KCSIE and Supply Teachers: What You Need to Know in 2025/26

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Key takeaway

Supply teachers face a specific set of safeguarding responsibilities that differ in important ways from those of permanent staff. The 2025 statutory guidance, which came into force on 1 September 2025, introduced new online safety requirements, including explicit recognition of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories as safeguarding harms, and expanded links to the Department for Education’s guidance on generative AI. A 2026 consultation is currently open, with the final version due to replace the 2025 guidance in September 2026. This post explains what has changed, what supply teachers must do before entering a school, and what is coming next.

Every supply teacher carries the same legal duty of care as any permanent member of staff the moment they step into a classroom. Safeguarding is not optional, and it never stops at the school gate. Yet in practice, supply and agency staff are often briefed less thoroughly, given less time to read school policies, and sometimes denied access to the safeguarding systems that directly employed colleagues can use.

This guide cuts through the jargon. We explain what Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 requires of you as a supply teacher, which changes arrived in September 2025, and what you need to watch for as the sector moves toward the 2026 update.

What is KCSIE, and why does it apply to supply teachers?

Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) is the statutory safeguarding guidance published annually by the Department for Education. Schools and colleges in England must follow it by law. It sets out what every adult working with children must know, what to do if they have a concern, and how schools must manage their safeguarding duties.

KCSIE makes no exception for temporary or agency staff. As a supply teacher, you are held to exactly the same standard as someone on a permanent contract. Part 4 of the guidance covers safeguarding concerns and allegations made about staff, and it applies explicitly to supply teachers, volunteers and contractors. All supply staff working directly with children are expected to read at least Part 1 of the guidance before they begin work in a school.

Despite this, the NASUWT has highlighted a persistent problem: supply teachers are frequently given very little or no time during the school day to read key safeguarding arrangements, and are sometimes denied access to the central databases that hold important safeguarding information. That is why coming fully prepared matters so much.

What changed in KCSIE 2025, and what does it mean for supply teachers?

The 2025 guidance came into force on 1 September 2025. The NSPCC Learning summarised the main updates, which include:

- Misinformation and disinformation named as safeguarding harms. The description of online content risks was expanded to explicitly include misinformation, disinformation (including fake news) and conspiracy theories. As a supply teacher, if you notice a pupil engaging with extreme or false content online, this now sits clearly within your duty to report a concern to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
- New AI guidance. The 2025 update added a link to the DfE’s guidance on generative AI and safety expectations. Schools must now have policies covering AI use, and supply staff should ask for a copy of the school’s AI acceptable use policy during induction.
- Stronger filtering and monitoring. Schools can now self-assess against the DfE’s filtering and monitoring standards using a new online tool. Supply teachers do not manage these systems, but you should be aware they exist and that your online activity on school devices may be monitored.
- Attendance as a safeguarding issue. KCSIE 2025 confirms that following the Working Together to Improve School Attendance guidance is now a legal requirement, not a recommendation. Absence from school can be a warning sign of a range of safeguarding concerns, including exploitation and abuse. If a pupil you are covering is persistently absent, you should record this and flag it to the DSL.
- No changes to Part 1. The core section that all frontline staff must read remained unchanged in 2025. Your fundamental responsibilities (knowing how to identify a concern, maintaining professional curiosity, and knowing who the DSL is) have not moved.

Your KCSIE checklist as a supply teacher

Use this KCSIE supply teacher checklist before every new placement. You should be able to answer yes to each of these:

Have you read Part 1 of KCSIE 2025? This is the section designed for all staff. It is not long. If you work with different agencies, some may provide their own safeguarding training, but reading Part 1 directly ensures you are up to date with the current statutory guidance, not a version from a previous year.
Is your DBS certificate up to date? Schools cannot allow you on-site without a valid DBS check. Registering with the DBS Update Service means your certificate is continuously checked and portable between placements, saving you time and avoiding gaps.
Do you know the name and location of the DSL on the day you arrive? KCSIE requires that information about the DSL (and any deputies) is given to all staff on induction. If no one tells you during your first-day briefing, ask. You cannot report a concern if you do not know who to report it to.
Do you know the school’s procedures for recording a concern? Different schools use different systems. Some use paper forms, others use online safeguarding platforms. Ask during your induction.
Are you familiar with the school’s behaviour and child protection policies? KCSIE requires schools to provide these to staff on induction. As a supply teacher, you may receive them as a quick briefing rather than a formal session. If you are not given them, request them.

KCSIE 2026: what supply teachers should prepare for

The DfE opened its consultation on KCSIE 2026 on 12 February 2026, and responses are open until 22 April 2026. The final version is due to be published on 1 September 2026. Many safeguarding professionals have described it as the most significant update since KCSIE was first published in 2014.

The key proposed changes that affect KCSIE supply teachers include:

Trainee teachers added alongside supply staff. The 2026 draft explicitly adds trainee teachers to Part 4, which covers safeguarding concerns and allegations. When an allegation is made against a trainee, schools must follow the same procedures used for supply staff and other contracted adults.
AI now formally part of safeguarding. Two new paragraphs cover generative AI, including updated guidance on AI-generated self-generated intimate images (deepfakes). Schools will need clear AI policies, and supply staff will be expected to know them.
Mobile phones. A new paragraph will confirm that all schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default. As a supply teacher, this clarifies your position if you need to enforce this in class.
‘Family Help’ replaces ‘Early Help’. The language around early intervention is changing to align with wider children’s social care reforms. The principle stays the same, but the terminology will shift in your training and school communications.
Stronger DSL cover requirements. Schools will be expected to maintain confidential mailboxes or equivalent systems so that safeguarding concerns reach the right person even when the DSL is unavailable. This is good news for supply teachers, who often struggle to know who to contact when the named DSL is off site.

You can read the full consultation draft on the DfE consultation page. Schools, colleges and anyone working in education can submit a response before 22 April 2026.

How Connex Education supports KCSIE supply teacher compliance

At Connex Education, safeguarding sits at the centre of how we recruit, vet and support supply teachers and school staff. Find out more about how we vet our candidates and the training we provide through Academize. Every candidate we place has a current DBS check, and we provide safeguarding inductions that cover the key requirements of the current statutory guidance.

We also keep our registered teachers updated as guidance changes. When KCSIE 2026 is confirmed in September, we will brief all active candidates on what is new and what has stayed the same, so every KCSIE supply teacher on our books can walk into a school on day one knowing exactly where you stand.

If you are not yet registered with us and want to work in schools with the confidence that your safeguarding compliance is fully supported, register with Connex Education today.

Summary

KCSIE supply teachers carry the same safeguarding responsibilities as permanent staff. The 2025 guidance added new obligations around online safety, AI and attendance, and the 2026 consultation proposes the most significant changes in over a decade. The key points to take away are:

Read Part 1 of KCSIE 2025 before each new placement, even if you have read previous versions.
Know who the DSL is and how to report a concern before your first lesson of the day.
Keep your DBS current through the Update Service.
Watch for the confirmed KCSIE 2026 guidance, due in September 2026, which will strengthen requirements around AI, mobile phones, and DSL cover.

For the most up-to-date version of the statutory guidance, always refer to the official KCSIE publication on GOV.UK.