Keeping Children Safe in Education - changes from September 2025

Keeping Children Safe in Education – September 2025 - Changes

The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that the final version of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2025 will be published on 1 September 2025. This statutory guidance will come into force on the same date and is essential reading for all staff working in schools and colleges in England.

The Department for Education (DfE) has made a number of changes that reflect ongoing priorities in safeguarding practice, including online safety, sexual harassment, filtering and monitoring, and support for vulnerable children.

Technical revisions in 2025

While KCSIE 2025 includes only technical changes, schools and colleges are reminded that even minor updates can have implications for safeguarding practice. As always, it’s important that senior leaders, DSLs, and governors review the final document carefully and ensure all staff are aware of any changes.

The DfE has signalled that future updates to KCSIE will become more substantial as they reflect:

·        Legislative developments such as

o   The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill [Context: The bill amends the Children Act 2004 to require local safeguarding partners—local authorities, NHS integrated care boards, and police—to include education and childcare agencies in their safeguarding work, establish at least one multi-agency child protection team per area, mandate key professionals from each partner to participate, enforce a duty to share relevant child welfare information unless it would harm the child, and introduce a consistent child identifier for use in safeguarding records.

o   The Crime and Policing Bill [Context: It includes the governments plans to tackle child sexual abuse, including proposals for a new mandatory reporting duty for professionals working with children and criminalisation of AI-generated abuse material and platforms that host it]

o   The Online Safety Act 2023 [See ECP’s briefing on the Online Safety Act]

·        Ongoing findings from the Casey Audit and future safeguarding enquiries

[Context: The government is launching an enquiry into grooming gangs because children, mostly girls aged 10 to 15, are still being abused in serious ways, and the systems meant to protect them are failing. There’s no clear data on how common this crime is, definitions vary, and many cases go unreported. Grooming now often starts online, and victims are still wrongly blamed or even punished. Ethnicity is often not recorded, making it hard to understand patterns. Justice is slow, and many survivors are left without answers. Baroness Casey’s audit calls for stronger laws, better data, real accountability, and proper support for victims.]

 ·        Strategic work under the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) agenda

[Context: See briefing from ECP on Violence Against Women and Girls]

 ·        Updates in national policy and best practice

Upcoming guidance links

The September 2025 publication is also expected to include links to revised guidance due in the summer on:

·        Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE)

·        Gender-questioning children

Summary of changes and next steps:

Part one: Safeguarding information for all staff (no changes made)

Part Two: Management of Safeguarding

RSHE Guidance: Paragraph 128 (Page 36) A new note indicates that updated RSHE guidance last published in 2021 is anticipated in Summer 2025.

Action: Plan for curriculum and policy updates in the autumn term; share plans with RSHE and PSHE leads to prepare for likely changes.

Online Safety: Paragraph 135 (Page 38) The four Cs of online risk, content, contact, conduct and commerce have been slightly updated with the addition of content that includes misinformation, disinformation (including fake news) and conspiracy theories.

Action: Incorporate this into safeguarding training and online safety lessons; empower students and staff to critically assess digital content.

Additional information: Misinformation and disinformation

The internet and social media have made information more accessible, but they've also amplified the spread of fake news - both misinformation (unintentionally false) and disinformation (intentionally deceptive). These forms of false content pose significant risks, particularly to children and vulnerable individuals, who may lack the skills to evaluate credibility. The impact includes emotional distress, confusion, and increased susceptibility to harm from misleading online content.

Resource: Educate Against Hate has produced information, and a useful video to support with this topic.

Technology: Paragraph 142 (Page 40) A link to the “Plan Technology for Your School” tool has been added, offering self-assessment support planning, using technology, preventing incidents, and the maintenance of systems.

Action: Work with IT leads complete the assessment; creating an action plan to enhance your school's digital safeguarding systems along side the digital technology standards guidance. Remember to also review monitoring and filtering – ECP has a helpful briefing on filtering and monitoring.

Safeguarding & AI: Paragraphs 143–144 (Page 41) Updated guidance provides a link to 2025 AI information and clarifies cyber security expectations.

Action: Audit current uses of AI in your setting; revise cyber protocols in line, ensuring all staff training has been completed in line with DfE standards. Use the ECP checklist as a resource. Additionally review the guidance from IWF on CSAM Guidance and ensure your policies reflect this.

Alternative Provision: Paragraphs 169–170 (Page 47) Clarifications reflect alignment with the latest Alternative Provision guidance. There is a strong emphasis on the importance of obtaining written confirmation that all safer recruitment procedures have been fully followed for every member of staff. This includes ensuring that appropriate checks are also carried out for any new staff joining alternative provision (AP) settings, particularly where there may be circumstances that could pose a risk to children.

Schools are required to maintain accurate records of where their pupils are being educated during school hours. This means they must know the exact address of any alternative provision placements.

Additionally, the guidance advises that all AP placements should be reviewed at least once every half term. These reviews should confirm that the child is attending regularly, that their educational and welfare needs are being met, and that the environment remains safe. If any concerns arise and are not adequately addressed, schools should consider ending the placement.

Action: AP settings should update staff CPD and safeguarding frameworks to match revised expectations, and school to ensure records reflect the actions above.

Attendance: Paragraph 177 (Page 49) The “Working Together to Safeguard Attendance” guidance is now statutory.

Action: Ensure your policies and staff practices align with this status; including the re-wording of policies from “should” to “must”. Additionally, brief attendance teams, and ensure governors have full understanding of their ‘regard’ to the new guidance.

Virtual Head: Paragraph 199 (Page 54) From March 2024, the Virtual Head’s role has been expanded to include advocacy for children in kinship care, a focus has been added to the guidance.

Action: DSLs and Virtual Heads should adjust planning and support mechanisms to account for this vulnerable group.

Gender-questioning children: Paragraphs 204–205 (Page 56) There is a new note regarding forthcoming guidance for gender-questioning children, which is expected prior to the ‘final’ version is released on 1^st September 2025, which is incorporate the Supreme Court Judgement of ‘sex’ to mean ‘biological sex’.

Action: Prepare to review gender support protocols in summer 2025 – the Equality & Human Rights Commission interim update provides implications for schools within it’s update which may be helpful.

Paragraphs 204–205 (Page 56) ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’ has been amended to ‘Autism’ to ensure alignment with the SEND Code of Practice.

Action: Update SEND communications and training to reflect inclusive terminology.

Part Three: Safer Recruitment – Safer Recruitment Training offer at ECP Safeguarding

Pre-appointment checks: Paragraphs 260, 266, 319, 331 (Pages 74–87) Mentions of the Employer Access Service have been replaced with official GOV.UK links. Paragraph 331 also clarifies expectations in AP settings.

Action: Update safer recruitment documentation and HR training materials; adapt AP recruitment to address context-specific safeguarding risks.

Part Four: Allegations About Staff

Employment practices: Paragraph 422 (Page 106) The Information Commissioner’s guidance title has been corrected.

Action: Check all policy references to ensure correct titling and accuracy in disciplinary documentation.

Part Five: Child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment

Resource update: Paragraph 545 (Page 140) A new link has been added to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation’s “Shore Space,” a confidential online chat for young people with concerns about sexual thoughts or behaviours.

Action: Share this with DSLs and pastoral staff; include in referral toolkits and student wellbeing resources.

Annex B (Pages 157, 163, 164) Safeguarding Information

Terminology update: Page 149: Within the ‘table of contents’ the 2024 reference to ‘Child missing from education’ has now been updated to ‘Children who are absent from education’.

Page 157: The statement that ‘Preventing Radicalisation’ is under review has been removed.

Resource update: Page 163: Added link to CSA Centre’s educational resources. The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse now features a dedicated landing page specifically for education professionals. This page includes a variety of resources, such as guides on safety planning, effective communication with children and parents, and other helpful materials to support safeguarding practices in educational settings.

Resource update: Page 164: Added link to The Children’s Society’s CSE prevention page. The Children's Society provides a comprehensive range of resources to support schools in preventing and responding to child exploitation. These include an Exploitation Awareness Toolkit, which features training videos, explainers, and downloadable lesson plans designed to help school staff and students understand the risks and signs of exploitation. Additionally, their broader resource library offers guides for parents in multiple languages, materials on SEND and school exclusion, #LookCloser campaign posters, and appropriate language guides for professionals working with vulnerable children. These tools aim to empower schools to create safer environments and respond effectively to concerns.
Action: Ensure DSLs are aware of these resources; incorporate them into PSHE planning and staff CPD.

These changes are part of a broader commitment to ensure that guidance reflects evolving understanding, societal changes, and the lived experiences of children and young people.

Looking ahead

The Government has made clear that safeguarding must continue to evolve, informed by the lessons of the past and an evidence-based approach to protecting children’s welfare. Schools and colleges will remain central to this effort, with an enduring role in identifying harm, supporting children, and creating safe environments for all.

Next steps for Schools and Colleges:

·        Watch for the official publication of KCSIE 2025 on 1 September

·        Ensure all staff are familiar with the updated guidance, even where changes are technical

·        Prepare to review and adapt policies in light of future guidance on RSHE and gender

·        Continue to monitor national safeguarding developments as part of ongoing strategic leadership

Resources

KCSIE 2025

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2025

Guidance Blog from ECP on Violence Against Women and Girls