What to do this term
- List every volunteer who now meets the regulated activity test. Get an enhanced DBS check with barred list information where needed, and record it. Ofsted asks for these records by 8am on the first day of an inspection (inspection information).
- Check the single central record covers everyone it must, including agency and third-party supply staff, with each check and its date (paragraphs 347 to 350).
- Write down your DSL cover arrangements and test them in a week the DSL is out (paragraph 129).
- Schedule this year’s filtering and monitoring review and keep the record of device checks (paragraphs 173 to 177).
- Confirm every member of staff has read the 2026 Part one, and that new starters get it at induction with the safeguarding policies (paragraphs 11 and 124).
- Review the child protection policy against the 2026 text and republish it; it is reviewed at least annually and made publicly available (paragraph 123).
- Check DSL and deputy training dates. Training is updated at least every two years, and includes Prevent awareness (Annex B).
The documents that apply
- Keeping children safe in education 2026 (KCSIE). Statutory guidance, in force from 1 September 2026, replacing the September 2025 edition. Paragraph numbers below are from the full 2026 document.
- Working together to improve school attendance, the July 2026 edition. KCSIE paragraph 221 points to it where absence may signal a safeguarding concern.
- Working together to safeguard children 2026, published 18 March 2026: the multi-agency arrangements schools contribute to (KCSIE paragraph 132).
What changed in KCSIE 2026
Annex C lists every change. These carry the most work for leaders:
- Volunteers. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 removed the ‘supervision exemption’. A volunteer who teaches, trains, instructs or supervises children on more than 3 days in a 30-day period, or overnight, is now in regulated activity, and the school should obtain an enhanced DBS check with children’s barred list information (paragraph 383).
- DSL cover. Schools should have robust cover for when the designated safeguarding lead is unavailable, for example a confidential shared mailbox, so concerns are received and acted on without delay (paragraph 129).
- Filtering and monitoring. The review at least once every academic year is carried out by the senior leader responsible, with the DSL and IT support. It checks filtering on all internet-connected devices in all relevant locations, and the checks are recorded (paragraph 173).
- Mobile phones. All schools should be mobile phone-free by default (paragraph 170).
- Part one for every member of staff. The shorter Annex A version has been withdrawn. Staff who do not work directly with children should now read Part one too.
- Nudes and semi-nudes. Every incident of sharing needs a safeguarding response, whether consensual or not (paragraph 530, in a substantially rewritten Part five).
- Renumbered annexes. The role of the DSL is now Annex B; it was Annex C in 2025.
Common pitfalls
- Treating a supervised regular volunteer as outside regulated activity. That exemption has gone.
- Quoting 2025 paragraph or annex numbers in policies and training.
- Giving non-teaching staff a summary instead of Part one. The overview for all staff is a quick reference, not a replacement.
- Sending a child protection file with the main pupil file. It goes separately, within 5 days of an in-year transfer or of the start of a new term, with confirmation of receipt (paragraph 150).
- Treating consensual image sharing between pupils as outside safeguarding.
Are safeguarding templates editable?
File formats and editing options vary by resource. Check the individual product description before buying. Paid community members can access included resources in the Circle member library.
