How often should a school review its child protection policy?

The short answer

At least once a year. The 2026 edition of Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) says governing bodies and proprietors should make sure the child protection policy is "reviewed annually (as a minimum) and updated if needed" (paragraph 121).

If you are a British school overseas, KCSIE is written for schools in England, so it does not bind you in the same way. The Standards for British Schools Overseas do not set a review frequency for any policy. Annual is still the sensible benchmark, because it is what an inspector from England would expect to see.

Review it sooner when something changes

"At least annually" is a floor, not a schedule. Bring the review forward when:

• a new edition of KCSIE comes out (the current one is for September 2026)
• your Designated Safeguarding Lead or a deputy changes
• an incident shows a gap in the procedure
• the school adds boarding, a new campus, an online programme or a new age group
• local law or your local safeguarding partners change their process

What a reviewer wants to see

A policy that says "reviewed 2025" is not enough. Be ready to show:

• the date of the last review and the date of the next one
• who reviewed it and who approved it, for example the Head, then the governors or proprietor
• what changed, and why
• that staff were given the current version

On that last point, KCSIE says copies of the child protection policy and Part one of the guidance should be given to all staff at induction (paragraph 11). Safeguarding training should be refreshed at least annually (paragraph 12). So a new version is only half the job. People need to be able to find it.

A simple yearly rhythm

1. June or July: read the new KCSIE changes when they are published. Note what affects your policy.
2. August: the DSL updates the draft. The Head reads it.
3. September: governors or the proprietor approve it. Staff get the new version and sign that they have read it.
4. Through the year: keep a log of anything that should change the policy early.

Put the next review date in a place that sends a reminder. A date on page one of a PDF reminds nobody.