Transferring safeguarding records when a child moves school

Families in international schools move often, between schools and between countries. A child who arrives with no file starts with a blank page, however much the last school knew.

A small worry at one school can matter a great deal at the next. The new designated safeguarding lead (DSL) can only plan support for what they know.

Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) 2026 says a lack of information about a child's circumstances can affect their safety, welfare and educational outcomes. KCSIE is statutory guidance in England, and many international schools use it as a reference.

KCSIE 2026 asks the sending school to include a clear, structured summary of current concerns, relevant context and ongoing support needs. It asks you to separate current concerns from historic ones. For a long file, a short summary of current risk is likely to help more than raw records alone.

Before you send, check for names of other children and details from third parties. Remove them unless the new school needs them.

A typical pack holds these items:

• A one-page cover summary of current concerns, context and support in place
• The child protection file, with concerns, actions, decisions and outcomes
• A chronology of key events in date order
• Safety plans, risk assessments and notes of any agency referral
• Names and roles of outside professionals who know the child
• Counselling, learning support or behaviour notes the DSL judges relevant
• A list of what the pack contains, with the date and the sender

KCSIE 2026 sets three rules. Send the file separately from the main pupil record, make sure it travels securely, and get confirmation that it arrived.

Start with a phone call to the new school's DSL. You can say: 'I am the DSL at [school name], and one of your new students has a child protection file with us. How should I send it?'

After the call, follow these habits:

• Confirm the new DSL's name, and call back on a number from the school's own website
• Send through your secure system, or as an encrypted file with the password sent by another route
• Avoid personal email accounts and chat apps
• Do not give the file to the family to carry
• For paper, use a tracked courier that needs a signature
• Ask for written confirmation of receipt, and chase it if it does not come

Often you do not, but local law decides. KCSIE 2026 says data protection laws do not prevent sharing information to keep children safe.

The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) adds that consent is not required to share in a safeguarding context. Both sources are UK guidance, so check your own law. The guide to information sharing in safeguarding goes further.

The International Taskforce on Child Protection (ITFCP) advises sharing with consent when possible, putting safety and well-being first. When you do not have consent, it says you need another lawful basis.

Tell families early, in plain words. Put a line in your admissions pack and leaving form. At the leaving meeting, you can say: 'When your child joins the new school, I will send them only the safeguarding information they need.'

Ask for consent only if you could act on a refusal. If you will send the file anyway, tell the family instead. Take advice first if someone at home may be the source of harm.

KCSIE 2026 says to send the file as soon as possible. The target is within five days for an in-year move, or within the first five days of a new term, so support is ready when the child arrives.

Plan for year-end moves, when the DSL may be on leave. Name a person who can send the file in their place.

Do not hold the file back for unpaid fees or missing forms. Safeguarding information is about the child's safety, so it should not wait for the family's paperwork.

KCSIE 2026 also asks the DSL to consider sharing information before the child leaves. This matters most where the child has had a social worker or been a victim of abuse, or where other children could be at risk. It calls a conversation between the two DSLs good practice when there are concerns.

If you are a teacher and a child with an open worry is leaving, tell the DSL the same day. Follow your school's child protection procedure.

Rules on sending personal data abroad differ from country to country. Some laws give exemptions for child protection records, and the conditions vary.

The ITFCP says schools should find out which laws cover the transfer of child protection records when a student moves. It adds that expert advice on local law should be sought if assumptions about privacy are stopping information being shared.

Ask your data protection lead or local counsel in advance. Then write a short note for your policy: which law applies, who approves a transfer, and which route you use.

Do not send the file to a destination you cannot check. Hold it securely, and write down every step you take to find out where the child has gone.

Ask the family in writing, check the leaving form, and ask admissions whether a records request has arrived. If you still do not know, take advice from your Head and local counsel.

If you think the child is at risk, follow your school's child protection procedure and tell the DSL the same day. Your country may add legal duties, so see mandatory reporting laws. If a child is in immediate danger, call local emergency services first.

Ask for the file at admission. Put two questions on your enrolment form: which school did the child attend last, and who was the DSL there?

KCSIE 2026 says an appropriately trained member of staff should review the file so key risks and needs are clear. If anything is unclear or incomplete, ask the sending school to clarify.

It adds that safeguarding information should be used to support the child, and never to disadvantage them. Tell only the staff who need to act, and share only what they need.

If no file arrives, chase it and record each attempt. You can say: 'A student joining us on [date] was at your school. Please send what you can share, and tell me who to contact with questions.'

Whether you keep a copy, and for how long, depends on local law and your retention policy. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) says safeguarding policies need to cover how records are retained, stored and destroyed.

The ITFCP notes that many data privacy laws have retention periods for records on adult conduct towards children, and exemptions for child protection records. Ask your counsel, then write the rule into your policy.

Whatever you decide, keep a transfer log with these details:

• The date, and who approved the transfer
• The recipient name, role and school
• What the pack contained and the route used
• The date the new school confirmed receipt
• What the family was told, or why they were not told