SP59 Response Accepted

Audit of safeguarding information transfer between schools

Recommendation

The Department for Education should carry out an audit to ensure that safeguarding information is reliably being passed between schools and should consider what further role Ofsted may play to strengthen protection in this area.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- The government stated the Department for Education expects to complete a sample audit of schools to assess the reliability of safeguarding information transfer by late 2027, with learning considered when updating Keeping Children Safe in Education 2027 (Government Response to Phase 1 of the Southport Inquiry, CP 1623, Home Office, July 2026).
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by claude-opus-4-8 on 02 Jul 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
Jurisdiction
UK-wide
Response
Accepted
Accepted Department for Education
02 Jul 2026

Department for Education (DfE) is the lead department and expects to complete this recommendation by late 2027. Progress and next steps:
- DfE will undertake a sample audit of schools to assess the reliability of safeguarding information transfer.
- DfE will consider learning from the audit when updating Keeping Children Safe in Education 2027 and also how findings are relevant to Ofsted areas of inspection.

Read Full Response
Progress Timeline
Department for Education states: Official Report
02 Jul 2026

Government response published 2 July 2026 (CP 1623). The government accepted this recommendation; the lead department reports implementation is in progress.

Source
Manual Entry
13 Apr 2026

Awaiting government response. Phase 1 report published 13 April 2026.

Source
Inquiry Southport Inquiry
Report The Southport Inquiry Report: Phase 1 13 Apr 2026
View Source
Responsible Bodies
Department for Education Primary
Themes & Tags
Care safeguarding systems Missed Child Safeguarding Referrals Education Safeguarding School Attendance
Recommendation age 0.3 yrs
Last formal update 02 Jul 2026