Safeguarding Priorities for International Schools in 2026–27

The start of a new school year is a useful time to check whether safeguarding systems still match the realities students and staff are facing.

The Council of International Schools has outlined several priorities for 2026–27, beginning with leadership and governance. CIS Head of Safeguarding & Well-being Dan Furness argues that safeguarding should be understood as a whole-school responsibility, with clear reporting routes and roles across leadership, counselling, nursing, boarding, pastoral care and student support.

CIS identifies three areas for particular attention this year: harm between students, rapidly changing online harms and safer recruitment. It also recommends reviewing background checks and references, using probation as part of the safeguarding process and keeping up with changes in local legal and data-protection requirements.

Student voice and local context matter

One of the strongest points for international schools is the emphasis on context. Safeguarding principles may travel across borders, but school communities operate within different legal, cultural and social environments.

CIS also encourages schools to involve students in shaping safeguarding education. Students can often identify emerging online behaviours and risks before adults fully understand them, making meaningful student voice an important part of prevention rather than an add-on.

For leadership teams, the CIS guidance works as a useful beginning-of-year check: are roles clear, are new staff properly inducted, are reporting pathways understood, and have policies kept pace with how students’ lives are changing?

Read the full CIS safeguarding guidance

Featured image: Daniel McCullough / Unsplash.