July 21

 Updated statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.

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Here's a summary by the Education People of the key online safety requirements for schools and colleges.

More than 200 high-profile women have signed an open letter asking for concrete action to tackle abuse on social media platforms.

The letter - signed by women including former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, ex-US tennis player Billie Jean King and British actresses Thandiwe Newton and Emma Watson - has been published at the UN Generation Equality Forum.

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Ofsted has warned UK schools that they need to act as though sexual harassment and online sexual abuse is happening to them – even if they haven’t been named on the Everyone’s Invited website. The education watchdog published the results of their rapid review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges on the 10th of June, 2021.

This is a summary by INEQE Safeguarding Group.

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Andrew Hall Specialist Safeguarding Consultant's summary of Oftsed's review of sexual abuse in schools.

Sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are so commonplace that young people see no point in reporting incidents. These behaviours have become normalised.

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The following resources have been produced by SLES to support primary schools with delivering this important aspect of the curriculum. Beyond this local resource there is also signposting to videos hosted elsewhere on the internet. All videos must be watched by the teacher, prior to use in class, to determine whether they are suitable for that particular group of children. Some videos may contain subtle references to more mature topics which help to reinforce the message but may not be suitable for all classes.

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It’s Pride Month in the UK, which marks the celebration of and focus on LGBTQ+ communities. While this is a time to celebrate, it is also an important time to shed light on the difficult everyday situations many LGBTQ+ young people find themselves in, especially during the ongoing pandemic. Understanding the context of the lives of young LGBTQ+ people and the lived experience of children and young people in our care means we can better understand and support them.

The ‘Queerantine study’ by UCL and University of Sussex found that more than two thirds of LGBTQ+ people showed significant symptoms of depression during lockdown.

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