Safeguarding

Learn everything your school needs to help keep all your students safe. Read on for information about safeguarding, safeguarding children and safeguarding in schools, in depth analysis from Tes Magazine and supporting training and products for your school.

Teacher stood analysing their safeguarding options

What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding is what we do to promote the welfare of children and keep them safe from harm. Safeguarding and promoting welfare includes:

  • Ensuring children grow up in circumstances that provide them with safe and effective care

  • Protecting children from maltreatment

  • Preventing impairment of children's mental and physical health or development

  • Taking steps to enable children to have the best outcomes

Safeguarding means taking a variety of actions including identifying and assessing risks, and providing support across all agencies and charities that work with children and young people. Each organisation has a specific role to play in safeguarding, and it's important that they work together to ensure that vulnerable individuals are protected.

Teachers protecting their students with safeguarding shields

2026 Safeguarding report

Our report brings together findings from our 2026 safeguarding survey, reflecting the views and experiences of thousands of school staff across the globe. It offers a clear picture of safeguarding practice in schools today.

Download report

Safeguarding report covers

Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)

Keeping Children Safe in Education is a vital part of safeguarding policy and procedures for education settings. On this page you will learn more about this important statutory guidance from the DfE. You will also find additional support that will help your school to comply with the guidance; helping to create a safe environment for all.

Teacher stood in front of their school with the students playing
  • Illustration of a school with a semicircle of blue and pink cogs above it, with each cog showing a safeguarding icon such as padlock, camera, magnifying glass, and shield

    The AI safeguarding risk is here: is your school ready?

    Read more Read more
  • Illustration of three teachers holding blue shields up, protecting a group of figures standing behind them

    Who is protecting the people who protect everyone else?

    Read more Read more
  • Illustration of a teacher holding a megaphone with a blue shield next to them. To their right is a student surrounded by icons including a wifi symbol, text messages, padlock, and mobile phone

    KCSIE 2026 changes: how you can prepare

    Read more Read more
  • Illustration of a teacher with a group of happy students, with icons around them showing a shield, phone, text message, and other safeguarding icons

    Safeguarding in schools in 2026: is ‘good enough’ still good enough?

    Read more Read more
  • Illustration of a woman on a pink background, with four thought bubbles around her showing a warning sign, a question mark, a hand gesturing to stop, and a blue shield

    Reasonable force and restrictive physical intervention in schools

    Read more Read more
  • Illustration of a folder with a blue-lined shield to represent safeguarding. Falling out of the folder are papers with pupils photos and details on them, illustrated question marks, smiley face and exclamation points are around the files.

    Safer recruitment in schools and the single central record

    Read more Read more
  • Illustration of a teacher at a desk thinking about an upset student, with icons showing a raised hand, ! in a speech bubble, and a phone

    Signs of domestic abuse in children: safeguarding against domestic abuse in schools

    Read more Read more
  • Illustration of a child looking upset at their phone, with a group of people outlined behind them

    Bullying in schools: how to prevent and deal with bullying

    Read more Read more
  • Illustration of a boy sat on the floor looking sad, with a teacher kneeling above him and icons around them showing a warning sign, money, camera, and padlock

    Child exploitation and safeguarding: signs of child exploitation and what to do if you spot them

    Read more Read more
  • Robot surrounded by icons depicting the AI and the online world

    Artificial intelligence and safeguarding: children and AI

    Read more Read more
  • Two polaroid pictures - one small and greyed out, one bigger and in colour

    The importance of seeing the bigger picture in safeguarding

    Read more Read more
  • Polaroids next to a computer screen showing a child's life context

    How total safeguarding links to KCSIE

    Read more Read more
  • Woman in wheelchair at desk communicating with another woman via laptop

    Reporting safeguarding concerns - your responsibilities as school staff

    Read more Read more
  • Teacher stood with their students in a line

    Managing staff allegations of abuse

    Read more Read more
  • Illustration of a woman sat at a desk with pen in hand. Another illustrated woman holding a book stands next to the desk looking concerned with her hand placed on the edge of the desk,

    Managing low-level concerns of staff allegations

    Read more Read more
  • Man in front of computer surrounded by safeguarding icons

    A guide to selecting the best safeguarding software for schools

    Read more Read more
  • Teacher stood with their students in a line

    How to stay safe online for students - 12 online safety tips to teach your students

    Read more Read more
  • School surrounded by icons depicting abuse types

    The safeguarding types of abuse to be aware of

    Read more Read more
  • Children on mobiles surrounded by icons signifying the online world

    Digital safeguarding in schools - how to protect students in a digital world

    Read more Read more
  • Teacher sat at their desk using AI

    Safeguarding in a digital world: what are digital natives?

    Read more Read more
  • What is digital resilience? 

    What is digital resilience?

    Read more Read more
  • New Duty to Prevent Sexual Harassment: What it means for schools and colleges image

    New Duty to Prevent Sexual Harassment: What it means for schools and colleges

    Read more Read more
  • illustrated teacher stood next to student at school desk. Next to them are two students, one boy and one girl, stood alongside a male teacher holding a clipboard.

    Child Protection vs Safeguarding: What is the difference?

    Read more Read more
  • Teacher holding a safeguarding shield in front of their students

    Raising awareness of child-on-child abuse

    Read more Read more
  • Teachers doing their safeguarding checks on a giant laptop

    Safeguarding - what schools need to do to help with compliance

    Read more Read more
  • Students stood in a line in front of a safeguarding shield

    Why is safeguarding so important in schools?

    Read more Read more
  • Teacher looking at safeguarding statistics

    The importance of managing safeguarding concerns

    Read more Read more
  • A 7-step guide to Ofsted inspections image

    Safeguarding: A 7-step guide to Ofsted inspections

    Read more Read more
  • Two students at desk. Ofsted report card is next to them

    Ofsted and safeguarding: how the new framework might impact schools

    Read more Read more
  • Illustration of a girl on a smartphone, with a shield above her head. To her left is a circle with two adults in it, and to her right is a circle with a teacher in it.

    Why student voice matters in safeguarding

    Read more Read more
  • Illustration of a woman holding a clipboard, with a blue safeguarding shield to her left.

    A guide to school safeguarding processes

    Read more Read more
  • Robot surrounded by icons depicting the AI and the online world

    Beyond Efficiency: Why AI in Schools Must Be Both Evolutionary and Transformational

    Read more Read more
  • Child crying amongst a crowd

    How does social media affect health and wellbeing of children?

    Read more Read more
  • Teacher looking at safeguarding topics on their laptop

    Safeguarding: Understanding sextortion and deepfakes

    Read more Read more

Safeguarding children

All children and young people have a right to be and feel safe in your setting or organisation, and their parents or carers also have a right to expect that their child will be safe in your organisation’s care.

Find out more

Teacher stood with their students with stars above them

Safeguarding in schools

It's essential that everybody working in a school understands their safeguarding responsibilities. Here we explain what safeguarding in schools means and why it's so important.

Find out more

Teachers and students stood with a giant safeguarding shield

Safeguarding FAQs

How we can help

We have great tools that can help you to safeguard the children in your care.

  • Teachers doing safeguarding checks

    Safeguarding training

    Keep your entire school community up to date with the latest safeguarding knowledge with unlimited access to over 80 expert-written online training courses in safeguarding, compliance, health and safety, and wellbeing.

    Read more Read more
  • Teacher safeguarding her pupils

    MyConcern

    Support staff to easily record and monitor safeguarding concerns. Enabling early interventions by identifying trends and patterns and helping to inform decision-making with our case management system, MyConcern, now part of Tes.

    Read more Read more