KCSIE 2026: What schools and colleges need to know

• What is KCSIE and why does it change every year?
• What’s the biggest structural change in KCSIE 2026?
• What new statutory duties has KCSIE 2026 introduced?
• What terminology has changed in KCSIE 2026?
• How have the definitions of abuse changed?
• What do the Mental Health and Serious Violence updates mean for DSLs?
• Who else is named in the KCSIE 2026 draft?
• What should schools and colleges do now?
• When does KCSIE 2026 take effect?
• Stay compliant from day one with iHasco

The Department for Education (DfE) has published the final Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026 guidance, confirming the draft released in July. The guidance does not come into force until 1 September 2026 and replaces the September 2025 version. The headline change is that Annex A has been withdrawn, and governing bodies must now make sure that Part One is read in full by all staff, including those who don’t work directly with children.

Key takeaways

• Annex A is gone. Staff who work directly with children must read Part One in full, and governing bodies must now also make sure that staff who don’t work directly with children read Part One too.
• The annex structure has changed more than expected. What was Annex B is now Annex A, what was Annex C is now Annex B, and there’s a new Annex C (Regulated activity for children), previously Annex E in KCSIE 2025.
• New abuse category added. Serious physical assault or harm, or the threat of harm with a weapon, is now listed under child-on-child abuse.
• Mental Health and Serious Violence sections have grown substantially, with new crisis guidance and new duties for Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs).
• Two new statutory duties cover Operation Encompass notifications and temporary accommodation placements.
• The definition of “nudes and semi-nudes” now explicitly covers AI-generated content, including deepfakes and so-called “deep nudes.”
• Data protection laws now include the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, alongside the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR.
• iHasco’s KCSIE 2026 course is free for education-sector clients and reflects the confirmed final guidance.

What is KCSIE and why does it change every year?

Keeping Children Safe in Education is the DfE’s statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges in England. The DfE publishes a draft update every July, giving schools time to review the changes before the final version takes effect that September.

KCSIE 2026 was confirmed in its final form ahead of the 1 September 2026 commencement date, replacing the September 2025 version and making more changes than last year’s update. This includes one structural change, several new statutory duties, and updated terminology throughout Part One and Annex A.

What’s the biggest structural change in KCSIE 2026?

Annex A, the condensed version of Part One, has been withdrawn. Previously, governing bodies only had to make sure that staff who work directly with children read at least Part One. Under KCSIE 2026, governing bodies must make sure that those staff continue to read Part One in full, and must now also incldue staff who don’t work directly with children read Part One too.

This has a knock-on effect on annex lettering, and the final guidance renumbers three annexes rather than two:

What new statutory duties has KCSIE 2026 introduced?

Two new duties appear in the Annex A content:

• A duty on police to notify schools about domestic abuse incidents, reflected in the updated Operation Encompass content.
• A duty on local housing authorities to notify schools when a child is placed in temporary accommodation, covered in a new “Temporary accommodation notification duty” section.

A third change, less a new duty than an expanded expectation, adds a First Responder duty to the county lines section. This is where a child is a suspected victim of county lines exploitation; staff must complete a modern slavery referral alongside the child protection referral.

What terminology has changed in KCSIE 2026?

Several terms have been updated to reflect current safeguarding language:

• “Indecent images” and “sexting” become “making or sharing of nudes or semi-nudes.” The final guidance defines this to include images that are digitally altered or wholly generated using artificial intelligence, including deepfakes and so-called “deep nudes.”
• “So-called honour-based abuse” becomes “honour or faith-based abuse.”
• “Child-on-child abuse” becomes “child-on-child abuse (including harassment and violence).”
• “Serious case reviews” becomes “local child safeguarding practice reviews,” updated throughout the document.
• “Early help” splits into two tiers: community-based Early Help and the targeted Family Help level.

How have the definitions of abuse changed?

Several core definitions have been expanded in the KCSIE 2026 draft:

• Abuse now references child-to-parent or child-to-caregiver abuse.
• Emotional abuse now explicitly includes verbal abuse.
• Teenage relationship abuse and criminal exploitation now include stalking and financial exploitation.
• Assault by penetration has an updated definition.
• The child criminal exploitation (CCE) and child sexual exploitation (CSE) section now states plainly that a child cannot consent to being exploited, abused, or trafficked, and adds a reference to organised networks and gangs.
• Data protection laws is now defined to cover the Data Protection Act 2018, the UK GDPR, and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

What do the Mental Health and Serious Violence updates mean for DSLs?

The Mental Health section now lists specific warning signs staff should watch for, plus direct crisis guidance like calling 999, taking the child to A&E, or using NHS 111 if the situation is urgent but not an emergency.

The Serious Violence section places a new expectation on DSLs to assess risk and put a safety and support plan in place for any child affected. It also adds new risk factors and content on violence peaking around the school day, alongside new clarifications on off-site concerns and the increased risk to children immediately after school.

Who else is named in the KCSIE 2026 draft?

Trainee teachers are now named alongside supply staff, volunteers, and contractors throughout the sections on staff allegations and low-level concerns. The process for handling allegations against staff also adds a requirement for the headteacher to consider an onward referral to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).

The list of children who may need additional support now includes those who are pregnant or already a parent, those showing early signs of abusive, violent, or harmful behaviour, and those on a part-time timetable.

What should schools and colleges do now?

• Read the full DfE draft guidance for Part One and Annex A before September 2026.
• Update internal safeguarding policies to reflect the withdrawal of Annex A and the wider Part One reading requirement.
• Brief all staff, including trainee teachers, supply staff, volunteers, and contractors, on the updated terminology and abuse categories.
• Check that your DSL is aware of the new Serious Violence risk assessment expectation.
• Confirm data protection policies reference the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 alongside the DPA 2018 and UK GDPR.

When does KCSIE 2026 take effect?

KCSIE 2026 does not come into force until 1 September 2026. It replaces the KCSIE September 2025 version. The guidance published is the confirmed final version, not a draft.

Stay compliant from day one with iHasco

Education-sector clients get free access to iHasco’s KCSIE Guidance course, built to help you distribute the guidance and track who’s read it. Our KCSIE 2026 course reflects the confirmed final guidance and is ready ahead of the 1 September 2026 commencement date.

Book a demo to see how iHasco supports your safeguarding training, or start a free trial today.

Quick answers

Is Annex A gone completely in KCSIE 2026? Yes. Staff who work directly with children must read Part One in full, and governing bodies must now also make sure that staff who don’t work directly with children read Part One too. There’s no shorter Annex A summary to fall back on.

What happened to the old Annex B, Annex C, and Annex E? The former Annex B (Further information) is now Annex A. The former Annex C (Role of the designated safeguarding lead) is now Annex B. The former Annex E (Regulated activity for children) is now Annex C.

Does KCSIE 2026 change how sexting is described? Yes. “Indecent images” and “sexting” have been replaced with “making or sharing of nudes or semi-nudes” throughout the draft.

What’s new in the Mental Health section? The draft adds specific warning signs and clear crisis steps: call 999, take the child to A&E, or use NHS 111 for urgent but non-emergency situations.

Do DSLs have new responsibilities under KCSIE 2026? Yes. The Serious Violence section now expects DSLs to assess risk and put a safety and support plan in place for affected children.

Is this the final version of KCSIE 2026? Yes. The DfE published the confirmed final guidance following its July 2026 draft. It comes into force on 1 September 2026 and replaces the September 2025 version.