Keeping children safe in education: 2026 proposed revisions

Overview

The Department for Education is seeking your views on proposed changes to the statutory guidance Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE).

We're seeking views on a range of updates to ensure the guidance remains current and relevant.
 

Why your views matter

Our aim is to help schools and colleges better understand what they are legally required to do, as well as what we strongly advise to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

 

What happens next

This consultation asks for views on the substantial changes we are proposing. Your feedback will help shape the final version of KCSIE 2026 to ensure it continues to support effective safeguarding practice across all education sectors.

The results of this consultation, along with the government’s response and updated KCSIE guidance, will be published in 2026.

Closed 22 Apr 2026

Opened 12 Feb 2026

Audiences

  • 16-18 year old students resident at these institutions
  • Academies (including free schools), voluntary aided schools, voluntary controlled schools, foundation schools and community schools
  • Adoptive parents
  • Adult and mental health practitioners
  • Adult education providers
  • All
  • Awarding organisations
  • Bodies representing schools and local authorities
  • CAMHS
  • Clinical commissioning groups
  • Community representatives
  • Companies and organisations working in the digital industry
  • Contractors involved in building schools
  • Designated institutions and 16-19 academies
  • Designated safeguarding leads
  • Directors of children's services
  • Early learning and childcare providers
  • Educational Psychologists
  • Employers
  • Faith bodies
  • Film Industry representatives
  • Fire sector
  • Foster carers
  • Further education colleges
  • Further Education leaders and workforce
  • Governing bodies and academy trusts
  • Government bodies and departments
  • Governors
  • Head teachers and proprietors of private schools
  • Headteachers
  • Health visitors
  • Higher Education governing bodies
  • Higher Education leaders and workforce
  • Higher Education students and prospective students
  • Independent school associations
  • Independent specialist colleges
  • Local authorities
  • Ofsted
  • Organisations which represent the views of computing teachers
  • Organisations with an interest in the content of the computer science GCSE
  • Parents
  • Principle social workers
  • Pupils
  • School business managers
  • School nurses
  • School support staff
  • Secondary teachers of computer science and subject leaders
  • SENCOs
  • Service managers
  • Sixth form colleges
  • Social workers
  • Social workers
  • Students
  • Teachers
  • Team managers
  • Those evaluating programmes for children in need
  • Those involved in underlying theoretical research on abuse and neglect, child development etc
  • Those researching children’s social care or education systems, with links to educational outcomes of Children in Need
  • Training providers
  • Unions and representative organisations
  • Universities
  • Virtual school heads
  • Volunteers
  • Young people

Interests

  • Academies
  • Academy sponsorship
  • Accommodation (Looked after children)
  • Accountability
  • Admissions
  • Adoption
  • Adult social care
  • Adult social work
  • Advocacy (Looked after children)
  • All
  • Alternative provision
  • Apprenticeships
  • Attendance and absence
  • Behaviour and discipline
  • Capital funding
  • Care leavers and former looked-after children
  • Careers guidance
  • Community learning
  • Converting to an academy
  • Disabled children
  • Early learning and childcare
  • Early years foundation stage
  • Education
  • Equality
  • Establishing maintained schools
  • Film Industry and skills
  • Financial management
  • Financial support (Looked after children)
  • Fostering
  • Free Schools, studio schools and University technical colleges
  • Friends and family care
  • GCE AS and A level subject content
  • GCSE subject content
  • Governance
  • HE
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Health and wellbeing (Looked after children)
  • Intervention
  • Keeping children safe in education and other settings
  • Key stage 1
  • Key stage 2
  • Lifelong learning
  • National Curriculum
  • Participation of young people in education, employment and training
  • Pay, conditions and pensions
  • Performance tables
  • Planning
  • Post 16 Qualifications
  • Post-16 funding
  • Preventing neglect, abuse and exploitation
  • Primary assessment
  • Procurement for schools
  • Programmes and initiatives (Looked after children)
  • Pupil data
  • Pupil place planning
  • Raising the participation age
  • Recruitment
  • Safeguarding disabled children
  • School and academy funding
  • School building estates
  • School funding reform
  • SEND code of practice
  • Setting up an academy or free school
  • Sex and relationships education
  • Short break care
  • Social care standards and guidance
  • Social workers' standards
  • Special guardianship
  • Statutory policies and guidance
  • Sufficiency
  • Support in education
  • Teacher assessment
  • Teachers' standards
  • Teaching and learning (SEND)
  • Training and development
  • Travel to school and colleges
  • Work based training