100% of survey complete.
Safeguarding is evolving. As schools face increasingly complex risks, many are moving beyond minimum compliance towards building strong, proactive safeguarding cultures that support children, staff and communities.

This global survey forms the foundation of Safeguarding Awareness Week 2026 and the flagship report:

Compliance & Culture: Helping Schools Build a Proactive Safeguarding Future

By taking part, you are helping Tes to:
  • Understand current safeguarding practice across different school contexts
  • Identify what best practice looks like in 2026
  • Highlight what is helping schools move from reactive responses to proactive culture
  • Shape practical resources, guidance and policy recommendations that genuinely support schools
The survey should take approximately 10–12 minutes to complete.

Your responses are confidential and will be reported in aggregate form only. No individual school or respondent will be identified without explicit permission.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and insight, your voice matters.
School Profile

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* 1. Which of the following best describes your school's location and context?

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* 2. Which age ranges does your school serve? (tick all that apply)

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* 3. What is your role in the school? (tick all that apply if more than one is true)

Questions for DSLs, Deputy DSLs & Equivalent Leads

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* 4. Approximately how many hours per week do you personally spend on safeguarding duties?

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* 5. Roughly what proportion of your safeguarding time is spent on… (Please enter a number between 0 and 100 for each. You do not need to add the % symbol, and your answers do not need to total exactly 100.)

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* 6. How would you describe the current balance between operational (day-to-day) and strategic work in your lead role?

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* 7. Do you feel you have enough protected time specifically for strategic safeguarding work (e.g. analysis, planning, culture-building)?

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* 8. How supported do you feel by your senior leadership / governance in your lead role?

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* 9. Which of the following would most improve your ability to lead best practice in this area?
(tick up to 3)

Culture & Confidence

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* 10. Which stage of the safeguarding culture maturity model best reflects your school?

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* 11. How confident are staff in recognising safeguarding concerns?

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* 12. How confident are staff in reporting concerns through your school's
processes?

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* 13. How embedded is safeguarding in your whole-school culture?

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* 14. Who do you feel “owns” safeguarding in your school?

Workload & Wellbeing

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* 15. How manageable do you feel the workload related to safeguarding is in your school?

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* 16. You answered that you felt safeguarding workload in your school is very challenging or unsuitable. Could you please explain why?

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* 17. To what extent does dealing with safeguarding concerns affect your own wellbeing?

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* 18. How often are you or colleagues exposed to distressing or traumatic content as part of this work?

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* 19. Do those with key responsibilities (e.g. DSL) receive structured supervision or reflective support?

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* 20. Has safeguarding workload been a factor in any of the following for you or colleagues you're aware of in the past 12 months? (tick all that apply)

Online Harms, Misogyny, AI & Behaviour

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* 21. In the past 12 months, which of the following have you seen increase among students?

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* 22. How confident is your school in identifying and responding to online harms (including social media and messaging apps)?

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* 23. Does your school have clear, consistently applied processes for responding to incidents involving online harms?

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* 24. Have you dealt with any safeguarding concerns where AI-generated content played a role (e.g. deepfakes, AI-edited images, AI-generated threats)?

Systems, Reporting & Data

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* 25. How confident are you in the quality and completeness of your safeguarding record-keeping?

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* 26. Which of the following best describes how your school records safeguarding concerns?

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* 27. To what extent does your safeguarding data help you identify patterns or emerging risks proactively?

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* 28. Would better analysis and reporting tools help your school identify concerns earlier and target support more effectively?

Training & Consistency

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* 29. How consistent is practice across staff when responding to potential safeguarding concerns?

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* 30. Thinking about your most recent whole-school training in this area, how confident did staff feel afterwards?

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* 31. Which areas of training would most improve practice in your school?
(tick up to 3 that would have the biggest impact)

Challenges & Enablers (2026 Focus)

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* 32. What are currently the biggest challenges for your school when it comes to safeguarding
(choose up to 3)

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* 33. Which of the following would most help your school strengthen its [safeguarding / child protection / student safety] culture?
(choose up to 3)

Policy, Charter & Standards

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* 34. In your context, would you support a mandatory, standardised qualification or training requirement for those leading on safeguarding in schools (e.g. DSL / lead role)?

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* 35. Would you support the strengthening of consistent national or regional standards for safeguarding in schools?

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* 36. Tes is working on developing a Global Safeguarding Charter for schools. Would you be supportive of a shared, internationally informed set of principles that schools worldwide can use as a benchmark?

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* 37. Would your school consider publicly endorsing or signing a Global Principles Charter if it aligned with your context and legal framework?

Open Questions

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* 38. In your own words, what does excellent safeguarding culture look like in your setting?

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* 39. If you could change just one thing to improve this area in your school over the next year, what would it be?

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* 40. Are there any examples of best practice in your school that you would be happy for Tes to highlight (anonymously if needed)?

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* 41. Looking ahead to the next 12 months, what is your biggest concern in this area?

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* 42. Would you be happy for Tes to contact you about this research or related safeguarding work?

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* 43. Name

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* 45. Would you like to receive a copy of the Tes Safeguarding Report 2026 when it is published? (you must fill in your email address above)

Thank you for taking part in this survey.

Your contribution will directly inform the Tes Safeguarding Report 2026, as well as practical toolkits and guidance designed to help schools build confident, proactive safeguarding cultures.

Safeguarding is not just about policies and procedures, it is about people, culture and shared responsibility. By sharing your experience, you are helping shape a safer future for children and young people.

If you have opted in, we'll be in touch when the report is published. Thank you again for your time and commitment.
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