Source: Department for Education - GOV.UK published on this website Tuesday 8 July 2025 by Jill Powell
This guidance sets out the legal duties you must follow to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 in schools and colleges.
It applies to all schools and colleges, and is for:
- headteachers, teachers and staff
- governing bodies, proprietors and management committees
All school and college staff should read part one of this guidance.
We will publish KCSIE 2025 (final version) when it comes into force on 1 September. We expect to include links to revised guidance on:
- relationships, sex, and health education
- gender questioning children
There are technical only changes to KCSIE 2025 and future versions will reflect the:
- progress into legislation of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
- emerging further learnings from the work of the National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and subsequent inquiries
- future work on tackling violence against women and girls
This government is clear that there are – and will continue to be – further learnings about how we can better protect children in the future as we understand more clearly what has gone wrong in the past. Schools and colleges will continue to play an important role in this.
Annex F: Table of changes from KCSIE September 2024 version
This table explains where we have made changes and our rationale for doing so. We will publish KCSIE (final version) 2025 on 1 September 2025, by which time we expect it to include links to revised guidance on Relationships, Sex, and Health Education and revised guidance on gender questioning children.
KCSIE has been revised regularly for many years, and we intend that it will continue to be revised and improved on a regular basis. Whilst there are only technical changes to KCSIE 2025, future iterations will reflect the progress into legislation of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the emerging further learnings from the work of the recent Casey Audit and subsequent inquiries, the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy and the interactions between these advances.
This Government is clear that there are and will continue to be further learnings about how we can better protect children in the future as we come to understand more clearly what has gone wrong in the past and schools and colleges will continue to need to play an incredibly important role in this. Summary About the guidance (no changes made)
Part one:
Safeguarding information for all staff (no changes made)
Part two:
The management of safeguarding Page 36 Para 128 - We have added a note to say that we expect to publish revised guidance on Relationships, Sex, and Health Education this summer. If published, we will signpost to this guidance in September 2025. Page 38 Para 135 - Updated to clarify misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories are safeguarding harms. Page 40 Para 142 - Link added to the plan technology for your school service, which schools can use to assess themselves against the filtering and monitoring standards and receive personalised recommendations on how to meet them. Page 41 Para 143 - Link added to DfE guidance on the use of generative AI in education (2025) at end of filtering and monitoring (FM) section to support schools and colleges. 184 Para 144 - wording amended in the cybersecurity standards for schools and colleges advice to clarify that it was developed to help schools improve their cyber resilience. Page 47 Para 169 - 170 information added that clarifies and reflects existing AP Guidance Page 49 Para 177 - updated to clarify ‘working together to safeguard attendance’ ‘is now ‘statutory’ guidance. Page 54 Para 199 - has been amended to clarify that the role of the virtual head has been extended to include responsibility for promoting the educational achievement of children in kinship care. Page 56 Para 204 - We have added a note to say that we expect to publish the revised guidance on gender questioning children this summer. If published, we will signpost to this guidance in September 2025. Para 205 - removal of ‘spectrum’ and ‘disorder’ to align with SEND code of practice.
Part three:
Safer recruitment Page 74 Para 260 - reference to TRA’s Employer Access Service removed and replaced with new link to GOV.UK page. Page 75 Para 266 - references to TRA’s Employer Access Service removed and replaced with new link to GOV.UK page. Page 85 Para 319 - reference to Employer Secure Access removed and replaced with link to GOV.UK for S128 checks. Page 87 Para 331 - information added that clarifies and reflects existing AP Guidance.
Part four:
Safeguarding concerns or allegations made about staff, including supply teachers, volunteers and contractors Page 106 Para 422 - amended to correct the title of the Information Commissioner’s employment practice guidance.
Part five:
Child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment Page 140 Para 545 - Link added to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation’s ‘Shore Space’. which offers a confidential chat service supporting young people concerned about their own or someone else’s sexual thoughts and behaviours.
185 Annexes:
A, B, C, D and E Annex B - Page 157 Header removed Annex B – Page 163 Link added to the CSA Centre’s Resources for education settings | CSA Centre. Annex B – Page 164 Link added to the Preventing Child Sexual Exploitation | The Children's Society. 186
