How will the Welsh Government’s consultations on regulatory changes for independent schools incorporate recommendations related to mandatory reporting duties, especially regarding the requirement for school proprietors to report abuse, neglect, or harm to local authorities?
The safety and well-being of individuals in all education settings, including independent schools in Wales is paramount.
Currently, all staff working in an independent school must take account of the Wales Safeguarding Procedures. These procedures set out the school’s duty to report to the local authority where there is reasonable cause to believe a child to be at risk of abuse, neglect or any kind of harm.
In 2024, following a public consultation the suite of Regulations under which independent schools in Wales operate were updated. The updated regulations take account of recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). They make clear that the proprietor is ultimately responsible and accountable for maintaining and improving provision at an independent school; and require schools to ensure that they actively promote the safeguarding of learners.
The consultation on the regulations included a question on the requirement for individuals in independent schools to inform the local authority where they know or reasonably suspect that a child, who is a pupil at the school, is experiencing or is at risk of abuse, neglect or harm. Although, the decision was taken not to take this forward in the independent school regulations the recommendation to mandate individual duties to report will be considered further across both maintained and independent schools at the same time.