Safeguarding
How safeguarding works in Skilly
A plain-English map of exactly what happens when a pupil writes a reflection — what the AI looks for, who is alerted, and when. Built so a teacher knows the answer before they ever ask the question.
The teacher’s worry, answered up front
“If a pupil discloses something, does it land on me to catch it — instantly, at all hours?”No. Skilly reads every reflection automatically, surfaces only genuine concerns to the school’s care team, and never asks a teacher to be the net. The AI proposes; a human always decides what happens next. Skilly contacts no pupil and no parent on its own.
What happens when a pupil submits
Step 1 · the pupil
A pupil writes a reflection and presses submit
The reflection is saved immediately, 24/7. From here, two completely separate things happen — they never interfere with each other.
Track A · Feedback (teacher-controlled)
- • The teacher sees the reflection immediately in their portal.
- • The pupil sees AI feedback when the school chooses: instant, or after 24 / 48 / 72 hours / a custom delay — so the teacher can review first.
- • The teacher can override, edit or release any feedback. The teacher always has the final word.
Track B · Safeguarding (always immediate)
- • The AI scans the reflection for a safeguarding signal the instant it’s submitted, 24/7.
- • This is never delayed by the feedback setting above.
- • For an EAL pupil writing in their home language, the scan runs on their original words, not a translation — the flag quote is then translated to English so the log stays reviewable.
- • It only surfaces a genuine concern — see the bar below.
Step 2 · the bar — both must be true
A flag is raised only when BOTH apply
(A) A SPECIFIC personal signal — a real incident, person, intention or disclosure, not a generic feeling or on-topic curriculum answer. AND (B) a Designated Liaison Person would see it as a reasonable basis to log or refer under Children First. If either is uncertain, nothing is flagged.
Step 3 · the three outcomes
HIGH
Immediate-risk disclosure
Self-harm or suicidal ideation, abuse disclosure, named ongoing bullying, clear intent. → Real-time email alert to the safeguarding team + an escalation chase if unacknowledged.
MEDIUM
Same-day check-in
A specific personal disclosure that isn't immediate-risk. → Logged in the coordinator's safeguarding queue for review. Does not page anyone.
NOTHING
Below the bar
Normal teenage venting, on-curriculum engagement, vague or hypothetical distress. → Not flagged at all. This is what keeps the queue meaningful.
Step 4 · the HIGH alert (in school hours)
Who is paged, within seconds
Coordinators, admins, the pupil's class teacher and any nominated year-head. If nobody acknowledges within 30 minutes it escalates again; at 120 minutes the Principal is added. A human always decides the action — Skilly never contacts a pupil or parent itself.
What about evenings, weekends & holidays?
Schools can’t action an alert at 2am or mid-holiday — so out of hours, Skilly behaves honestly without ever losing the signal:
The record is never delayed
The reflection is saved and AI-scanned immediately, 24/7. The school is never holding an unread disclosure.
Only the staff alert waits
A HIGH alert queues to the next school morning instead of paging overnight, then fires at school-open with the flag at the top of the queue.
The pupil is never left waiting
They see an honest panel: a teacher may not see this until school reopens — talk to a trusted adult, free 24/7 services, or 999/112 if in danger.
Schools set their own hours and holidays, and can opt to alert a nominated out-of-hours contact for immediate-risk cases instead of queueing.
The pupil always has somewhere to turn — every hour of every day
On every submission, the pupil sees a calm “you could contact” panel: a trusted adult (parent/guardian first), the school’s support contacts, and free national services — Childline 1800 66 66 66 · Text 50808 · Samaritans 116 123 · Pieta 1800 247 247. This never depends on a staff member being online.