PGCE Safeguarding and Child Protection — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' (KCSIE 2024), which of the following is a statutory responsibility of ALL school staff?
- Investigating allegations of abuse thoroughly before reporting
- Being aware of the signs of abuse and reporting any concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) without delay (Correct answer)
- Contacting parents directly when abuse is suspected
- Deciding whether a concern meets the threshold for referral to children's social care
Correct answer: Being aware of the signs of abuse and reporting any concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) without delay
KCSIE is clear that ALL staff have a responsibility to be vigilant and report concerns to the DSL. Staff should not investigate, make judgements about threshold, or inform parents — these are decisions for the DSL and children's social care.
Question 2: What are the four categories of child abuse as defined in 'Working Together to Safeguard Children'?
- Bullying, neglect, online harm, and radicalisation
- Physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect (Correct answer)
- Physical abuse, verbal abuse, financial abuse, and institutional abuse
- Self-harm, peer-on-peer abuse, exploitation, and neglect
Correct answer: Physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect
The four statutory categories of child abuse are physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. While other forms of harm (such as online abuse, exploitation, and radicalisation) are also safeguarding concerns, these four are the defined categories.
Question 3: A pupil tells you that they are being hurt at home but asks you to promise not to tell anyone. What should you do?
- Promise to keep it secret as the pupil trusts you
- Explain that you cannot promise confidentiality but will only tell people who need to know in order to keep them safe, then report to the DSL (Correct answer)
- Tell the pupil to speak to their parents about it
- Wait a few days to see if the pupil mentions it again before acting
Correct answer: Explain that you cannot promise confidentiality but will only tell people who need to know in order to keep them safe, then report to the DSL
Teachers must never promise confidentiality in safeguarding disclosures. You should explain sensitively that you need to share the information with someone who can help, reassure the pupil, and report to the DSL immediately. Delaying a report could put the child at further risk.
Question 4: What is the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) in a school?
- To be the only person in the school who knows about safeguarding
- To take lead responsibility for safeguarding, manage referrals, coordinate with external agencies, and ensure all staff receive appropriate training (Correct answer)
- To investigate all allegations of abuse independently without external support
- To teach safeguarding lessons to pupils only
Correct answer: To take lead responsibility for safeguarding, manage referrals, coordinate with external agencies, and ensure all staff receive appropriate training
The DSL takes lead responsibility for safeguarding in the school. Their role includes managing referrals to children's social care, liaising with external agencies (police, health services), maintaining records, and ensuring the whole school approach to safeguarding is effective.
Question 5: Which of the following might be an indicator of neglect in a school-aged child?
- The child excels academically in all subjects
- The child consistently arrives at school hungry, in dirty or inappropriate clothing, and with untreated medical conditions (Correct answer)
- The child has a large friendship group
- The child participates actively in after-school clubs
Correct answer: The child consistently arrives at school hungry, in dirty or inappropriate clothing, and with untreated medical conditions
Neglect involves a persistent failure to meet a child's basic needs. Signs include poor hygiene, inadequate clothing, persistent hunger, untreated health problems, and poor school attendance. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse in the UK.
Question 6: Under the Prevent duty, what are teachers required to do?
- Monitor pupils' social media accounts daily
- Have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism, and refer concerns about radicalisation through appropriate channels (Correct answer)
- Report any pupil who expresses a political opinion
- Teach pupils that all forms of religion are dangerous
Correct answer: Have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism, and refer concerns about radicalisation through appropriate channels
The Prevent duty (Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015) requires schools to have due regard to preventing radicalisation. Teachers should be aware of signs of radicalisation, promote British values, and refer concerns through the school's safeguarding procedures or directly to the Channel programme.
PGCE Safeguarding and Child Protection
Under 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' (KCSIE 2024), which of the following is a statutory responsibility of ALL school staff?