It’s the start of term, and everyone is ready to go.

You are refreshed from the holiday, you have had time to do your display boards and all your lesson plans, and you’ve had the inspirational Inset that might just change your teaching. 

But then it hits: it’s time for the dreaded safeguarding Inset.

Quick read: How to keep your students safe

Quick listen: How to support pupils with eating disorders

From the magazine: How to support pupils with long-term health problems

You know that it’s important and it’s everyone’s responsibility.

You’ve stayed up-to-date with the relevant news, and Twitter and Facebook keep you aware of new issues, like upskirting. 

You may not know the breakdown of some of the acronyms, nor that there are so many documents, but you know to look out for any changes in a child and to pass it on.

So what more do you need to know? 

Safeguarding: Spare a thought for the DSL

It can feel like you are going over the same thing again and again. You start to think that maybe you could get your iPad out and start going through the few emails that you didn’t answer.

But let me beg you: please have pity on your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and give them your time and patience.

They know that the topic can be difficult for some people, including those who have had to be involved in some horrendous investigations. 

They know that there are some topics that people have had a great amount of experience with. I often give Inset looking those staff straight in the eye and say, “Sorry, you know all of this.” 

Your DSL also knows that to some the inset can be dry and repetitive. I have heard of great initiatives like quizzes, surveys, case studies and a mass of evidence-building.  

But there are only so many ways that you can make it interesting or fun without losing the importance of the subject.

A good DSL will try to focus on the key aspects of Keeping Children Safe in Education but put it into language that’s relevant to your school. 

They will try to reassure you that they will be there to help you through these challenging topics, but they will say that you need to look out for them and report them. They will engage the experts in the room, involve them and call on them to be involved in the discussion. After all, we are all in this together.

Protecting pupils - and the school

And that is why we need training. Children need us trained, so that they can get the help they need. The Inset could even result in an immediate disclosure, as was the case with a fellow DSL. 

Ultimately, your DSL knows that sometimes the training feels like a tick-box exercise, but at audits and inspections, the first thing that will be asked is: have you had/delivered your training. And if things go wrong: was the training adequate? How do you know? Prove it. 

So they will look for other ways to deliver the information - learning walks, surveys to see how departments understand the topics, weekly newsletters, requesting that safeguarding is on every department agenda. Whatever they decide, please give them time. It’s not an easy role. 

And to my colleagues, I promise that I will never make you do a role play. 

Ceri Stokes is assistant head (DSL) at Kimbolton School in Cambridgeshire. She tweets @CeriStokes