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Important Updates to Keeping Children Safe In Education 2026

Source: UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) published on this website Wednesday 19 August 2026 by Jill Powell

From their perspective on Internet Safety UKSIC have published a blog on their understanding of internet Safety and Keeping Children Safe in Education September 2026. It is replicated below.

‘The Department for Education has just released the latest Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026 that comes into effect from 1^st September 2026. While many of the changes build on existing expectations, the latest guidance includes important updates around filtering and monitoring, strengthens accountability, brings emerging technologies into sharper focus, and reinforces that safeguarding responsibility must be led at a strategic level.

Led by UK Online Harms Early Warning Working Group’s Guidance

One of the most encouraging aspects of KCSIE 2026 is how closely it reflects concerns and recommendations that have been highlighted by the UK Online Harms Early Warning Working Group (EWWG). Earlier this year, UKSIC published guidance to help education settings protect children’s images from AI manipulation and abuse, following evidence that perpetrators were using images from school websites and using AI tools to create abusive content and facilitate blackmail attempts.

It is therefore excellent news to see many of these emerging risks now reflected within KCSIE’s statutory framework. For schools, this means that advice previously delivered through sector guidance is increasingly being reinforced through statutory safeguarding expectations.

Annual Filtering and Monitoring Reviews Are Now Explicitly Required

One of the most significant changes is the requirement for schools and colleges to review the effectiveness of their filtering and monitoring systems at least once every academic year. While annual reviews have long been encouraged through the DfE’s Filtering and Monitoring Standards, KCSIE now embeds this expectation directly within statutory safeguarding guidance. Governing bodies and proprietors must ensure that:

– Appropriate filtering and monitoring systems are in place.
– Their effectiveness is reviewed annually.
– Schools can demonstrate that these reviews have taken place.

Stronger Accountability and Leadership Oversight

KCSIE 2026 also introduces much clearer accountability for filtering and monitoring reviews. The guidance states that reviews should be undertaken by the senior leadership team member responsible for filtering and monitoring, supported by the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and IT support.
This is an important development as it shows that responsibility can no longer sit solely within technical teams or be delegated entirely to third-party providers. Schools must be able to demonstrate leadership oversight, safeguarding expertise and technical understanding.

KCSIE also makes it clear that DSLs should understand filtering and monitoring systems and processes, and that this responsibility should be reflected in job descriptions. Staff safeguarding training should also cover filtering and monitoring expectations, roles and escalation procedures.

Recording and Evidencing Checks

For the first time, KCSIE explicitly requires schools to keep records of filtering checks. Reviews should include testing filtering across internet-connected devices and locations, with a record of the checks undertaken. Schools should therefore consider and prepare to evidence:

– When checks took place.
– What devices and environments were tested.
– Any issues identified.
– The actions taken to address concerns.

Artificial Intelligence Moves Further Into the Safeguarding Framework

The growing influence of artificial intelligence is reflected throughout. The guidance directly references the Department for Education’s work on generative AI product safety expectations and highlights the need for schools to understand how filtering and monitoring requirements apply to AI-powered tools.
This recognises that schools are increasingly adopting AI technologies while simultaneously managing new risks, including inappropriate AI-generated content, unsupervised interactions with AI systems, and data protection concerns.

Contact risks associated with the 4Cs framwork now explicitly include interactions with generative AI systems that simulate human conversation, while conduct risks include the making, sending or receiving of explicit images, including those created using AI.

Consistent Terminology Around “Nudes and Semi-Nudes”

KCSIE 2026 adopts the term “nudes and semi-nudes” throughout the guidance when discussing images involving under-18s. The definition includes self-generated, digitally altered and entirely AI-generated images, including so-called “deepfake” or “deep nude” content. This aligns language more closely with existing UK Council for Internet Safety guidance and reflects the realities of image creation and manipulation.

Cyber Security Recognised as a Safeguarding Issue

Another important update is the stronger link between cyber security and safeguarding. KCSIE now references Cyber Security Standards for Schools and Colleges and makes clear that protecting personal information and maintaining appropriate cyber security systems forms part of safeguarding responsibilities.

Preparing for September

As schools prepare for implementation from September 2026, UKSIC encourages schools to review their current strategies and ensure these new considerations are factored into their processes.’

Man sentenced for rape and sexual abuse of girl in East Sussex

Source: Sussex Police published on this website Tuesday 18 August 2026

A man who groomed a teenage girl and raped her has been jailed for 19 years.

George Scott, 39, pressured the victim for non-recent sexual activity in East Sussex.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has described how the abuse has had a “devastating and lifelong impact”.

Scott, of Beacon Road, Crowborough, was found guilty of 11 offences after trial, and appeared before Lewes Crown Court on 31 July.

He was sentenced to 19 years in prison, and must serve an extra two years on licence when released as part of an extended sentence.

It means he must serve at least two thirds of the sentence before he can be considered for parole, and could still be recalled to prison to serve the remainder of the sentence for an extra two years.

The court also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 25 years, which will restrict Scott’s unsupervised contact with children and access to computers or mobile phones without permission.

He was put on the sex offenders register indefinitely, and the court also imposed a restraining order not to contact the victim which will last until a further order is made.

The court was told how the non-recent offences related to Scott’s activities as a golf instructor. He groomed the victim, a girl under the age of 16, to commit sexual offences.

These included eight counts of sexual assault by penetration, one count of intentionally causing a girl under 16 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, one count of causing a girl under 16 to watch a third person engaging in sexual activity, and one count of being an adult in a position of trust who sexually touched a girl under the age of 18 on multiple occasions.

In her victim impact statement, the victim, who has a right to legal anonymity for life, said:

“I continue to fight everyday against the memories I wish I could forget.

“This has had a devastating and lifelong impact. I have lived with the consequences with flashbacks and intrusive memories. I often felt blamed and shamed for something that was never my fault.”

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Mors Lambert said: “I commend the courage of the victim for coming forward and reporting her experience to Sussex Police in this highly distressing case.

“It is clear that Scott groomed the victim and abused her in the most appalling way. She should have been able to trust him in his role, but he abused that trust by committing sexual offences over a two-year period.

“This was a complex investigation and we take reports of rape and serious sexual assaults extremely seriously. We were determined to get justice for the victim in this case.

“Scott is now serving a significant custodial sentence which reflects the severity of his offences as well as the profound impact it has had upon the victim.

“I would continue to encourage all victims of sexual offences to report their experiences to the police.”

Further help and support for victims of rape and serious sexual assaults is available on the Safe:Space Sussex website and on the Sussex Police website.

More information about how Sussex Police investigates cases of rape and sexual assault is available on the

force website here.

Man jailed for online child sex offences

Source: Northamptonshire Police published on this website Friday 7 August 2026 by Jill Powell

A 38-year-old man who was issued with a Sexual Risk Order (SRO) while under investigation for online child sex offences has been jailed for more than four years.

Liam Pink, formerly Kettering, was issued with the civil order in October 2022 at Northampton Magistrates’ Court which are used to manage those who pose a sexual harm risk to the public.

Northamptonshire Police applied for the SRO after Pink’s arrest on suspicion of attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in a sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

This followed allegations from an online activist group that between August 12 and 28, Pink had engaged in an online conversation, exchanging explicit messages of a sexual nature, with a 12-year-old girl. However, she didn’t exist and was in fact a decoy.

The five-year SRO was issued with certain conditions he was required to abide by, including not having unsupervised contact or communication with any child under the age of 16, not using any social media account unless in the name of Liam Pink and not using any device capable of accessing the internet without notifying police.

During a routine visit on April 9 this year, officers from Northamptonshire Police’s MOSOVO team, which closely manage sexual and violent offenders, arrested Pink after an examination of his mobile phone found that he had breached the SRO three times.

Between January 1 and March 31, there was evidence to suggest that he had had contact with a child under the age of two without the parent’s knowledge of his order. He had also failed to notify police about a social media account that he had set up using a different name.

Pink was subsequently charged with the three breaches of the SRO as well as the online child sex offences that he was under investigation for and on June 3, he pleaded guilty to all five offences at Northampton Magistrates’ Court.

His case was sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentencing, and on July 13, he was jailed for four years and four months and issued with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

Risk Management Officer Libbie Stiff from the Force’s MOSOVO Team, said: “We take an absolute zero-tolerance approach to situations like this. Liam Pink’s repeat offending showed that he had a blatant disregard for the sanctions imposed by the court, and I am pleased that this sentence reflects the serious risk that he poses.

“I also hope this case reassures the public that we are working proactively to continue to keep children in Northamptonshire safe from online predators and to bring anyone who threatens that safety to justice.”

Jail for paedophile snared by activist group

Source: Court News Cambridge Constabulary published on this website Monday 17 August 2026 by Jill Powell

A man who shared explicit images of himself with what he mistakenly thought was a 14-year-old girl has been jailed.

Iain Fleming, 53, began communicating with the account in March last year, not knowing it was a decoy run by an online child abuse activist group.

Despite the “girl” telling Fleming she was only 14 several times, he continued sexual communication with her and sent explicit images of himself.

Police were contacted by the child activist group, and officers swiftly arrested Fleming at his Peterborough home.

After seizing his mobile phone, it was also revealed Fleming had contacted what was believed to be a 15-year-old girl. Again, Fleming continued with explicit conversations, telling her she had a beautiful body and that he wanted to kiss her all over.

At Peterborough Crown Court on 7 August, Fleming, of Millfield, Peterborough, was jailed for three years and two months after admitting to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and one count of attempting to incite a girl to engage in sexual activity.

DC Lloyd Davis, who investigated, said: “Fleming clearly poses a significant risk to children.

“Despite the ‘girl’ in this case being a decoy account, Fleming still attempted to prey on and groom what he believed was a child.

“This kind of sexual exploitation can have devastating effects on a child’s development, mental health and self-esteem that continue into adulthood, so I am pleased he is now behind bars for his crimes.”

For more on child abuse, including how to report it and spot the signs, please visit the dedicated pages on the force website.

Grooming gang victim’s convictions quashed following CCRC referral

Source: Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) published on this website Tuesday 28 July 2026 by Jill Powell

The convictions of a woman who was groomed and sexually exploited as a child have today been quashed by the Crown Court, following a referral by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

The CCRC referred Ms AB’s convictions to the Crown Court in May 2026 after concluding there was a real possibility they would not be upheld because her prosecution may have amounted to an abuse of process.

Ms AB was convicted in December 2002, aged 14, of being carried in a stolen motor vehicle, possession of an imitation firearm and assault. She received a non-custodial sentence.

The CCRC’s investigation found compelling evidence that, at the time of the offences, Ms AB had been the victim of child sexual exploitation and grooming. The CCRC concluded there was a real possibility that the failures of public authorities to identify and protect Ms AB meant she had been unable to effectively participate in the proceedings and consider any defences open to her.

At the time of her convictions, she was said to be “in a relationship” with a man she had met when she was 11 years old. During an interview with the CCRC she explained the man would bring food to her house, flatter her and make her feel special.

Within months, the interactions with the man became sexual, and she was encouraged to have sex with his friends. She explained that he would use violence and emotional blackmail to get her to comply. At the time of her offences, she was living in a children’s home.

The CCRC referral followed publication of Baroness Louise Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, which highlighted widespread institutional failings in protecting children from grooming gangs. This was the first case referred by the Commission involving the convictions of a grooming gang victim in light of those findings.

CCRC Chair Dame Vera Baird KC said: “We welcome today’s decision. Ms AB was just 14 when these offences were committed. Rather than being recognised as a vulnerable child in need of protection, the evidence shows she was failed by the very institutions that should have kept her safe.

“One can only lament the lack of insight, in particular, from the police at the time, that she was prosecuted, when she should have been protected. She would have had no choice but to plead guilty at the magistrates’ court, which she did, exactly as she had no choice but to commit the offences, since she was, at both times, in the grip of a groomer.

“Our investigation concluded there was a real possibility that, because of those failures, her prosecution amounted to an abuse of process. The Crown Prosecution Service Court has now reached the same conclusion and did not oppose the application today. We are grateful to them for their careful consideration of Ms AB’s case.

“Many children who were victims of grooming and sexual exploitation were treated as offenders rather than children in need of protection. We now have a better understanding of the devastating impact that exploitation, coercion and control can have on a young person’s ability to make free choices.

“The CCRC has received other applications concerning grooming gangs, and there is a real body of in-house expertise to help with them now. We will always be ready to talk with such applicants with the help of a trauma-informed member of a trafficking charity or anyone else who the applicant would like to be with them, so that there is a lesser risk of re-traumatising them by the need to re-visit, perhaps, long-ago times which they will remember potentially with great pain.

“I hope this decision and this reassurance will give confidence to others who may have been in similar circumstances.”

Where new evidence demonstrates that a conviction may be unsafe, the CCRC will investigate carefully and independently. People do not have to approach us on their own; they can ask a solicitor, charity or support organisation to help them make an application.

The CCRC received Ms AB’s application in January 2024. During its investigation, the Commission obtained evidence about the grooming and exploitation she experienced as a child, including evidence that was not before the courts when she pleaded guilty in 2002.

Having reviewed the material, the CCRC concluded there was a real possibility the Crown Court would find the convictions unsafe because the failures to protect Ms AB and investigate the abuse she was suffering deprived her of the opportunity to receive a fair trial and properly advance any available defence.

The Crown Court has today allowed the appeal and quashed the conviction

The CCRC is an independent body set up under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995. It is responsible for independently reviewing suspected and alleged miscarriages of criminal justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is based in Birmingham and is funded by the Ministry of Justice.    