Please note: This article contains language describing child sexual harassment as it relates to correct usage of defined legal terms. Reader discretion is advised.

This year’s update to Part Five of KCSiE 2026 contains some of the most significant changes to the statutory guidance in recent years. These are not cosmetic tweaks. They reflect a clear shift in how schools and colleges are expected to understand, frame and respond to harmful sexual behaviour. Here’s what you need to know.

The title has changed - and that's deliberate

The reversal of the Part Five title from 'Child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment' to 'Child-on-child sexual harassment and sexual violence' might look trivial. It isn't. This reordering signals a clear shift in the 2026 guidance: that these issues should be understood as a continuum, starting with the less severe and escalating to the most serious. Sexual harassment comes before sexual violence because, in many cases, harassment left unchallenged is what creates the conditions for violence.

The entire structure of Part Five has been reorganised to reflect this continuum: Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB) → Sexual Harassment → Sexual Violence. Previously, sexual violence was addressed first. Now, HSB leads because that's where early intervention has the greatest impact.

Misogyny is now named - and schools are expected to act on it

One of the most notable changes in Part Five 2026 is the explicit and repeated naming of misogyny as a safeguarding concern.

In KCSiE 2025, the guidance warned that failure to challenge inappropriate behaviour could lead to "a culture of unacceptable behaviour, an unsafe environment." In KCSiE 2026, that same warning now reads: "a culture of unacceptable behaviour, misogyny, an unsafe environment." The addition of a single word carries considerable weight.

More significantly, a new bullet point in the opening section of Part Five now requires schools and colleges to recognise "the escalatory nature of misogyny and the benefits of early identification to support their approach to minimising the risk of HSB, sexual harassment and sexual violence."

And when it comes to what the guidance says about perpetrator support, the 2026 version is equally explicit: "addressing inappropriate behaviour, including sexism and misogyny, can be an important intervention that helps prevent problematic, abusive and/or violent behaviour in the future."

In practice, this means that misogynistic attitudes and language - whether in the corridors, the classroom or online - are not simply a behaviour management issue. They are a safeguarding indicator. Schools are now expected to identify them early, respond to them proportionately and understand them as potential precursors to more serious harm.

Harmful sexual behaviour is now front and centre

One of the most important structural changes in Part Five in the 2026 guidance is the repositioning of HSB from the end of the introductory material to the very beginning. The DfE's message is clear: early identification of and response to HSB is the primary prevention tool available to schools.

The 2026 guidance is clear that "children's sexual behaviour exists on a wide continuum, ranging from normal and developmentally expected to inappropriate, problematic, abusive or violent." New links to NSPCC resources on typical sexual development for different age groups, and on how to respond to children displaying sexualised behaviour, have also been added. These are practical additions that DSLs and pastoral leads should bookmark.

A new safeguarding duty around nude and semi-nude images

KCSiE 2026 introduces a new and important bullet point in the opening section of Part Five, requiring schools to take "a safeguarding approach in response to all incidents involving the sharing of nude or semi-nude images, regardless of whether they are consensual or non-consensual."

KCSiE 2025 referred consistently to "consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images and/or videos." KCSiE 2026 updates this throughout to "consensual and non-consensual making or sharing of nudes or semi-nudes."

The addition of ‘making or’ is significant - both legally and practically. It recognises that the act of creating an image, not only distributing it, can itself constitute harmful or criminal behaviour. This change appears across the definitions of sexual harassment, the list of child-on-child abuse forms and the online safety sections of the guidance.

The guidance notes that responses should be proportionate and should consider "the age, development, and circumstances of the children involved, as well as any elements of coercion, exploitation or vulnerability."

This is important. Previously, much of the focus in this area centred on non-consensual sharing. The 2026 guidance makes explicit that even where a young person appears to have consented to sharing an image, this is still a safeguarding matter, not a disciplinary one, and must be handled accordingly. 

DSLs should ensure that their school's existing procedures for responding to these incidents are reviewed in light of this change.

AI-generated images of children under 18 explicitly referenced

KCSiE 2026 adds a new footnote stating: "Taking and sharing nude photographs including those generated using AI of those aged under 18 is a criminal offence." The equivalent footnote in KCSiE 2025 stated only that "taking and sharing nude photographs of those aged under 18 is a criminal offence," with no reference to AI-generated imagery. 

This update reflects the growing threat of deepfakes and AI-generated child sexual abuse material. DSLs should be alert to this in the context of incidents on school premises and online.

'Responding to a report' section: more empathetic framing

The wording describing how the initial response affects victims has been updated. KCSiE 2025 stated: "How the school or college responds to a report can encourage or undermine the confidence of future victims of sexual violence and sexual harassment to report or come forward."

KCSiE 2026 replaces this with: "A supportive and respectful response can empower victims to come forward, whilst a poor response may discourage further disclosures." The 2026 version is more affirmative and victim-centred in its framing.

Disclosure to a trusted adult: Empathy explicitly required

Along the same theme, KCSiE 2026 updates the wording regarding disclosure to: "Staff should recognise the significance of being chosen as a confidant and respond with empathy." This is a shift from a process-focused instruction to a more empathetic, human response.

'Children sharing a classroom' section: Stronger language on reports of rape

KCSiE 2026 updates wording to state: "Reports of rape or assault by penetration are especially serious, and likely to be especially difficult for the victim." The addition of ‘especially serious" reinforces the gravity of the most serious offences.

'Action following a report' section heading: HSB added

KCSiE 2025 headed this section "Action following a report of sexual violence and/or sexual harassment." KCSiE 2026 updates this to "Action following a report of HSB, sexual harassment and/or sexual violence," further embedding HSB throughout the operational response framework.

Online incidents explicitly described as complex in the support section

KCSiE 2025 described online incidents under the general heading of ‘support’ and noted that they "can introduce a number of complex factors" including "widespread abuse or harm across a number of social media platforms that leads to repeat victimisation."

KCSiE 2026 gives online incidents their own dedicated sub-section, stating that "Online incidents of HSB, sexual harassment and sexual violence can be complex, often involving widespread abuse or harm on multiple social media platforms and repeated victimisation." This elevates the complexity of online safeguarding within Part Five - something many practitioners will already recognise in their practice.

‘Risk assessment’ becomes 'risk and needs assessment'

Throughout Part Five, every reference to a ‘risk assessment’ has been updated to a ‘risk and needs assessment.’ This reflects a broader approach to the school's response - one that considers not only the risk posed, but also the support needs of the children involved, including both the victim and the wider school community.

DSLs should ensure that their documentation, templates, and training materials are updated to reflect this language.

The support framework has been overhauled: Family Help

One of the most important practical changes in Part Five 2026 is the overhaul of the support options framework.

In KCSiE 2025, the four options for responding to reports of sexual violence or sexual harassment included ‘early help’ as Option 2. In KCSIE 2026, ‘early help’ has been substantially reconceptualised and reorganised.

Option 2 is now titled ‘Universal services and community based Early Help assessment.’ It describes a broader, systems-based approach delivered by local authorities and partners - encompassing schools, health services, Best Start Family Hubs, youth services, after-school clubs and housing provision.

A new Option 3 has been introduced: ‘Referrals to Family Help - including targeted Early Help and local authority children's social care.’ This draws on the new Families First Partnership (FFP) Programme Guide and explains that Family Help encompasses both targeted early help and support delivered under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, including parenting support, mental health services, youth offending teams and housing and employment services.

Throughout Part Five, references to ‘early help’ have been replaced with ‘Family Help" - a term that DSLs will need to adopt in their documentation and practice.

Top tips for DSLs and school leaders

Review and retitle your Part Five documentation now

Update any internal policies, procedures and staff guidance to reflect the new title and structural ordering of Part Five. Ensure your documentation mirrors the continuum approach: HSB → Sexual Harassment → Sexual Violence.

Train staff to recognise and respond to misogyny as a safeguarding concern

Misogyny is no longer a vague concept in KCSiE — it's named, and schools are expected to respond to it. Ensure that all staff, not just DSLs, understand that misogynistic language and attitudes are potential early indicators of escalating harm. Update your RSHE curriculum and staff training accordingly.

Revise your nude/semi-nude image procedures urgently

Review your existing procedures to ensure they reflect the new requirement to treat all incidents involving nude or semi-nude images (consensual or otherwise) as safeguarding matters. The first response must be pastoral and safeguarding-focused, not disciplinary, and staff need to understand the distinction.

Update your risk assessment templates

Replace all references to ‘risk assessment’ with ‘risk and needs assessment’ across your documentation. More importantly, ensure the substance of those assessments genuinely captures the support needs of all children involved - not only the risk posed.

Get to know the Family Help framework

Contact your local authority to understand how the new Family Help framework operates in your area, including what the Families First Partnership (FFP) Programme looks like locally. Update your referral pathways and ensure staff know when to refer to Family Help services as distinct from a statutory children's social care referral.

Bookmark the new NSPCC resources referenced in Part Five

KCSiE 2026 adds new links to NSPCC resources on typical sexual development and responding to children displaying sexualised behaviour. Ensure your DSL and pastoral team are familiar with these and have them available for staff training and casework.

Brief your governors and senior leadership team

The changes in Part Five 2026 are not merely procedural; they reflect a shift in how the DfE understands the development and escalation of harmful sexual behaviour. Brief your governing body and senior leadership team on the key changes - particularly around misogyny, HSB and Family Help - so that strategic decisions about curriculum, culture and resource allocation reflect the updated guidance.

Conduct a staff training audit before September 2026

Identify gaps between what staff were trained on under KCSiE 2025 and what they need to know under KCSiE 2026. Pay particular attention to the expanded HSB content, the misogyny requirement and the revised support framework. Training delivered in the summer term ahead of September 2026 is strongly advisable.

KCSiE 2026 comes into force on 1 September 2026. 

Schools and colleges have the summer term to review, update and plan training. The changes to Part Five are among the most substantive in recent years and deserve dedicated attention. If you're a DSL carrying this responsibility, plan early.