Key Statutory Guidance for Education
- Keeping children safe in education 2025
Statutory guidance for schools and colleges, setting out legal duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. - Working together to safeguard children 2026
National multi‑agency safeguarding framework outlining how organisations must work together to safeguard children. - Working together 2026 – summary of changes
Overview of changes including strengthened expectations on multi‑agency working, early help, and recognising multiple harms.
These documents form the statutory foundation for safeguarding practice within education settings.
Key Duties from KCSIE:
- All staff must know how to identify and report concerns.
- DSLs must be appropriately trained and available during school hours.
- Settings must have clear safeguarding policies and procedures.
National Safeguarding Reviews and Panel Reports
National safeguarding reviews and panel reports
- Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel – national reviews
Includes major national reviews such as:- Protecting vulnerable babies
- Child sexual abuse in family environments
- Safeguarding children with complex needs
- National review into the deaths of Arthur Labinjo‑Hughes and Star Hobson
- Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel – annual report 2023 to 2024
Provides national analysis of serious incidents, identifying key themes and learning for practice. - About the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel
Overview of the panel’s role in commissioning national reviews and improving safeguarding practice.
These reviews highlight recurring risks, including neglect, domestic abuse, mental health and extra‑familial harm, and provide clear expectations for improved multi‑agency working.
Learning from Case Reviews – Education Focus
- Education: learning from case reviews (NSPCC)
Summarises key safeguarding risks and learning specifically for the education sector. - National Case Review Collection (NSPCC)
The UK’s largest collection of case reviews for learning and research. - Recently published case reviews (NSPCC)
Provides up‑to‑date examples of practice issues and learning. - Learning from case review briefings (NSPCC)
Thematic briefings covering areas such as neglect, mental health, exploitation and multi‑agency working.
Case reviews identify where practice can improve, often highlighting issues such as:
- Missed opportunities to identify risk
- Inconsistent information sharing
- Failure to hear the child’s voice
- Challenges in multi‑agency coordination
Why this matters for education providers
Education settings are often the first to identify concerns about a child’s wellbeing and are critical to early identification and intervention.
National guidance and reviews consistently highlight that schools and early years settings:
- Are well placed to recognise early signs of abuse or neglect
- Play a key role in information sharing and safeguarding decision making
- Must contribute effectively to multi‑agency processes
- Should create a culture where children feel safe to speak out
Understanding and applying learning from national reviews helps strengthen safeguarding culture, improve professional curiosity and ensure that children receive the right help at the right time.
Using this section
Professionals should use these resources to:
- Stay up to date with statutory safeguarding requirements
- Reflect on and improve safeguarding practice
- Inform training, supervision and safeguarding leadership
- Support audit, assurance and inspection readiness
Regular engagement with national reviews and guidance is essential to maintaining effective safeguarding practice within education and early years settings.