What is KCSIE?
Keeping children safe in education 2024
What is KCSIE?
KCSIE stands for Keeping Children Safe in Education. It is a statutory guidance issued by England’s Department for Education (DfE), setting out the legal obligations that schools and colleges must follow to safeguard and promote the welfare of children under 18.
Who it applies to: all staff—teachers, governors, leadership teams—everyone in schools and colleges.
How it works: it tells you what you must do (legal duties) vs. what you should do (best practice).
What it covers: a wide range of safeguarding responsibilities—child protection procedures, safer recruitment, online safety, managing allegations, promoting mental health, filtering systems, data handling, and more.
What’s coming in KCSIE 2025
In March 2024, the DfE launched a 12-week call for evidence (ended June 20, 2024) to gather input from school leaders, DSLs (Designated Safeguarding Leads), governors, and other professionals.
This consultation indicates that KCSIE 2025 will include significant changes, reflecting real-world pressures like:
Expanded role clarity for DSLs – recognising the complexity of safeguarding leaders’ responsibilities.
Digital safety measures – including home‑use filtering, AI awareness, deepfakes, online censorship, monitoring student device use.
Extremism and ideological risk – more emphasis on identifying radicalisation, extremist content, hate symbols or threats .
Stronger recruitment standards – clearer guidance on safer recruitment, checking, vetting and record‑keeping .
Support after incidents – improved procedures for sexual violence/harassment and ongoing quality assurance.
Boarding/special provision specifics – dedicated rules for boarding schools and special needs residential settings .
Why this update matters
Keeps pace with fast‑evolving risks: online threats, AI misuse, and ideological recruitment are advancing quickly—schools must respond effectively.
Clarity and accountability for DSLs: ensures safeguarding leads are better supported and have clearly defined roles .
Strengthened oversight & compliance: updated safeguarding systems, plus renewed emphasis on consistent record-keeping, monitoring, and reporting.
