KCSIE 2026: what schools and clubs need to know
Written by The MagicBooking Team | Sep 30, 2026
9 min readKeeping Children Safe in Education 2026 (KCSIE 2026) came into force on 1 September 2026, and the school safeguarding changes it introduces are some of the most significant in years.
These school safeguarding changes 2026 are not a routine update. KCSIE 2026 removes the Annex A staff summary that schools have relied on for years, abolishes a long-standing exemption on volunteer DBS checks, rewrites guidance on child-on-child abuse, and adds artificial intelligence to the online harm framework. Every school in England must comply. So must every after-school club, breakfast club, and holiday club operating on school premises.
This guide covers every major KCSIE 2026 change, explains what the guidance means in practice, and gives schools and clubs a clear checklist of what to do now. If you are responsible for safeguarding in a school, a wraparound care programme, or an out-of-school club, this is what you need to know about keeping children safe in education 2026.
“Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 sets out the legal duties that schools and colleges must comply with to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18. All staff must read Part One in full.” – Department for Education, September 2026
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What is KCSIE and who has to follow it?
KCSIE stands for Keeping Children Safe in Education. It is the Department for Education's statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges in England, updated annually. Schools have a legal duty to follow it.
KCSIE 2026 applies to:
- All maintained schools, academies, and free schools
- Colleges and further education institutions
- Independent schools
- Alternative provision settings
Out-of-school clubs and childcare providers that operate on school premises – including breakfast clubs, after-school clubs, and holiday programmes – are not directly named in KCSIE, but their safeguarding arrangements must meet the same standard. Ofsted inspectors check safeguarding for all provision on a school site. KCSIE 2026 is the baseline for what inspectors expect to find.
KCSIE 2026 replaces KCSIE 2025 and is the guidance schools and clubs must follow for the full 2026-27 academic year. The KCSIE 2026 PDF is available to download from GOV.UK.
KCSIE 2026 changes at a glance
The table below summarises every major school safeguarding change introduced in KCSIE 2026, who it affects, and what action is needed.
| KCSIE 2026 change | What is new | Who must act |
|---|---|---|
| Annex A removed | All staff must now read full Part One (50 pages). The shorter staff briefing is gone. | All schools, clubs, and childcare settings |
| Supervision exemption removed | Volunteers in regulated activity must be DBS-checked regardless of supervision. | Schools, after-school clubs, breakfast clubs, holiday clubs |
| Gender-questioning guidance | Updated in line with the Cass Review. Clearer expectations for how staff support gender-questioning pupils. | All schools |
| Online safety and AI imagery | AI-generated content (deepfakes, CSAM) added to online harm guidance. “Nudes and semi-nudes” replaces older terminology throughout. | All schools and clubs running digital sessions |
| Family Help emphasis | Greater focus on early intervention before statutory referral. DSLs must understand referral pathways. | All schools and DSLs |
| Prejudice-based harm | New section covering prejudice-related incidents, misogyny, and prejudice-based bullying. | All schools |
| Child-on-child abuse (Part Five) | Significant rewrite of guidance on harmful sexual behaviour, sexual harassment, and peer-on-peer abuse. | All schools |
| Safer recruitment updates | Enhanced vetting expectations aligned with changes to the regulated activity definition. | Schools and clubs recruiting staff or volunteers |
The biggest KCSIE 2026 change for clubs: the supervision exemption is gone
This is the KCSIE 2026 change that club operators and school leaders need to act on immediately.
Until 1 September 2026, organisations could use a “supervision exemption” when working with volunteers in regulated activity with children. Under this rule, a volunteer did not need their own DBS check as long as they were supervised by a DBS-checked adult. Many schools and clubs relied on this – particularly when bringing in parent helpers, sports coaches, or activity leaders for short-term roles.
That exemption no longer exists.
“From 1 September 2026, the supervision exemption for regulated activity with children is removed.” – GOV.UK, Disclosure and Barring Service, August 2026
This means anyone who teaches, trains, instructs, cares for, or supervises children on more than three days in any 30-day period is now in regulated activity and requires an Enhanced DBS check with a Children's Barred List check, regardless of supervision.
This is one of the most urgent KCSIE 2026 guidance changes for clubs. The DBS check requirement now applies to all volunteers doing regulated activity, unconditionally.
What counts as regulated activity with children?
Regulated activity with children includes:
- Teaching, training, instructing, or supervising children on a regular basis
- Providing care or personal support to children
- Driving children as part of a club or school activity
- Unsupervised contact with children (now irrelevant – the supervision element no longer exempts anyone from needing a DBS check)
In practice, this means almost every regular volunteer at an after-school club, breakfast club, sports club, or holiday programme is carrying out regulated activity and therefore needs a DBS check.
What after-school clubs and breakfast clubs must do now
If you run a club on a school site and have been relying on the supervision exemption, these are your next steps:
- Audit every current volunteer's DBS status immediately
- Any volunteer without a current DBS check must stop carrying out regulated activity until their check is complete
- Apply for new DBS checks via your umbrella body or directly through the Disclosure and Barring Service
- Update your volunteer and safer recruitment policy to remove any reference to the supervision exemption
- Update your after-school club safeguarding policy to reflect KCSIE 2026 and the new regulated activity rules
- Brief your governing body or trustees – they are responsible for ensuring compliance with KCSIE 2026 guidance changes of this kind
- Inform your Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) of every volunteer's current status
This applies to all settings: breakfast club safeguarding 2026 requirements are the same as for schools – wraparound care, after-school clubs, breakfast provision, holiday clubs, and sports or enrichment programmes on school sites.
The supervision exemption removal and the DBS check requirement for volunteers are some of the most operationally significant KCSIE updates 2026 has introduced, and they cannot be managed retrospectively. Act now.
KCSIE 2026 Annex A is withdrawn: all staff must read Part One in full
For years, schools have given non-teaching staff the shorter Annex A summary of Part One rather than the full document. That option is gone in KCSIE 2026.
The guidance removes KCSIE 2026 Annex A entirely. Every member of staff in a school or college – including administrators, caretakers, premises staff, finance officers, and kitchen workers – must now read the full Part One (50 pages).
The rationale is clear: safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. All staff are expected to recognise concerns, understand who to report to, and know what happens next. The shorter summary is no longer sufficient.
What this means for schools and club staff
- Update your staff induction process to include the full Part One, not a summary
- Existing staff who only read Annex A must now read the complete KCSIE 2026 Part One
- Keep a signed reading record for every member of staff as evidence of compliance
- For clubs: any member of staff employed by a club operating on school premises should also read Part One as a minimum safeguarding standard
- Part One is available as a standalone PDF on GOV.UK – download and share it with all staff before the end of the autumn term if you have not done so already
Online safety and AI: what KCSIE 2026 adds to the framework
KCSIE 2026 updates the online safety section to reflect how quickly risks to children online are evolving. Two changes matter most.
AI-generated imagery is now explicitly covered. KCSIE 2026 guidance adds AI-generated sexual content – including deepfakes and AI-manipulated images of children – to the definition of online harm. Schools and clubs running digital activities, coding sessions, or any technology-based programme must ensure their acceptable use policies (AUPs) address this.
Language has been updated throughout. KCSIE 2026 uses “nudes and semi-nudes” consistently across the whole document, replacing older terminology used in previous editions. This brings the guidance into line with how the issue is described in national awareness campaigns. Update your online safety and sexting policies to use the same language.
What clubs running digital sessions need to do
- Review your acceptable use policy and add a specific reference to AI-generated content
- Ensure children and parents are aware of the updated rules around images and online sharing
- Your DSL should be briefed on the new AI-related harm categories in KCSIE 2026
- If your club uses devices, tablets, or screens, confirm your filtering and monitoring approach meets the updated KCSIE 2026 expectations
These are among the KCSIE updates 2026 most likely to be tested by Ofsted during any inspection of school-based digital provision.
Gender-questioning guidance in KCSIE 2026
The school safeguarding changes in KCSIE 2026 include updated guidance on how primary schools and secondary schools support gender-questioning pupils. The updated guidance is aligned with the findings of the Cass Review on gender identity services for children and young people.
In practice, this means:
- Staff must not socially transition a child (change name, pronouns, or uniform) without parental knowledge and involvement, unless there are overriding safeguarding reasons
- Schools should refer to the DSL when a child discloses concerns about gender identity
- For clubs: if a child makes a disclosure related to gender identity, staff should follow the same process as any other safeguarding concern – report it to the DSL and record it
This is an area where schools and clubs should check that their safeguarding policy accurately reflects the KCSIE 2026 guidance rather than earlier practice.
What KCSIE 2026 means for after-school clubs and childcare providers
KCSIE 2026 directly references clubs and childcare provision in several sections. The school safeguarding changes 2026 introduced this year apply to all provision on a school site – not just the school day.
For safeguarding after-school clubs, here is a summary of what keeping children safe in education 2026 means specifically for clubs and childcare providers:
- Safeguarding lead coverage. Every session must have a DSL or deputy DSL available – either in person or reachable by phone. This applies to breakfast clubs, after-school clubs, and holiday programmes.
- DBS checks for all staff and volunteers. Under the KCSIE 2026 guidance changes on regulated activity, every adult working with children at your club must be DBS-checked. There are no longer any circumstances under which a volunteer can use supervision as a substitute for their own check.
- Attendance registers as safeguarding evidence. KCSIE 2026 reinforces the importance of accurate attendance records. A child who is on the register and does not arrive should prompt immediate action. Registers are also a core piece of Ofsted inspection evidence for club provision.
- Emergency contacts and consent records. Every child in your club must have up-to-date emergency contact information, medical needs recorded, and consent for activities on file. These records must be accessible at every session.
- Safeguarding policy must reflect KCSIE 2026. If your club's safeguarding policy was last updated for KCSIE 2025, it needs updating now. The policy should specifically reference the supervised volunteer exemption removal and the updated regulated activity definition.
“Safeguarding is not an add-on for after-school clubs – it is the foundation of everything you do. KCSIE 2026 makes clear that the same standards that apply in the school day apply in every session, every week, for every child in your care.”
If you are unsure whether your club's safeguarding arrangements meet keeping children safe in education (KCSIE 2026), start with the checklist below.
MagicBooking keeps attendance registers, emergency contact records, and parent consents accurate and accessible for every session – giving you the safeguarding evidence you need, every time. See how it works.
KCSIE 2026 checklist: compliance for schools and clubs
Use this KCSIE 2026 checklist to check your compliance with keeping children safe in education 2026 before the end of the autumn term.
- All staff have read KCSIE 2026 Part One in full (including non-teaching and support staff) – signed reading records on file
- All volunteers in regulated activity have a current DBS check in place – the supervision exemption no longer applies
- Safeguarding and child protection policy updated to reflect KCSIE 2026 guidance changes
- Volunteer and safer recruitment policy updated to remove reference to the supervision exemption
- Online safety and acceptable use policy updated to include generative AI/AI-generated imagery and “nudes and semi-nudes” language
- DSL and deputy DSL have read and discussed the Part Five changes on child-on-child sexual abuse and harmful sexual behaviour
- Gender-questioning policy reviewed against KCSIE 2026 and Cass Review guidance
- Attendance registers maintained for every club session, with action taken for unexplained absences
- Emergency contacts, consent records, and medical information on file and accessible at every session
- Link governor or trustee briefed on all KCSIE 2026 changes and the removal of the supervision exemption
- Staff training records updated to confirm KCSIE 2026 compliance for each individual
If any of the above are outstanding, address the DBS check and policy updates first – these are the most inspection-critical KCSIE 2026 changes for clubs and schools.
Running an after-school club, breakfast club, or holiday programme? MagicBooking manages your booking records, attendance registers, parent consents, and emergency contacts in one place – the safeguarding evidence Ofsted will ask for, always ready. Book a free demo.
Further reading and resources
KCSIE 2026 is in force now – don't wait to act
The school safeguarding changes in KCSIE 2026 are not optional and they are not phased. They came into force on 1 September 2026. If your volunteers are still relying on a supervision arrangement rather than holding their own DBS check, that arrangement is no longer legally compliant. If your staff read Annex A last year and haven't been given the full Part One, they have not met the KCSIE 2026 requirement.
For clubs and childcare providers, keeping children safe in education 2026 is the clearest signal yet that safeguarding standards for out-of-school provision are being raised to match those of the school day. Ofsted expects the same rigour for your breakfast club as for your Year 6 classroom. The KCSIE 2026 guidance changes give you the framework – and the checklist above gives you the starting point.
Use the KCSIE 2026 summary of changes in this guide, work through the compliance checklist, update your policies, and confirm your volunteers' DBS status before Ofsted asks you to.
MagicBooking helps hundreds of schools and clubs across the UK manage the admin behind safeguarding – from attendance registers and emergency contacts to parent consent and session records. If KCSIE 2026 has prompted a review of how you run your club, we'd love to show you what's possible. Get started with MagicBooking.
Frequently asked questions about KCSIE 2026
What are the key changes to KCSIE 2026?
The main KCSIE 2026 changes are: removal of Annex A (all staff must now read full Part One), removal of the supervision exemption for regulated activity with children (all volunteers must be DBS-checked regardless of supervision), updated guidance on gender-questioning pupils aligned with the Cass Review, AI-generated imagery added to online harm guidance, and a significant rewrite of Part Five on child-on-child abuse and harmful sexual behaviour. All KCSIE 2026 changes came into force on 1 September 2026.
What are the safeguarding policies for after-school clubs in the UK?
After-school clubs operating on school premises in England must follow KCSIE 2026 as their baseline safeguarding framework. This includes having a Designated Safeguarding Lead available at every session, maintaining an up-to-date safeguarding policy, ensuring all staff and volunteers in regulated activity are DBS-checked (the supervision exemption was removed from September 2026), keeping accurate attendance registers, and holding up-to-date emergency contact and consent records for every child. The KCSIE 2026 guidance applies to all school-based club provision, not just the school day.
Who is required to read KCSIE 2026?
All staff in schools and colleges in England must read KCSIE 2026 Part One in full. From September 2026, the shorter Annex A summary has been withdrawn, so all staff – including those not working directly with children such as administrators, premises staff, and kitchen workers – must read the full Part One document. Governing bodies and proprietors are responsible for ensuring this happens and for keeping signed reading records as evidence.
Does the removal of the supervision exemption mean all volunteers need a DBS check?
Yes. From 1 September 2026, the supervision exemption for regulated activity with children has been removed. Any volunteer who carries out regulated activity – which includes regular, direct contact with children in schools, after-school clubs, breakfast clubs, or holiday clubs – must now have a current DBS check in place. This applies regardless of whether a DBS-checked adult is present and supervising. There are no exceptions. Club operators must audit their current volunteer DBS records immediately.
What is the difference between KCSIE 2025 and KCSIE 2026?
KCSIE 2026 introduces several significant changes from KCSIE 2025: Annex A has been removed, requiring all staff to read the full Part One; the supervision exemption for regulated activity with children has been abolished so all volunteers now need a DBS check; guidance on gender-questioning children has been updated to align with the Cass Review; AI-generated imagery has been added to online harm guidance; and Part Five has been substantially rewritten on child-on-child abuse and harmful sexual behaviour. Schools and clubs that updated their policies for KCSIE 2025 will need to update them again for the KCSIE 2026 guidance changes.
