More than a third of school staff have rated their safeguarding training as inadequate in a Tes survey.

And only 48 per cent say they have received specific training on managing online safeguarding incidents.

This is despite staff increasingly reporting the managing of safeguarding online as a challenge for schools.

Almost all respondents (92 per cent) in Tes’ 2025 safeguarding report say that monitoring online behaviour outside of school is their biggest challenge - up from 88 per cent in 2024.

Some 66 per cent say bullying is the most common online safeguarding issue, although this proportion is down from the previous year.

Call for investment in safeguarding training

The report recommends investment in safeguarding training that is updated regularly to reflect emerging trends. It also calls for online safety to be integrated into the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum.

Some 57 per cent of respondents say their school is “very proactive” in identifying and intervening in safeguarding concerns early.

However, only around a third of staff from secondary schools believe all safeguarding concerns are addressed appropriately, compared with 43 per cent of primary respondents.

The most common reason for concerns not being addressed appropriately is external agencies being unavailable or slow to respond (cited by 47 per cent of respondents). The second most common is miscommunication or the withholding of information (cited by 38 per cent).

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is currently being considered by the House of Lords, will introduce a duty for safeguarding partners such as local authorities, police and the health sector to secure the participation of education settings and ensure that their views are represented in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.

The most commonly reported barriers to effective safeguarding are difficulty accessing external services, resistance or disengagement from parents, designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) being overburdened, high staff turnover and inadequate funding.

External agencies ‘forcing issues back to schools’

One survey respondent said: “The pressure on teachers (DSLs) has become increasingly difficult. External agencies are buckling under referrals and raising thresholds, forcing issues back to schools.

“We rarely have the resources or expertise needed, especially as most incidents occur outside school. Returned referrals erode parental trust further, complicating matters even more.”

Some 73 per cent of secondary school staff say that mental health concerns are having a particular impact, while 43 per cent say knife crime and weapon possession have become notable concerns.

Overall, 22 per cent have noticed a rise in sexual harassment or assault cases over two years.

Dawn Jotham, safeguarding and pastoral lead at Tes, said: “The complexity of safeguarding concerns facing children remains troubling, and clearly online safeguarding remains a serious concern for teachers and parents alike.”

The Tes Safeguarding Report 2025 received responses from 1,949 school staff and governors. Most respondents (91 per cent) were state school senior and middle leaders, although classroom teachers also responded.

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