Safeguarding concerns raised at private schools

Two independent schools in Coventry have been criticised over safeguarding failings.

The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) found leaders did not ensure pre-employment checks on new members of staff at King Henry VIII School and Bablake School were completed in line with statutory requirements.

Inspectors visited the schools, both part of the Coventry School Foundation (CSF), in April and found that of the two schools, more improvements were required at King Henry.

In a statement to the BBC, the CSF said: "We take the findings extremely seriously and are implementing a comprehensive action plan to ensure full compliance and to further strengthen our already strong practice."

The report said King Henry did not maintain an admissions register in line with existing regulations and did not on a consistent basis report to the local authority (Coventry City Council), when a pupil joined or left the school outside of traditional transition times.

It also said leaders at the school on Warwick Road did not make sure that the appropriate checks on new members of staff were carried out.

"Leaders and staff with responsibility for pre-employment recruitment processes do not demonstrate appropriate knowledge to ensure that all of the reference checks required are carried out as required," the report stated.

"They do not ensure that all references have been verified by a suitable person. Governors do not have effective oversight of this area."

Inspectors found a similar issue at Bablake School.

In response, the CSF in their statement said: "We acted immediately to address the issue, have strengthened our procedures, and commissioned an external safeguarding audit, which confirmed that safeguarding practice in our schools is effective and that pupils are safe."

The ISI said while the physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing of pupils at Bablake were being met, the same could not be said for those at King Henry VIII.

Inspectors said the school's failing in this area was down to the admissions register not being maintained in line with statutory guidance.

They recommended that the CSF ensured references had been completed by a person with appropriate authority and that the school-based reference system at King Henry was confirmed as accurate by the headteacher, especially with disciplinary action.

CSF said the safeguarding issue was a technical aspect of the recruitment processes and did not risk the safety of their pupils.

"We have written to all parents to explain the findings and the actions being taken, and this has also been discussed in detail at meetings held this week with the CEO and headteachers at both schools," it said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said pre-employment checks on new staff were not always carried out. The inspectorate found checks were done but were not always completed in the required way and we have amended the story to make this clear.

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