An evaluation template for appointing a designated safeguarding lead. A DSL appointment is a test of statutory competence and professional judgement, so most sections are scored Met or Not met rather than on a sliding scale. 2026 edition, aligned to Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 and the Ofsted Schools Inspection Toolkit (for use from September 2026).
What's inside
- Sections covering getting to know you; leadership, culture and developing others; statutory knowledge of KCSIE and categories of abuse; responding to disclosures and immediate risk; referrals, thresholds and multi-agency working; managing allegations and low-level concerns; record-keeping, information-sharing and the single central record; online safety and child-on-child abuse; and training, supervision and developing deputy DSLs
- Met or Not met criteria for the statutory sections, with a 1 to 5 scale for leadership and culture
- Space for panel notes for each panel member
9-page PDF, suitable for primary and secondary schools, and for deputy DSL appointments.
Free DSL interview questions guide
Read our free designated safeguarding lead interview questions guide, with 26 curated panel questions and what a strong answer should show, or browse guides for every role.
Part of the HeadteacherChat community library. Members get this template, the full Interview Pack for ten roles and every update when guidance changes, alongside live sessions and more than 1,400 fellow school leaders. Join the community.
