Ofsted 2025: What School Leaders Need to Know About Safeguarding
Introduction
With the release of the September 2025 Ofsted Framework, safeguarding has moved even further into the spotlight. Inspectors are no longer satisfied with policies that simply sit on a shelf, they want to see a culture where safeguarding is lived and breathed throughout the school.
For headteachers, DSLs, and MAT leaders, this shift brings both opportunity and challenge. Here’s what you need to know, and how you can evidence best practice when inspectors arrive.
Safeguarding Under the Spotlight
The updated framework makes safeguarding more than a compliance checklist. Leaders will be judged on how well they:
Safeguard the safeguarders: supporting DSL wellbeing through reflective supervision and resourcing.
Build capacity: ensuring safeguarding knowledge and responsibility are shared, not isolated to one individual.
Embed culture: inspectors want to see safeguarding in classrooms, corridors, clubs, and leadership meetings.
Put simply, Ofsted expects safeguarding to be part of the DNA of your school.
Links to Statutory Guidance
Ofsted’s 2025 emphasis aligns closely with existing DfE guidance:
Working Together (2023): highlights the need for supervision and professional support.
KCSiE (2025): requires schools to provide adequate time, training, and resources for DSLs.
Education Inspection Framework (2025): states leaders must demonstrate how they are safeguarding those who hold safeguarding responsibility.
Inspectors will expect to see not just compliance, but evidence of impact, what difference these measures make in practice.
What Leaders Should Do Now
To prepare, school leaders can take proactive steps:
Prioritise DSL Wellbeing
Regular reflective supervision sessions to prevent burnout.
Clear lines of accountability and support from senior leadership.
Share Safeguarding Responsibility
Train wider staff to build safeguarding capacity.
Encourage safeguarding discussions at all levels of governance.
Showcase Evidence of Culture
Use case studies, staff voice, and pupil voice.
Demonstrate how safeguarding principles influence curriculum, behaviour, and pastoral care.
Why This Matters
When safeguarding is seen as everyone’s business, schools move beyond compliance into creating genuinely safe, nurturing environments. For Ofsted, this is not about catching leaders out, it’s about holding schools accountable for ensuring that children, and those who safeguard them, are protected.
Next Steps
The new framework raises the bar, but also provides an opportunity for leaders to show the strength of their safeguarding culture. By investing in supervision, sharing responsibility, and embedding safeguarding into everyday practice, schools can demonstrate real impact to Ofsted.