Education Team Administrator Emily Bourne discusses the latest data about the safety of schools, and what a Christian response should be
It is once again that time of year – the start of a new school term. Many children will be going to school or nursery for the first time, whilst others are moving from primary to secondary school.
This will provoke a range of emotions for children. Some may be excited, but others will be fearful about what a change of school or class will bring. The role of the parent in these circumstances is often to lead by example, in setting a positive and reassuring tone to their children that they have nothing to worry about.
But how much confidence can parents really have in the state of the education system? We have previously commented on the sad reality that many children are currently not safe in school.
Two years on, there are increasing reasons to believe this is still the case.
Serious safeguarding failures
All children are vulnerable, but it is all the more apparent in nursery settings where children may not have learnt to even walk or talk.
It is staggering that there were almost 20,000 reports of serious childcare incidents in England’s nurseries in the past five years. This is an average of about 75 “significant events” reported to Ofsted each week – including incidents of serious injury or significant harm. The figures for serious incidents in the year 2023-24 are 40% higher than five years previously.
There have been rare cases involving deaths, such as that of nine-month-old Genevieve who was found unresponsive as a result of “asphyxia and pathophysiological stress” after her nursery worker swaddled her so tightly inside a blanket that she couldn’t move. Genevieve was then placed face down onto a bean bag, unable to move freely or breathe.
There have also been cases of nurseries failing to protect children from sexual predators. For example, 45-year-old Vincent Chan was recently jailed for 18 years for a series of horrific sexual offences against children as young as two. Bright Horizons, one of the UK’s largest nursery chains which employed Vincent Chan, has been served with a safeguarding notice by Ofsted after checks found that there were “significant weaknesses in organisational safeguarding leadership, governance, oversight and practice.”
How a society chooses to protect their most vulnerable people says a lot of about the state of a nation, and this should concern Christian parents as they seek to protect the most precious gift God has given them, their children. The assumption of their safety in state run institutions is increasingly being proved unreliable.
Ongoing recruitment crisis
It is true to say that incidents like the ones described above are thankfully rare, and it should be acknowledged that the vast majority of teachers and other school support staff go above and beyond to ensure that children in their care are kept safe.
However, as a society, we have also failed to sufficiently value this work at a time when pupils are becoming more violent, and this has left many teachers themselves feeling unsafe and unsupported.
A national survey by the teaching union NASUWT in 2025 found that teachers are regularly subjected to physical and verbal abuse from pupils which is driving them from the profession.
For example, 20% of teachers surveyed have been hit or punched by pupils, with 25% experiencing pupil violence at least once a term. In the central south of England alone, analysis of Health and Safety Executive statistics shows the number of reported injuries caused by “acts of violence” against school and college employees is two-and-a-half times higher than it was 10 years ago. One teacher was left with serious spinal injuries, broken ribs and a fractured collarbone when a pupil threw a heavy chair at her, hitting her across the back. If the teachers are not safe, how can the children themselves be safe?
Back in 2024, Labour’s manifesto pledged to recruit 6,500 new “expert” teachers who would be funded by making private school fees subject to 20% VAT for the first time. However, state schools are still losing teachers with the number falling by 4,754, between the 2023-24 and 2025-26 academic years.
Despite this the former Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, claims that they are 70% of the way to their target with more than 4,654 more teachers “in the places they’re needed most.” However, the claim has been challenged on the grounds that it excludes primary and nursery teachers and that much of the increase reflects growth in special schools and further education rather than the wider teaching workforce.
This is why Christian Concern is supporting a legal challenge against the imposition of VAT on private school fees which has disproportionately affected small low-cost independent Christian schools. At a time of crisis within the state system, we need to ensure that parents continue to have the freedom to send their children to a school in line with their religious ethos, and often with a higher staff to pupil ratio, which will also support their safety.
Pupil on pupil violence
As well as attacks on teachers, children are also displaying increasing levels of aggression towards each other.
In February 2025, 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose, was fatally stabbed by another pupil during lunch break. An investigation into the events preceding his murder found several weaknesses in safeguarding procedures.
Violent attacks like these are becoming more frequent.
In 2023-24, use, or threat of use, of an offensive weapon or prohibited item appeared 14,770 times in suspension reasoning and 703 times in permanent exclusions. Police recorded 150 stabbings or other knife crimes causing injuries at schools across England and Wales in 2024, the equivalent to four every school week.
Special Educational Needs
The number of children getting support for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England is also at a record high. This means there is a huge waiting list of children waiting to receive a diagnosis or relevant support to assist their learning and even to ensure their safety. Just under a quarter of children with ADHD must wait more than four years after being referred for a diagnosis to be seen by a specialist or eventually diagnosed, whilst one in six children with autism wait more than four years for a diagnosis.
In the meantime, even specialist schools are struggling to cope with this increased pressure. Parents of children with SEND are reporting that it isn’t safe to send them to school because specific support such as occupational therapy, small class sizes and sensory regulation are rarely in place. This is leading to children hurting themselves while in the school setting due to insufficient supervision.
Time for action
This article should highlight the clear need for Christians to be involved in education. We need Christian teachers and parents to be salt in the state system. If you are called to be in this sphere, there will be many opportunities for mission which is invaluable. But we also need to build what is better, and Christians should be a forefront of pioneering home education groups and small Christian independent schools, especially where the local schools are clearly unsafe.
Our education website is designed to equip and encourage parents, teachers, church leaders, and all those interested in or involved in education to play their necessary role in discipling the next generation. The site brings together various resources to support Christian witness across state schools, home education and independent schools, and has many helpful links to partnering organisations.
Bans on children using smart phones and social media may be important steps in the right direction regarding keeping children safe, but they do not address the underlying issues which are a consequence of the erosion of family life and a decline in Christian values more generally.
This is why will be hosting our next Education Revolution conference in Oxford in 2027 where, through a variety of practical talks and seminars led by experts and practitioners, we will gather individuals and organisations from across the educational spectrum to discuss how Christians can once again take the lead in providing children with an education that will equip both now and into eternity. If you want to be part of the movement that is seeking to create a more Christ-centred education for the next generation, do consider attending this conference with members of your church.
As Christians, we are called to protect children from unnecessary harm, and the deceptions of the world around and ensure that they have every opportunity to know the truth of Christ for themselves. We need to act urgently, in God’s strength, if we are to bring the education system out of ‘requiring improvement’ into a position in which children are not hindered from reaching their God-given potential.