Revisions to 'Keeping Children Safe in Education', DfE (pending publication of final version which comes into force in September 2025)
Revised Statutory Guidance
On 7 July 2025, the Department for Education (DfE) published a revised version of 'Keeping Children Safe in Education'. The revised guidance for is information only at this stage so that schools and colleges can plan for the commencement of the guidance on 1 September 2025; until this time, the existing statutory guidance, 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' 2024 is still in force and schools and colleges must continue to have regard to it.
The DfE will publish 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' 2025 (final version when it comes into force on 1st September 2025. We expect it to include links to revised guidance on:
- relationships, sex, and health education
- gender questioning children
Key changes
There are technical-only changes in 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' 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.
The DfE state that the 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Annex F of the draft guidance includes a Table of Substantive Changes from the 2024 document and a table of revisions can be found below.
What should schools and colleges do?
- Read KCSiE giving particular consideration to the changes
- Review all relevant policy documents, procedures and training and devise an action plan to implement required changes in preparation for 1 September 2025.
- Ensure that the final version of the guidance is accessed and disseminated to staff when it is published.
What the Education Safeguarding Team are doing?
- We will be updating the Norfolk model safeguarding policy, forms and templates and the whole school training package to reflect these amendments. We will Tweet once the policy and training package have been updated and are available on the Norfolk Schools and Learning Providers website.
- The forms and templates and modules of training will be updated over the summer holidays.
The revisions to the document include:
Summary | No changes |
|---|---|
Part one | Safeguarding information for all staff |
| No changes |
Part two | The management of safeguarding |
Page 36 | Paragraph 128 - Note added in relation to the expected publication of the revised guidance on Relationships, Sex, and Health Education this summer. If published, the DfE will signpost to this guidance in September 2025. |
Page 38 | Paragraph 135 - Updated to clarify misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories are safeguarding harms. |
Page 40 | Paragraph 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 | Paragraph 143 - Link added to DfE guidance on the use of generative AI in education (2025) |
Page 47 | Paragraphs 169 - 170 information added that clarifies and reflects existing DfE guidance on Alternative Provision (2025) |
Page 49 | Paragraph 177 - updated to clarify DfE 'Working together to improve school attendance' is now statutory guidance. |
Page 54 | Paragraph 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 | Paragraph 204 - Note added in relation to the expected publication of the guidance on gender questioning children this summer. If published, the DfE will signpost to this guidance in September 2025. Paragraph 205 - removal of 'spectrum' and 'disorder' to align with SEND code of practice. |
Part three | Safer recruitment |
Page 74 | Paragraph 260 - reference to TRA's Employer Access Service removed and replaced with new link to GOV.UK page. |
Page 75 | Paragraph 266 - reference to TRA's Employer Access Service removed and replaced with new link to GOV.UK page. |
Page 85 | Paragraph 319 - reference to Employer Secure Access removed and replaced with link to GOV.UK for S128 checks. |
Page 87 | Paragraph 331 - information added that clarifies and reflects existing AP Guidance. |
Part four | Safeguarding concerns or allegations made against staff, including supply teachers, volunteers and contractors |
Page 106 | Paragraph 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 | Paragraph 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. |
Annexes | A - E |
A | No changes |
B | Links added: |
C - E | No changes |
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