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Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025: What governors and trustees need to know

Rani Kaur, 精品SM在线影片 Head of Advice, outlines the key changes to updated statutory guidance and how boards can use this moment to strengthen safeguarding oversight.

Blog
11/07/2025

Safeguarding remains a core priority for all governing boards and trust boards. Updated (KCSiE) guidance, which comes into force on 1 September 2025, brings a small number of technical changes but arrives at a time when safeguarding concerns are becoming increasingly complex, with new and evolving risks facing children both in and out of school.

狈骋础鈥檚 2025 Annual Governance Survey shows that almost half of governors and trustees have seen an increase in safeguarding concerns over the past year. Issues such as bullying, online harms, neglect, and domestic abuse remain high on the agenda, with particular challenges in secondary settings.

While this year鈥檚 KCSiE update is limited, it provides a timely opportunity for boards to reflect on their safeguarding culture and the role of governance in creating a safe and supportive environment for pupils.

What has changed in KCSiE 2025?

Most of the changes in this year鈥檚 guidance are technical in nature. However, several updates are relevant to the strategic work of governing boards.

Online safety and digital risk

  • The 鈥four Cs鈥 of online risk 鈥 content, contact, conduct, and commerce 鈥 have been updated to reflect misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories as emerging threats.
  • New references include the DfE鈥檚 Generative AI: product safety expectations and the Plan technology for your school tool, which helps schools assess their filtering and monitoring systems.

Attendance

  • The Working together to improve school attendance guidance is now statutory.
  • Where safeguarding concerns are linked to pupil absence, schools must engage with children鈥檚 services 鈥 this marks a strengthening from previous expectations (see paragraph 177).
  • 狈骋础鈥檚 guidance on improving school attendance sets out governing board responsibilities in relation to effective policy and reviewing attendance data.

Alternative provision

  • Clarification has been added regarding the checks schools must carry out when using alternative provision. These align with the .

Virtual school heads

  • Virtual school heads are now expected to promote educational outcomes not only for looked-after children, but also those with a social worker or in kinship care (paragraph 199).

Inclusive language

  • The term 鈥渁utism spectrum disorder鈥 has been replaced with 鈥渁耻迟颈蝉尘鈥, aligning with current SEND guidance and inclusive terminology.

Safer recruitment

  • Updated links in Part 3 of the guidance (paras 260, 266, 319, 331) provide improved access to resources on safer recruitment practice.

A full list of changes is available in Annex F.

What鈥檚 on the horizon?

The DfE will publish a final version of KCSiE when it comes into force on 1 September. This is expected to include links to revised guidance on:

  • Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE)
  • Gender-questioning children

Future updates

精品SM在线影片 expects next year鈥檚 update to KCSiE to be more significant, taking account of upcoming government work, including:

  • Legislative changes via the Children鈥檚 Wellbeing and Schools Bill
  • Outcomes from the聽聽and subsequent inquiries

What does this mean for governance?

While the updates are limited in scale, they provide a helpful prompt for boards to:

  • Review safeguarding policies and procedures 鈥 are they compliant, up to date and tailored to your setting?
  • Seek assurance about staff training and confidence 鈥 do staff understand their roles and feel equipped to act?
  • Support the DSL effectively 鈥 does the DSL have enough time and resource to carry out the role well?
  • Monitor safeguarding culture and practice 鈥 how do you know that safeguarding is embedded across your school or trust?

  • “Even small changes in guidance provide a timely opportunity for boards to reflect on how safeguarding is understood, prioritised, and resourced across the organisation.”

    Using data to support this oversight is key. Look for patterns 鈥 are certain groups more likely to be affected by behaviour issues or safeguarding referrals? Are attendance dips linked to later disclosures? Strategic use of safeguarding data can help governing boards to ask informed questions and challenge effectively.

    精品SM在线影片 support for boards

    狈骋础鈥檚 updated safeguarding e-learning and resources will be available in the autumn term. We are also developing a new safeguarding monitoring toolkit, designed to help boards and link governors monitor culture, practice and compliance across key areas.

    In the meantime, boards are encouraged to:

    • Read KCSiE 2025, paying particular attention to updates (outlined in annex F) and stay alert to future changes
    • Reflect on how safeguarding responsibilities are carried out in your setting
    • Use board time to discuss emerging safeguarding themes and risks relevant to your school community
    Rani Kaur

    Rani Kaur

    Head of Advice

    Rani oversees 精品SM在线影片’s Advice team and GOLDline service. She leads on the SEND and premises management policy areas and manages 精品SM在线影片’s work on equality, diversity and inclusion. She is co-chair of an infant and nursery school in Solihull.

    View Rani's full profile

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