Annual Safeguarding Governance Review Checklist

This checklist is for chairs of governing boards, safeguarding link governors, clerks and headteachers running an end-of-year safeguarding governance review. Use it at the end of the summer term or in the first weeks of the autumn term, before the new academic year's routines take over.

It is a governance-level review, not a replacement for the DSL's operational safeguarding review. The DSL reviews how safeguarding practice works day to day - case management, referrals, staff conduct concerns, and the substance of the policy itself. The governing board's role is narrower: confirm that the governance evidence trail is in order. That means checking policies were formally approved, training is current and recorded, oversight records exist, and SCR assurance has been given - not reviewing individual safeguarding cases, which sit outside the governing board's remit.

Ten sections cover the areas a governing board should check. Work through each one, tick what is confirmed, and flag what is not. For a fuller view of governance-level safeguarding responsibility, see safeguarding governance responsibilities explained, and for how to build the underlying evidence trail this checklist verifies, see how governors can evidence safeguarding oversight.

1. Safeguarding policy

The safeguarding policy is reviewed annually as standard practice, but the governance question is whether the board's approval of it is properly evidenced - not just that the DSL updated the document. General principles for what counts as a proper approval record apply here too - see policy approval records: what governors should keep.

The safeguarding/child protection policy has been reviewed and updated to reflect the current academic year's KCSIE
The governing board has formally approved the updated policy - with a minute recording approval, version number and date
The approved policy is published on the school website and matches the governor-approved version
The policy review date is recorded and the next review is scheduled for the coming academic year

2. DSL and DDSL arrangements

Confirm the leadership structure for safeguarding is current, known, and backed by up-to-date training records.

The DSL is named and their role is known to all staff
A Deputy DSL (DDSL) is in place and named
DSL details are publicly displayed / communicated to staff
DSL training is current (KCSIE requires DSL training to be refreshed at least every 2 years)
DSL training certificate is on file and accessible

3. Staff safeguarding training

This section checks that training coverage is complete and documented - not that training content is adequate, which is an operational matter for the DSL.

All staff have received safeguarding training appropriate to their role in the current academic year (or the training is current and refreshed)
New staff received safeguarding induction as part of their onboarding
Staff training records are maintained and accessible
The DSL has confirmed to the governing board that staff training is in place

4. Governor safeguarding training

Governors need their own training record, separate from staff training, including confirmation that Part 2 of KCSIE has actually been read this year - not just circulated.

All governors have received basic safeguarding awareness training (or it is current from a recent year)
The chair has received appropriate safeguarding training for their role
New governors received safeguarding induction
Governor training records are maintained and accessible
Governing board members have confirmed they have read Part 2 of KCSIE in the current academic year

5. Single Central Record (SCR)

SCR assurance to the board needs to be a distinct, written record - not folded into a general "everything is fine" comment from the headteacher.

The SCR is complete and up to date
A named governor or clerk reviewed the SCR in the current academic year
Written SCR assurance was provided to the governing board (not just verbal confirmation)
The SCR assurance record notes: who reviewed, when, and confirmation of completeness
The governing board minutes record that SCR assurance was received

6. Link governor safeguarding activities

The link governor role only counts as evidence of oversight if the activity is documented and reported back to the full board, not just carried out informally.

A safeguarding link governor is named and their role is documented
The link governor met with the DSL at least once in the current academic year
The link governor produced a written report to the full governing board
The full governing board noted the link governor's report in the minutes
The link governor's role description is reviewed and current

7. Governor minutes - safeguarding record

Minutes are the primary evidence source for governance-level safeguarding oversight, so this section checks for substance, not just presence.

Safeguarding is a standing agenda item at every governing board meeting
The minutes from every meeting in the current year show substantive safeguarding content - not just "noted"
The minutes record governance-level safeguarding matters without individual case details
The annual safeguarding policy approval is recorded in the minutes
The SCR assurance record is referenced in the minutes

8. Online safety - filtering and monitoring

Filtering and monitoring needs a governance-level review point of its own, distinct from the school's technical management of it day to day.

The governing board received at least one report on the school's filtering and monitoring arrangements in the current academic year
The report confirms the filtering and monitoring approach is appropriate and reviewed
The governor minutes record that filtering and monitoring was reviewed at governor level
Governors have received online safety awareness relevant to their governance role

9. PREVENT duty

The governing board's PREVENT role is one of awareness and assurance - confirming the duty is understood and staff training is in place - not day-to-day case management.

The governing board has noted the school's PREVENT duty responsibilities in the current academic year
The DSL (who typically holds the PREVENT lead role) has confirmed PREVENT awareness training for relevant staff
The governing board is aware of the local PREVENT referral pathway
PREVENT is referenced in the governor minutes at least once in the academic year

10. Safer recruitment

Safer recruitment training coverage should be checked at panel level, not assumed from general staff training records.

At least one member of every interview panel has completed safer recruitment training
Safer recruitment training records are maintained and accessible
The school's safe recruitment policy is current and governor-approved

What to do with gaps

Every unchecked item on this list is an action for the new academic year, not a note to revisit informally. Treat each one the same way:

Assign a named owner - a governor, the clerk, or the DSL, depending on what the item covers.
Set a target date, ideally within the first half-term of the new academic year.
Log it in the governance action log so it is tracked alongside other open governance items, not held only in someone's memory.
Review progress at the first full governing board meeting of the autumn term, with each open item reported on by name.

Do not carry gaps over without a plan. An unchecked item with an owner and a date is manageable, visible governance work. An unchecked item with no plan attached is the same gap that will still be open this time next year - and, at inspection, an unacknowledged gap reads very differently from one with a documented remediation plan already under way. For a fuller structure on preparing this evidence for inspection, see preparing safeguarding evidence for inspection, and for how this review fits into wider end-of-year meeting preparation, see the board meeting preparation checklist for schools.

Where safeguarding governance gaps repeat across meetings or terms, record them in the school governance risk register and keep the supporting evidence in the governance evidence log.

FAQ

When should this annual review take place? The end of the summer term is the recommended timing, once the academic year's records are complete, so any gaps can be assigned and actioned before the new academic year's routines begin. Schools that cannot complete it before the summer break should run it in the first weeks of the autumn term at the latest.

Does this replace the DSL's annual safeguarding policy review? No. The DSL's review covers the substance of the policy and how safeguarding practice is working operationally. This checklist is a governance-level check that the board's own evidence trail - approvals, training records, oversight records, SCR assurance - is complete and properly recorded.

Who should lead this review - the chair, the safeguarding link governor, or the clerk? Any of the three can lead it, but the review works best as a joint exercise: the clerk pulling together the minutes and records, the safeguarding link governor checking substance against their own knowledge of the year, and the chair confirming the outcome with the full board.

What counts as "written" SCR assurance, rather than verbal confirmation? A dated note or short report stating who reviewed the SCR, when, and that it was found complete, held on file and referenced in the governing board minutes. A verbal "it's all fine" from the headteacher at a meeting, with nothing recorded, does not meet this standard.

What if several sections have multiple gaps? Treat it as a normal outcome of a first-time thorough review rather than a crisis. Log every gap with an owner and a date, prioritise anything relating to the SCR, DSL training or policy approval first, and report progress at the first governing board meeting of the new academic year.

How Edvance supports the annual safeguarding governance review

Edvance helps governing boards maintain safeguarding governance records throughout the year - policy approvals, training logs, SCR assurance notes and link governor reports kept together and up to date - so that this annual review becomes a confirmation exercise rather than a scramble to reconstruct twelve months of evidence in a single sitting.

Book a governance readiness demo to see how Edvance helps governing boards maintain safeguarding governance records that are always ready for annual review.

This article provides general governance guidance based on Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and DfE guidance. It does not constitute safeguarding or legal advice. Governing boards in maintained schools and academies should refer to the current version of KCSIE and their own trust or local authority requirements for definitive safeguarding obligations.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should this annual review take place?

The end of the summer term is the recommended timing, once the academic year's records are complete, so any gaps can be assigned and actioned before the new academic year's routines begin.

Does this replace the DSL's annual safeguarding policy review?

No. The DSL's review covers the substance of the policy and how safeguarding practice is working operationally. This checklist is a governance-level check that the board's own evidence trail is complete and properly recorded.

Who should lead this review - the chair, the safeguarding link governor, or the clerk?

Any of the three can lead it, but it works best as a joint exercise: the clerk pulling together records, the safeguarding link governor checking substance, and the chair confirming the outcome with the full board.

What counts as written SCR assurance, rather than verbal confirmation?

A dated note or short report stating who reviewed the SCR, when, and that it was found complete, held on file and referenced in the governing board minutes.

What if several sections have multiple gaps?

Treat it as a normal outcome of a first-time thorough review. Log every gap with an owner and a date, prioritise SCR, DSL training and policy approval first, and report progress at the first governing board meeting of the new academic year.