Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025

For Information Version

(Updated 27th August 2025)

Resources

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025

Generative AI Guidance and Support

Understanding and Responding to AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material

Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education (for September 2026)

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025

The Department for Education has published the latest version of Keeping Children Safe in Education for 2025. 

No new substance

The changes in this 'for information' version are mainly technical and organisational changes. This edition of Keeping Children Safe in Education will come into force on the 1st September 2025 and includes links to the new guidance for relationships, sex and health education which comes into force at the beginning of the next school year (1st september 2026). Further revised guidance on gender questioning children is expected later.

Online Risks and Harms

For now though there is updated wording and updated links for existing topics. From an online perspective, three areas are updated: firstly, adding to the list of safeguarding harms is misinformation; disinformation; conspiracy theories; a link to the Generative AI guidance that came out a few weeks ago (although I'm not sure that's the most helpful link); and a reference to the cyber security standards for schools.

Alternative Providers

KCSIE 2025 has now incorporated the safeguarding section from the DfE guidance 'Arranging alternative provision' (DfE, February 2025). See paragraphs 168 - 171.

Harmful Sexual Behaviour

Although the Lucy Faithfull Foundation's HSB toolkit has been referenced for several years, KCSIE now links to the Shore Space online resource which offers a confidential chat service that supports young people who are concerned about their own or someone else’s sexual thoughts and behaviours.