Keeping Children Safe in Education: Annual Staff Training

Keeping children safe in education training is a statutory expectation, not an optional extra. According to the Department for Education (DfE), all school and college staff in England should receive safeguarding and child protection training at induction, and should then receive updates at least annually. This post sets out what the current edition of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) says about staff, governors, trustees, designated safeguarding leads (DSLs), temporary staff and volunteers.

This post covers England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own, different safeguarding guidance for schools, so staff there should follow the guidance that applies in their nation.

Which edition of KCSIE is current?

As at 14 October 2026, the current edition is Keeping children safe in education 2026. The DfE's gov.uk publication page states that the September 2026 versions are now in force, replacing the previous versions, with the page last updated on 1 September 2026. The 2026 guidance and its Part one were first added to gov.uk for information on 7 July 2026, and the guidance itself says it replaces the September 2025 version.

The DfE publishes the guidance in three forms: the full guidance (198 pages), Part one on its own (50 pages), and a Part one overview for all staff presented as a web page. The shorter version of Part one that used to sit in Annex A has been removed.

Who the guidance applies to

KCSIE is statutory guidance from the DfE, and schools and colleges in England must have regard to it. According to the guidance, it should be read and followed by governing bodies of maintained schools (including maintained nursery schools) and colleges, proprietors of independent schools and non-maintained special schools, and management committees of pupil referral units, together with senior leadership teams.

Part one of the guidance explains that the word “must” is used for legal requirements, while “should” describes advice to follow unless there is good reason not to. That distinction matters when you plan training: the training paragraphs mostly use “should”, so you need a documented reason if you depart from them.

Induction training for all staff

The guidance expects every member of staff to be aware of the systems within their school or college that support safeguarding. According to KCSIE 2026, induction should cover, among other things:

• the child protection policy;
• the behaviour policy;
• the staff behaviour policy (code of conduct); and
• the role of the designated safeguarding lead.

The guidance also says that a copy of Part one should be provided to all staff at induction, and that all staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training at induction, including online safety. Online safety training includes an understanding of the expectations for filtering and monitoring. The guidance adds that induction and training should be in line with any advice from local safeguarding partners.

Annual updates: the “at least annually” rule

Training is not a one-off event. The guidance says safeguarding and child protection training should be regularly updated, and that staff should receive regular updates, including on online safety, “as required, and at least annually”. It gives examples of how updates can be delivered, namely email, e-bulletins and staff meetings.

In practice, that means a once-a-year session is the minimum rather than the whole plan. A sensible rhythm is a full annual briefing, supported by short updates whenever local issues, new guidance or a learning review from your safeguarding partners give you a reason to refresh staff knowledge.

Part one has a second, related expectation. Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure that staff who work directly with children read at least Part one, and leaders should also ensure that staff who do not work directly with children read it. Reading Part one is separate from training, so keep a record of both.

DSL and deputy DSL training

Each school or college should have a DSL who provides support to staff to carry out their safeguarding duties. The guidance says the DSL should be appointed from the school or college leadership team, and that the postholder should be given the additional time, funding, training, resources and support needed to carry out the role effectively. Any deputy or deputies should be trained to the same standard as the DSL.

The DfE moved the detailed description of the DSL role into Annex B in 2026 (it was Annex C before). According to the DfE's consultation response, published in July 2026, the update strengthens the guidance on the DSL role, including responsibilities for information sharing, and adds an expectation that cover arrangements for when the DSL is unavailable are clear, reliable and known, so that concerns can be raised, managed and escalated without delay.

One caution on refresher intervals. The sections of KCSIE 2026 reviewed for this post do not set out a DSL refresher interval, so this post does not state one. Read the training, knowledge and skills section of Annex B directly before you fix your own DSL schedule. For context, NSPCC Learning states on its DSL refresher course page: “We recommend DSLs refresh their training at least every two years.” That is a recommendation from NSPCC Learning, not a quotation from KCSIE 2026.

Governors and trustees

Training obligations extend to the people who hold the school to account. According to KCSIE 2026, governing bodies and proprietors should ensure that all governors and trustees receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection (including online) training. The purpose is to give them the knowledge to provide strategic challenge and to test and assure themselves that the safeguarding policies and procedures in place are effective. The guidance says their training should be updated regularly.

The guidance also expects governing bodies to have a senior board-level (or equivalent) lead with leadership responsibility for the school's safeguarding arrangements, and to ensure the child protection policy is reviewed annually as a minimum and made publicly available.

Temporary staff, supply staff and volunteers

The guidance asks governing bodies to take a proportionate, risk-based approach to the level of information provided to temporary staff, volunteers and contractors. The processes for raising concerns or allegations are also written to cover supply staff, trainee teachers, volunteers and contractors, not just permanent employees.

The sections reviewed here do not set a separate training standard for these groups, so the practical question is what each person needs to know before they are alone with, or responsible for, children. A short induction covering who the DSL is, how to report a concern and where to find the child protection policy is a reasonable starting point, scaled to the person's role and access to pupils.

Training requirements at a glance

Keeping evidence of training

Inspectors and governors will want to see that training happened, not just that it was planned. Keep a central record of who has been trained, when, on what, and who still needs to complete it, including governors and temporary staff. Our guide to preparing CPD records for audit sets out general principles for logging learning and storing evidence that translate well to a school training log. For wider professional learning resources, you can explore the Learnsignal CPD hub.

Frequently asked questions

Which version of KCSIE should we be using now?

Keeping children safe in education 2026, which the DfE states has been in force since 1 September 2026 and replaces the September 2025 version.

How often must staff receive safeguarding training?

According to the guidance, staff should receive safeguarding and child protection training at induction, the training should be regularly updated, and staff should receive updates as required and at least annually.

Do governors and trustees need safeguarding training?

Yes. The guidance says governing bodies and proprietors should ensure all governors and trustees receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection (including online) training, and that it is updated regularly.

Do volunteers and supply staff need the same training?

The guidance asks for a proportionate, risk-based approach to the information provided to temporary staff, volunteers and contractors. Decide what is appropriate for each role and record it.

How often should a DSL refresh their training?

Check the training, knowledge and skills section of Annex B in KCSIE 2026. NSPCC Learning recommends refreshing at least every two years, but that is a recommendation rather than wording we have verified in the 2026 guidance.

Final thoughts

Keeping children safe in education training works best when it is planned as an annual cycle: induction for new starters, an annual whole-staff update, regular short refreshers, targeted support for the DSL team and governors, and a clear record of it all. Read the 2026 guidance on gov.uk, compare it with your current policies, and put dates in the diary now so that the next inspection or governance review finds a complete, current picture.