Recommendation 60: Independent school governance standards
From The Residential Schools Investigation Report, published 1 March 2022.
Recommendation
The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should: amend the Independent School Standards to include the requirements that there is an effective system of governance, based on three principles of openness to external scrutiny, transparency and honesty within the governance arrangements, and the ability of governors to have difficult conversations both internally and with those providing external scrutiny; amend the Independent School Standards to stipulate that the proprietor cannot be the designated safeguarding lead; and amend the current system of registration of independent schools to apply the same standards to registrants as those applying to open a free school or early years provision.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry recommended strengthening independent school governance, safeguarding roles, and school registration standards. In a summary of a June 2022 response archived in July 2022, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse reported that the UK government agreed in principle to revise governance standards and bar proprietors from acting as designated safeguarding leads (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Jul 2022). The Inquiry noted the government intended to consult on revised standards in 2023, update safeguarding guidance, and explore aligning independent school registration with free school standards (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Jul 2022). It also recorded that the Welsh Government agreed to amend its regulations and registration processes across all points of the recommendation (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Jul 2022).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 5 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
No government response to this recommendation is on the record yet.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Department for Education has been found in the sources searched (last checked 2 October 2026). This is separate from the response above.
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (25 July 2022)
On 30 June 2022, the UK government stated that it agreed to the first two points of the recommendation in principle. It stated that it intended to consult on revised Independent School Standards in 2023 and was making changes through Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance to stipulate that the proprietor cannot be the designated safeguarding lead. The UK government also stated that it will continue to explore the registration system and ensure, where appropriate, that the registration system for independent schools is reflective of the system for early years and free schools. On 30 June 2022, the Welsh Government stated that it will amend and strengthen the Independent School Standard Regulations in line with each point set out in this recommendation, including in respect of the designated safeguarding lead and the three principles set out in the recommendation, and that it will amend the registration process for independent schools in Wales.
From: Recommendations - Residential schools investigation report
Site note: These are the Inquiry's own words, from its recommendations page for the Residential Schools investigation report, captured by the Internet Archive on 25 July 2022. They are the Inquiry's account of what the body told it, not the body's own words.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Finding