relationships
  • consider how effectively schools and colleges are working with local multi-agency safeguarding partners
Read the terms of reference for the review here.

Source: Ofsted’s review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges

This content was first published by LNB News / Lexis®Library, a LexisNexis® company, on 07/04/2021 and is published with permission. Further information can be found at: www.lexisnexis.co.uk.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
back-to-top-scroll