London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Schools in England advised to assess risk of strip-search before calling police

Schools in England advised to assess risk of strip-search before calling police

Guidance issued after 15-year-old black girl known as Child Q was strip-searched by female police officers in 2020

Schools should “assess and balance” the risk of a potential strip-search to a pupil’s mental and physical wellbeing before calling the police, according to new government guidance.

The new advice for schools in England has been issued following national outcry over the treatment of a 15-year-old black girl, known as Child Q, who was strip-searched by female police officers in 2020 after she was wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis at her school in east London.

The incident prompted days of protests in Hackney after it emerged the child was searched without an appropriate adult present and in the knowledge that she was menstruating. Her parents were not contacted.

The new Department for Education (DfE) guidance, published on Wednesday, says in such circumstances school staff must retain a duty of care to the pupil and should advocate for their wellbeing at all times.

It also says school staff should consider whether triggering a possible strip-search by police is “absolutely necessary” and ensure that all other “less invasive” approaches have been exhausted first.

A local child safeguarding practice review, conducted by City & Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership (CHSCP) and published in March, concluded the strip-search of Child Q was unjustified and that racism “was likely to have been an influencing factor”.

It said school staff should have been more challenging to the police and called on the DfE to “urgently revise” its guidance to school staff. The review found that Child Q had been traumatised and required therapy after having had to expose intimate body parts during the search.

The Metropolitan police said the actions of its officers were “regrettable” and “should never have happened”. A number of other cases where children have been strip-searched have since been referred for independent investigation.

The new DfE guidance, which aims to offer step-by-step guidance, states: “While the decision to undertake the strip-search itself and its conduct are police matters, school staff retain a duty of care to the pupil[s] involved and should advocate for pupil wellbeing at all times.

“Before calling police into school, staff should assess and balance the risk of a potential strip-search on the pupil’s mental and physical wellbeing and the risk of not recovering the suspected item.”

It adds: “Staff should consider whether introducing the potential for a strip-search through police involvement is absolutely necessary, and should always ensure that other appropriate, less invasive approaches have been exhausted.

“Once the police are on school premises, the decision on whether to conduct a strip-search lies solely with them, and the role of the school is to advocate for the safety and wellbeing of the pupil(s) involved.”

The guidance, which comes into force in September, adds that where possible staff should inform parents in advance of any search. At least two other people, one of whom must be an appropriate adult, must be present for a strip-search involving exposure of intimate body parts, except in cases where there is risk of serious harm to the pupil or others.

Pupils should be given appropriate support following a strip-search, even if a suspected item is found. “If an item is found, this may be a police matter, but should always be accompanied by a safeguarding process handled by the school which gives attention to the pupil’s wellbeing and involves relevant staff, such as the designated safeguarding lead (or deputy).”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
×