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that all staff are now required to read Part One in full, Annexe A, the previously condensed Part One having now been withdrawn.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 relating to serious violence and child-on- child sexual harassment and sexual violence.
Serious violence
This part of the guidance has been substantially updated.
Serious violence is a continuing safeguarding concern. It may involve physical assault, carrying, threatening with, or using weapons, often in the context of peer conflict or bullying, and it can also be associated with criminal exploitation. Staff should report any concerns about a child carrying or using a weapon (or expressing intent to do so) to the DSL (or a deputy), without delay who will assess the risk and take appropriate action. In our experience, issues relating to weapons and knives is increasingly affecting primary schools as well as secondary schools.
Staff are required to be alert to signs that a child may be at risk of, or involved in, serious violence. These risks are higher for children with disrupted education (e.g. suspensions, permanent exclusions, time in alternative provision) or a history of offending. Schools should also try to be alert to when children might be at highest risk around the school day (for example, immediately after school, and when travelling to and from school).
The guidance provides a list of indicators which may signal children are at risk from, or are involved in committing serious violence. These may include:
- increased absence from school;
- a change in friendships or relationships with older individuals or groups;
- a significant decline in educational performance;
- signs of self-harm or a significant change in wellbeing, or signs of assault or unexplained injuries; and
- unexplained gifts or new possessions could also indicate that children have been approached by, or are involved with, individuals associated with criminal networks or gangs and may be at risk of criminal exploitation.
The likelihood of involvement in serious violence may be increased by factors such as:
- being male;
- having been suspended, spent time in Alternative Provision or permanently excluded from school;
- having experienced child maltreatment;
- having been involved in offending, such as theft or robbery;
- having used drugs or alcohol in early adolescence; and
- having previously been a victim or previously perpetrated violence.
A fuller list of risk factors can be found in the Home Office’s Serious Violence Strategy.
Statistics produced by the Youth Endowment Fund in April 2025 revealed that 39% of surveyed teens (aged 13–17) reported being directly hurt or witnessing violence in the prior 12 months. 55% saw real-life violence on social media, and 24% saw other children carry or use weapons, while 65% of young people reported altering their routines to stay safe, and 14% missed school out of fear.
Child-on-child sexual harassment and sexual violence
Part five has been substantially rewritten to highlight the progressive continuum from harmful sexual behaviour through to sexual violence, and highlights that schools should respond to all signs, reports and concerns of harmful sexual behaviour (HSB), child-on-child sexual harassment and sexual violence. This includes incidents occurring outside of the school premises, and/or online. HSB should always be considered within a child protection context.
The guidance makes it clear that HSB exists on a continuum and is never acceptable, such that schools should operate a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and sexual violence; with clear messaging that it is never acceptable, and it will not be tolerated.
Staff are reminded that when assessing HSB, the ages and developmental stage of the children involved is critical. Sexual behaviour between children may be considered harmful if there is a significant age difference, typically more than two years’ difference or if one is pre-pubescent and the other is not. However, a younger child may also abuse an older child, especially if they hold power over them, e.g. due to a disability or physical size. Advice on responding to children who display sexualised behaviour is available in “Responding to children who display sexualised behaviour” found here.
The guidance points out that early intervention when dealing with inappropriate behaviour such as misogyny, which is repeatedly referenced, can help to prevent escalation to more serious abuse such as sexual harassment and sexual violence, children who display HSB have often experienced their own abuse and trauma. It is important that they are offered appropriate support.
KCSIE now includes numerous links to NSPCC guidance on identifying and responding to HSB and, with the acknowledged growth in this area of child-on-child abuse in its various guises, it becomes more important for school staff to be trained to ensure that they have knowledge and understanding of HSB to enable them to identify incidents and take appropriate action; together with clear, well- promoted and accessible systems which allow pupils to confidently report abuse.
In addition, Part 5 provides principles of effective safeguarding practice and principles for schools to consider in their decision-making process, when dealing with instances of identified HSB, led by the DSL using their professional judgement, supported by external agencies, such as local authority children’s social care and the police as needed.
KCSIE 2026 also introduces a new and important bullet point in the opening section of Part Five, requiring schools to take “a safeguarding approach in response to all incidents involving the sharing of nude or semi-nude images, regardless of whether they are consensual or non-consensual.”
The previous 2025 referred consistently to “consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images and/or videos.” KCSIE 2026 updates this throughout to “consensual and non-consensual making or sharing of nudes or semi-nudes.”
The addition of ‘making or’ is we would suggest significant – both legally and practically. It recognises that the act of creating an image, not only distributing it, can itself constitute harmful or criminal behaviour. This change appears across the definitions of sexual harassment, the list of child-on-child abuse forms and the online safety sections of the guidance.
The guidance notes that responses should be proportionate and should consider “the age, development, and circumstances of the children involved, as well as any elements of coercion, exploitation or vulnerability.” This is important. Previously, much of the focus in this area centred on non-consensual sharing. The 2026 guidance makes explicit that even where a young person appears to have consented to sharing an image, this is still to be treated as a safeguarding matter, not a disciplinary one, and must be handled accordingly, and with sensitivity. It is also important that schools provide pastoral care and support to all children involved in such incidents, including any perpetrators.
For assistance with safeguarding and child protection issues please contact our team of specialist lawyers at schoolsupport@wslaw.co.uk or on 0345 070 7437.