2025 KCSIE Update: Summary of Key Changes

The draft version of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2025 has been released today. In this quick-read summary, we break down the most important updates from the Department for Education, helping you stay compliant and prepared for September 2025.

What's New in KCSIE 2025?

The following information outlines the technical changes and updates made to the 2025 draft of Keeping Children Safe in Education.

Online Harms

Online harms now explicitly include misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories, reflecting growing risks in the digital space.

Safeguarding Expectations in Alternative Provisions

Clarifications now align with existing alternative provision guidance, ensuring consistent safeguarding expectations for pupils in alternative provision (AP) settings.

SEND Terminology Updates

Language in the document has been amended to align with the SEND Code of Practice, removing terms like "spectrum" and "disorder".

Children in Kinship Care Clarifications

KCSIE 2025 clarifies that Virtual School Heads are responsible for promoting the educational achievement of children in kinship care, not just those in the care of the local authority.

Statutory Attendance Guidance

The Working Together to Safeguard Attendance guidance is now formally recognised as statutory.

Updated Links

New Department for Education resources have been added on filtering, monitoring and cyber resilience, including guidance on AI in education and improved self-assessment tools.

Simpler Safer Recruitment Checks

References to the Teaching Regulation Agency’s (TRA) Employer Access Service have been replaced with direct GOV.UK links, making key checks easier to access (including S128).

New Resource

A helpful new link has been added to the section on child-on-child sexual violence and harassment.

Other Minor Changes:

• A small correction has been made to the title of the Information Commissioner’s employment practice guidance.
• Some minor changes have been made to ensure consistency with other government strategies and reviews, including the Casey Audit and the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy.

What's Still to Come in KCSIE 2025?

The draft KCSIE 2025 makes reference to likely changes in September and throughout the academic year ahead, including:

RSHE Guidance Update

A note signals that revised RSHE guidance is expected in summer 2025. If published, KCSIE will link to the revised guidance in September which may bring new expectations for schools.

Gender Questioning Guidance

New guidance on gender-questioning children is expected soon and will be signposted in the September update.

What safeguarding training do staff need in September 2025?

Whether you need full INSET training or a short update, we’ve got you covered:

KCSIE 2025 Annual Safeguarding Refresher Training Pack

A comprehensive, ready-to-deliver INSET training bundle including:

• 70-slide editable presentation
• Real-world scenarios & quizzes
• Fully aligned with Part One of KCSIE 2025

Ideal for DSLs, school leaders or anyone delivering statutory training this September, this cost-effective, ready-to-deliver KCSIE Annual Safeguarding Refresher Training 2025 bundle is ready to go!

If you've already got tried and trusted safeguarding INSET training in place but need to quickly deliver this year's KCSIE updates to staff, our FREE KCSIE 2025 Training Update PowerPoint and Handout is ideal for you. Based on the 2025 KCSIE, this 11-slide presentation and accompanying one-page handout summary can be sent to staff following the session so they have a chance to revisit the material.

To complement the KCSIE 2025 update and refresher training and enhance your safeguarding training offer, while ensuring staff keep up to date with safeguarding issues, we have three Safeguarding Training Packs, one for each term of the academic year. These versatile packs allow you to pick and choose from scenarios and quiz questions to keep training fresh, as well as delivering safeguarding snapshots - one-page, one-minute guides to specific safeguarding issues that can be sent to staff or displayed.

Want to embed safeguarding year-round? Sort safeguarding for the entire academic year with this budget-friendly Safeguarding Training Pack - Full Academic Year. It's ideal for termly updates and keeping staff knowledge fresh.

The full pack includes:

• Flexible quizzes and scenarios
• Safeguarding snapshots for quick wins
• Full refresher training pack
• Safeguarding posters

What do I need to do regarding the KCSIE 2025 updates? 

With the 2025 KCSIE draft now published, here are your next steps to prepare:

• ✅ Review your safeguarding and child protection policies
  Update them to reflect the changes outlined above.
• ✅ Share KCSIE updates with governors
  Ensure your governing body is aware of the upcoming statutory guidance.
• ✅ Plan your safeguarding INSET for September 2025
  Whether you're delivering a full training or a short update, ensure staff know what’s changed.
• ✅ Audit safeguarding practices across your setting
  Use this opportunity to reflect, refresh and identify areas needing development before the new academic year. Our 2025 Safeguarding Audit can help!

It's important to remember that this is a draft version of the 2025 KCSIE, so like in previous years, some further changes may occur before the final release in September 2025. We’ll continue to monitor and update resources accordingly.