09 July 2026
KCSIE 2026: What Teachers Need to Know About AI and Online Safety Before 1 September
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has moved from being a novelty to an everyday tool in schools. Pupils are using AI to complete homework, generate images, answer questions and, increasingly, interact with others online. At the same time, AI is changing the way online harms present themselves, making it harder for children—and adults—to distinguish fact from fiction.
Recognising this, Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026 places greater emphasis on AI as part of online safety. While the guidance does not introduce a completely new safeguarding duty, it makes it clear that schools should now consider AI-enabled risks within their existing safeguarding, online safety and digital literacy arrangements.
So, what does this mean in practice?
AI is now part of online safeguarding
KCSIE 2026 reinforces that online safety is about much more than filtering and monitoring internet access. Staff should understand how emerging technologies can create new safeguarding risks and how pupils may experience harm through AI-powered tools.
Examples include:
- AI-generated misinformation and disinformation
- Deepfake images and videos
- AI-generated sexual images
- AI-assisted bullying or harassment
- AI chatbots providing unsafe or inappropriate advice
- Grooming and exploitation using AI-generated content
- Pupils becoming over-reliant on AI without questioning the accuracy of its responses
For teachers, this means recognising that AI is not simply a curriculum issue or an assessment concern—it is also a safeguarding consideration.
The online risks are evolving
Many of the online risks schools have been managing for years have not disappeared. Instead, AI is making them more sophisticated.
A convincing fake image can now be created in seconds. Voice cloning can imitate family members. AI can produce realistic phishing messages or manipulate photographs to embarrass or exploit young people.
Children may also use AI themselves without fully understanding the consequences. For example, they may upload personal photographs into AI tools, share sensitive information with chatbots, or use AI to generate harmful or abusive content.
These technologies are developing rapidly, so maintaining staff awareness is becoming just as important as maintaining filtering systems.
What teachers should do differently
Most classroom teachers do not need to become AI experts. However, they do need enough understanding to recognise when AI may be contributing to a safeguarding concern.
This includes asking questions such as:
- Could this image have been generated or manipulated?
- Has this pupil shared personal information with an AI service?
- Could AI have been used to facilitate bullying or harassment?
- Is this online behaviour part of a wider safeguarding concern?
As with any safeguarding issue, staff should report concerns promptly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) rather than attempting to investigate independently.
Teaching pupils to question AI
One of the biggest safeguarding opportunities is helping pupils become critical users of AI.
Teachers should encourage pupils to:
- Question whether AI-generated information is accurate
- Recognise that AI systems can make mistakes or produce biased responses
- Understand that AI-generated images and videos may not be genuine
- Avoid sharing personal information with AI tools
- Understand that anything uploaded to online AI services may be stored or reused depending on the provider’s terms
Developing these critical thinking skills complements existing media literacy and digital resilience work already taking place in schools.
Practical steps schools should take before 1 September
Schools do not need to rewrite their entire safeguarding framework, but they should ensure AI is reflected within existing arrangements.
If your school has recently adopted an AI policy, review it alongside your online safety and safeguarding policies to ensure they reflect the expectations in KCSIE 2026. If you haven’t yet developed an AI policy, now is the ideal time. A clear policy helps staff, pupils and parents understand how AI can be used safely, responsibly and ethically across your school.
If you’re looking for a starting point, take a look at our AI Policy Template for Schools, which has been designed to help schools develop a practical policy aligned with current guidance and best practice.
Include a short section covering:
- What generative AI is
- Common AI tools pupils may be using
- Emerging safeguarding risks
- Reporting expectations
- How AI can support teaching safely and responsibly
Staff should understand that AI changes how risks present themselves, not the school’s safeguarding responsibilities. They should also feel confident discussing AI with pupils, recognising potential safeguarding concerns and modelling safe, ethical use in the classroom.
For many schools, one-off briefings are no longer enough. As AI technology evolves rapidly, ongoing professional development can help staff keep pace with new tools, risks and opportunities. Consider incorporating AI into your annual safeguarding and digital learning programme.
If your staff would benefit from developing their confidence, our AI Confidence CPD modules provide practical, bite-sized training designed specifically for educators. The modules explore how AI works, safe and effective classroom use, safeguarding considerations, data protection, prompting techniques and the ethical issues surrounding AI in education, giving staff the confidence to use AI appropriately while supporting pupils to do the same.
Consider whether your Computing, PSHE and Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) programmes help pupils to:
- identify AI-generated content
- critically evaluate online information
- use AI responsibly and ethically
- protect their personal data
If you’re reviewing your curriculum for September, our ready-to-use AI lessons for both primary and secondary schools provide age-appropriate resources that explore AI safely and responsibly. They cover topics such as how AI works, spotting misinformation, understanding deepfakes, protecting personal information and using AI ethically—helping schools meet both digital literacy and safeguarding objectives.
Work with your IT provider to understand:
- whether AI websites are accessible
- whether monitoring systems identify concerning AI-related searches
- whether staff understand what monitoring reports are telling them
Remember that filtering alone cannot manage all AI-related risks.
Staff and pupil acceptable use agreements should reflect the school’s expectations for AI use, including:
- Appropriate educational use
- Protecting personal information
- Academic integrity
- Respectful behaviour online
Many parents are unfamiliar with the AI tools their children are already using.
Consider providing:
- Newsletters
- Parent workshops
- Online safety evenings
- Guidance on discussing AI safely at home
Helping families understand the technology creates a stronger safeguarding partnership.
Remember: AI is not just a Computing issue
Perhaps the most important message from KCSIE 2026 is that AI should not sit solely with the Computing department.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
Whether you teach Reception or Year 13, every member of staff should understand how AI might influence the behaviour they see, the concerns they hear and the online experiences pupils describe.
The technology will continue to evolve, but the safeguarding principles remain the same: remain curious, listen to children, report concerns promptly and help pupils develop the critical thinking skills they need to navigate an increasingly AI-enabled world safely.
A September checklist
Before pupils return, ask yourself:
- Have safeguarding and online safety policies been updated to reflect AI?
- Do you have an AI policy that clearly sets expectations for staff and pupils?
- Have all staff received a briefing on AI-related safeguarding risks?
- Does the curriculum help pupils identify misinformation, deepfakes and AI-generated content?
- Have you planned lessons to teach pupils about safe and responsible AI use?
- Are filtering and monitoring arrangements still appropriate?
- Have parents been informed about AI and online safety?
- Does your Designated Safeguarding Lead have a clear understanding of emerging AI risks?
Taking these practical steps will help ensure your school is not only compliant with KCSIE 2026 but also better prepared to safeguard children in a digital world where AI is becoming part of everyday life.
Whether you’re just starting your AI journey or refining your existing approach, having the right policies, staff training and teaching resources in place will make implementation much easier. Our AI Policy Template, AI Confidence CPD modules and AI lesson packs for primary and secondary schools have been designed to help schools confidently meet the expectations of KCSIE 2026 while equipping both staff and pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to use AI safely, responsibly and effectively.
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