How to Run a Safeguarding Audit at Your School: A DSL Step-by-Step Guide
A safeguarding audit is your school's most powerful tool for identifying gaps before they become tragedies. This step-by-step guide covers what to audit, who should be involved, how to score your school, and what to do with the results — with a focus on knife crime and serious violence prevention.
Photo: The Safeguard Hub — school safeguarding and knife crime prevention
Under KCSIE 2025, schools must have robust systems in place to identify pupils at risk of serious harm. A formal safeguarding audit — conducted at least annually, and ideally each term — is the best way to demonstrate compliance and, more importantly, catch real risk before it escalates.
Phase 1: Governance and Leadership (2 hours)
Checklist items:
- DSL is named in the staff handbook and on the school website
- Deputy DSL(s) are trained and available when DSL is absent
- Safeguarding governor has received appropriate training in the last 12 months
- Whole-school safeguarding policy has been reviewed and signed off this academic year
- Low-level concerns policy is in place and understood by all staff
Phase 2: Knife Crime and Serious Violence Specific Audit
Violence Reduction Partnership
Does your school have a named contact at your local Violence Reduction Unit (VRU)? VRUs are now present in every area of England and Wales. They offer free training, resources, and rapid response support specifically for schools. If you don't have a contact, email your local police force's Youth Engagement team.
Search Policy
Is your search policy compliant with the DfE's 2022 "Searching, Screening and Confiscation" guidance? Staff must know they have the legal power to search pupils for knives without consent — and must know the precise procedure to avoid legal challenge.
Intelligence Sharing
Do you have a formal information-sharing agreement with your local police? Schools near known county lines activity should receive regular briefings. If you don't, contact your local police school liaison officer.
Phase 3: Pupil-Level Risk Review
Review the following cohorts for unaddressed vulnerability:
- Children looked after (CLA) and previously looked after
- Pupils on Fixed-Term or Permanent Exclusion in the last 12 months
- Pupils with 10+ days unexplained absence
- Pupils who are children of parents in the criminal justice system
- Pupils identified by teachers as having new unexplained wealth or changed peer groups
Scoring and Action Planning
Score each phase as: Green (fully in place), Amber (partially in place, action needed), or Red (not in place, urgent action). Any Red item must have a named lead and completion date. Present the audit to your governing body within 4 weeks.
Citations
[1] DfE (2025). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025. DfE.
[2] DfE (2022). Searching, Screening and Confiscation: Guidance for Schools. DfE.
[3] Youth Endowment Fund (2023). Guidance for Schools: Preventing Youth Violence. YEF.
[4] Home Office (2023). Violence Reduction Units: School Engagement Guidance. Home Office.