Section 175

Section 175 of the 2002 Education Act requires governing bodies to carry out an annual review of the school’s policies and procedures and to provide information to the Local Authority about how the duties set out in the guidance have been discharged. The purpose of the Section 175 audit is to provide evidence that all schools, including maintained, academies, independent or any who are registered with the Department for Education are fulfilling their statutory safeguarding responsibilities.

The Section 175 audit for 2025/26 is now closed, but you can use the following link to complete the self assessment and action plan to use in your school:  Section 175 2025/26.