On 16 August 2026, schools and colleges in England must still use KCSIE 2025. Use KCSIE 2026 now to assign changes, brief staff and test evidence before it comes into force on 1 September.
Keep one change record with the source paragraph, owner, affected policy or process, evidence, approval and review date. Preparation must not delay a live safeguarding response.
This Q&A supports DSL-led preparation. It does not replace statutory guidance, training, local procedure, legal advice or the appropriate local and emergency routes.
Which KCSIE version applies today?
Keeping children safe in education 2025 remains the statutory guidance in force through 31 August 2026. Schools and colleges must continue to use it until then.
KCSIE 2026 was published on 7 July for preparation. It comes into force on 1 September 2026. The Department for Education says a final version will also be published that day.
KCSIE is statutory guidance. Schools and colleges in England must have regard to it. Its use of must marks a legal requirement; should may be departed from only for good reason.
Working together to safeguard children 2026 is already in force. It was published on 18 March 2026 and remains part of the live baseline.
The regulated-activity change comes from the Crime and Policing Act 2026. The DfE volunteer page explains implementation. Filtering standards and information-sharing advice are not KCSIE.
Local safeguarding procedures still govern reporting, referral and emergency routes. A school readiness record should link to those procedures without turning them into a national threshold.
What changed for all-staff reading and readiness?
KCSIE 2026 removes the shorter Annex A. From 1 September, governing bodies and proprietors should ensure that all staff, including those who don't work directly with children, read Part one.
The new Part one overview is a complementary quick reference. GOV.UK says it does not replace the full Part one. Don't record an overview as proof that the full reading expectation was met.
Part one also expands material on Family Help, exploitation, child-on-child abuse, mental health and serious violence. Leaders should map these changes to induction and annual updates.
The owner should check how understanding will be tested. A distribution log proves delivery; it can't prove that staff know the reporting route or can apply it under pressure.
Which leadership changes need an owner?
Annex C is the official summary, but it isn't a substitute for reading the changed sections. Use it to route work to the DSL, headteacher, governor, HR lead, IT lead and policy owner.
- DSL cover: record robust cover arrangements for absence and out-of-hours or out-of-term activity. Test how staff reach the DSL or deputy.
- Information sharing: review the expanded KCSIE material against the school's authorised process, lawful basis, secure route and accountable decision record.
- Filtering and monitoring: identify the SLT owner, DSL, IT support and governor. Keep evidence of the annual effectiveness review across relevant devices and locations.
- Alternative provision and vulnerable groups: check the revised sections on oversight, mental health, young carers, SEND and medical conditions against local practice.
- Staff concerns: update routes covering trainee teachers and shared responsibilities with third-party organisations without merging distinct procedures.
The DfE filtering and monitoring standard was updated on 24 June 2026. It calls for clear roles and at least one effectiveness review each academic year, with the result recorded.
What changes for volunteers on 1 September?
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 removes the supervision exemption from regulated activity with children. The change starts on 1 September and mainly affects some supervised volunteers.
Frequent teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising children can become regulated activity even when supervised.
The official period condition is more than three days in 30, or overnight between 2am and 6am with an opportunity for face-to-face contact.
Affected volunteers need an enhanced DBS check with children's barred-list information. Occasional day-trip or PTA help may fall outside the change, so don't apply a blanket label.
The HR or safer-recruitment lead should review actual duties, frequency and overnight activity against the official guidance. Software must not decide eligibility or barred-list routes.
What should the readiness record contain?
Make one record for each material change. Keep the source wording close enough for the owner and approver to inspect, while linking to the controlled policy or process rather than copying it.
- Version: KCSIE 2025 in force, KCSIE 2026 preparation, and the effective date.
- Change: the Annex C item and the full paragraph or section reviewed.
- Owner: the role changing policy, training, recruitment or technical practice.
- Evidence: the approved document, tested route, briefing record or completed check.
- Approval: the authorised person or body and the decision date.
- Review: a post-1 September check and the evidence that would reopen the work.
Add a final-version check for 1 September. If the published text changes, reopen the affected records before treating the preparation pack as complete.
How can leaders test staff readiness without using a real case?
The following assurance example is invented and combines no real staff, pupil, school or customer details. It tests records and routes, not an individual's safeguarding judgement.
The first signal is a staff-reading dashboard marked complete. The source log then shows that one role group received only the quick overview, while the policy register still names Annex A.
A volunteer rota adds context: several planned duties may meet the new frequency condition. Training, policy and workforce metadata now point to three separate checks, not one conclusion.
The DSL reviews the safeguarding content with the headteacher. HR reviews volunteer duties and checks. The policy owner follows the school's approval route. Each action has a review date.
These records can't prove staff understanding, DBS eligibility, policy effectiveness or that a child is safe. A short synthetic rehearsal tests the reporting route without disclosing case data.
How should information-sharing changes be handled?
The DfE's May 2024 information-sharing document is non-statutory advice. It says data protection law supports necessary safeguarding sharing, but decisions still need a lawful and accountable route.
Share information that is necessary, proportionate, relevant, adequate and accurate. An entire case file is rarely required. Record the reason whether the decision is to share or not to share.
A readiness audit must never slow urgent action. Follow the school's child protection policy, current local safeguarding route and emergency services route where there is immediate danger.
Where Student Radar fits
Keep the KCSIE change register in the school's authorised governance system. Student Radar shouldn't be described as deciding whether the school is compliant or whether a change is complete.
For DSL-led sampling, Safeguard supports controlled concern recording. Chronology presents attributed entries, and the DSL Action Board shows owners and review points.
Those features can help an authorised reviewer open the source record and inspect whether case practice reflects the approved process. They do not substantiate harm, score risk or decide a threshold.
Use the synthetic chronology rehearsal to test recording. Use the chronology audit for authorised case sampling.
Sources and further reading
- Department for Education, Keeping children safe in education, page updated 7 July 2026. KCSIE 2025 applies through 31 August; KCSIE 2026 starts on 1 September.
- Department for Education, Working together to safeguard children 2026, statutory guidance published 18 March 2026.
- Department for Education, Regulated activity: removal of the supervision exemption, guidance published 29 June 2026 for the change on 1 September.
- Department for Education, Filtering and monitoring standards for schools and colleges, standards manual updated 24 June 2026.
- Department for Education, Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners, non-statutory advice updated 1 May 2024.
Student Radar can help authorised DSL teams inspect source records, ownership and review points. Book a safeguarding workflow review to test that boundary.