Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) 2026 was published on Tuesday 7 July 2026 - later than anticipated and close to the end of the summer term. It makes significant changes to safeguarding duties including removing the volunteer supervision exemption, introducing gender-related premises requirements, overhauling child-on-child abuse guidance, and adding obligations on misogyny, AI deepfakes, and mobile phone policies. 

With some of the most significant structural changes we've seen in years, schools and colleges have limited time to review the amendments, update safeguarding policies, plan staff training and brief governors and proprietors before September 2026.

What's changed?

• All volunteers in regulated activity now need an enhanced DBS check with barred list check, regardless of supervision.
• New provisions on gender-related premises requirements and supporting children questioning their gender identity.
• Part 5 has been substantially overhauled, with a more detailed framework on child-on-child abuse and specific reference to misogyny and misandry.
• New requirements on AI-generated deepfakes and nude imagery, mobile-phone-free policies, and senior leadership responsibility for filtering and monitoring.

What do we recommend?

Don't try to tackle everything at once. Focus first on the volunteer supervision changes and the Part 5 overhaul – these require the most significant policy rewrites and are most likely to attract scrutiny come autumn.

For background on the changes that were anticipated before the final guidance was published, our June 2026 webinar on the KCSiE consultation draft is worth a watch.

What do all schools need to know about KCSiE 2026?

KCSiE 2026 introduces substantive amendments to the statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges in England. The changes to volunteers (Part 3) and gender provisions (Part 2) are among the most significant, but even narrower amendments have direct compliance implications. Schools and colleges that miss them risk a non-compliant safeguarding policy or gaps in training.

The briefings below cover each change, listed broadly in order of significance.

• What does the removal of the supervision exemption mean for volunteers?
• How do the new premises requirements and guidance on children questioning their gender affect schools?
• What has changed in the overhaul of Part 5 on child-on-child abuse?
• What are the new cross-cutting obligations on misogyny and misandry?
• How does KCSIE 2026 address AI generated deepfakes and nudes?
• What do schools need to do about mobile-phone-free requirements?
• What are the changes to work experience supervision?
• How have the rules changed for managing allegations against individuals not employed by you?
• What does the new guidance expect for DSL cover arrangements?
• What is the new SLT expectation for filtering and monitoring?    
• How should schools handle data protection when sharing safeguarding records with the new school or college?
• How has the online search requirement for candidate vetting been softened?
• What does the expanded mental health guidance require?
• What has been updated in the guidance on child criminal exploitation (CCE) and child sexual exploitation (CSE) and definitions of abuse? 
• What should schools know about safeguarding children with medical conditions?
• How should you prepare for September – what are your next steps?

Further support

Our team is here to help. We offer a range of safeguarding services and support, including:

• Statutory HR and education policies for academy trusts 
• Child protection and safeguarding in education
• Safeguarding training for governors and trustees
• Trust directors of safeguarding CPD course, 2026–27
• Schools and Family Court: Safeguarding and disclosures webinar