The 2026 update to Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) came into effect from 1 September 2026. As a result of the changes, schools will need to review their safeguarding policies, together with training and day to day operational practices, as this year’s update provides the most significant update that we have seen for some time.
One of the most substantive changes is that all staff are now required to read Part One in full, Annexe A, the previously condensed Part One having now been withdrawn.
We have highlighted further significant changes below and in our separate articles on the new guidance. This article examines the changes to online safety and Mobile phone use.
Online safety
KCSIE continues to recognise that it is essential that children are safeguarded from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material. An effective whole school approach to online safety empowers a school to protect and educate pupils, students, and staff in their use of technology and establishes mechanisms to identify, intervene in, and escalate any concerns where appropriate.
The breadth of issues classified within online safety is considerable and ever evolving, but can be categorised into four areas of risk:
content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate, or harmful content, for example: pornography, racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicide, antisemitism, radicalisation, extremism, extreme sexual or physical violence, misinformation, disinformation (including fake news) and conspiracy theories;
contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users or generative AI applications that simulate this; for example: peer to peer pressure, commercial advertising and adults posing as children or young adults with the intention to groom or exploit them for sexual, criminal, financial or other purposes;
conduct: online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm; for example, making, sending and receiving explicit images, including those generated using AI and online bullying; and
commerce: risks such as online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing and or financial scams. If you feel your pupils, students or staff are at risk, KSCIE encourages that a report is made to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (https://apwg.org/).
It is recommended that the updated risks around generative AI should be reflected in the school’s online safety policy.
The filtering and monitoring requirements found at paragraphs 171 – 175 have been enhanced, particularly how regularly they should be reviewed. It is now a requirement that a member of SLT responsible for filtering and monitoring, with the support of the school’s DSL and IT support carry out a review at least once every academic year. This should include checks that filtering is working appropriately on all internet-connected devices in all relevant locations; records should be kept of these checks.
What should schools be doing now?
Schools should be updating their policy to reflect the new requirement for an annual filtering and monitoring review and, importantly, ensuring that they have:
- An identified SLT member responsible for filtering and monitoring;
- A process to ensure a review led by that SLT member takes place every academic year; and
- Evidence that a review has taken place.
The identified SLT member responsible for filtering and monitoring may require additional training and support to enable them to keep up to date with what filtering and monitoring systems can offer, to include an understanding of the DfE filtering and monitoring standards, since without that knowledge, it will be difficult for them to lead on and carry out an informed review.
Mobile phone use
Following the implementation of section 36 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, schools should be mobile-phone free environments during the school day by default and anything other than this is an exception, e.g. pupils with SEND or medical conditions.
KCSIE makes it clear that schools are expected to follow the statutory guidance on mobile phones in schools found here from 1 September 2026, and need to ensure that they are clear in their communications with the whole school community on how this statutory expectation will be implemented and monitored across the academic year.
We would advise that schools now introduce a standalone mobile phone policy which explicitly sets out the individual school expectations, to include the use of lockers or pouches; this will depend on the individual school as the guidance leaves the implementation of the required ban to school leaders.
Any breaches of the policy by a pupil can be addressed through confiscation and the more general application of the school’s behaviour policy. As long as mobiles are banned items, they can also be items that staff may search for, although force is not permitted, as mobile phones are not prohibited items in law.
For assistance with safeguarding and child protection enquiries, please contact our team of specialist lawyers at schoolsupport@wslaw.co.uk or on 0345 070 7437.