Lesson 1 of 7 · 7 min · 8-card deck

Keeping Children Safe in Education — what every teacher must know

Your statutory duties under KCSIE, in plain English.

Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) is the statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges in England. Every member of staff must read at least Part One — and Annex B if you work directly with pupils — every academic year. It is not optional and it is not the DSL's responsibility alone.

The four categories of abuse defined in KCSIE are physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Newer additions include peer-on-peer abuse (now called child-on-child abuse), child criminal exploitation, child sexual exploitation, and serious violence. Online harms cut across all these categories.

Active recall flashcards

Work through every card. Try to answer in your head before flipping — the act of retrieving is what builds durable memory.

Card 1 of 80 understood

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Practice scenario

A teacher notices a Year 7 pupil flinching whenever a male staff member walks past, and the pupil mentions in passing that 'home is loud'. Individually, neither observation seems serious — but the teacher logs both with the DSL. Two weeks later, another staff member's report fits the pattern, and the DSL refers to children's services.

Try this in your classroom

Read Part One of KCSIE every academic year — set a calendar reminder.
Know your DSL's name, location and deputy by the end of induction week.
Default to reporting — never decide alone whether something 'counts'.
Record what you observed factually, with dates, times and verbatim quotes.