# How and when should a school transfer a child protection file when a pupil moves?

Source page: https://pupilprotect.co.uk/guides/transferring-child-protection-files  
Last updated: 2026-10-20  
Publisher: Pupil Protect (Glacier Labs Ltd)

> When a pupil leaves, the DSL should make sure their child protection file goes to the new school or college as soon as possible, and within 5 days for an in-year move or within the first 5 days of a new term. Schools should send it separately from the main pupil file, make sure it travels securely, and get confirmation that it has arrived. KCSIE 2026 adds that the file should come with a clear, structured summary of current concerns, context and support needs.

## What KCSIE 2026 says

Keeping children safe in education 2026 (KCSIE) covers this in two places: **paragraph 150** in Part two, and the section on information sharing and the child protection file in **Annex B**, the role of the DSL. Both say the same thing about timing.

When a child leaves, the DSL, or a deputy, should make sure the child protection file is transferred to the new school or college:

- **as soon as possible**
- and **within 5 days** for an in-year transfer, or **within the first 5 days of the start of a new term**

The aim is to let the new school or college have support in place when the child arrives. KCSIE doesn't say whether the 5 days are school days or calendar days, so it is safest not to wait.

## How to send it

KCSIE sets three rules for the move itself:

1. **Separately from the main pupil file.** KCSIE says this applies "for schools". The child protection file doesn't travel inside the pupil record or the common transfer file.
2. **Secure transit.** KCSIE doesn't say how. Schools commonly use a secure electronic transfer, or hand paper files over in person, DSL to DSL.
3. **Confirmation of receipt.** Get confirmation that the file has arrived, and keep it on record.

## New in 2026: a structured summary

KCSIE 2026's summary of changes says Annex B has more on information sharing. Annex B now says:

- The exporting school or college should include **a clear, structured summary** of current safeguarding concerns, relevant context and any ongoing support needs.
- Take care to **separate current concerns from historic information**, giving past issues proper context. Where a file has a lot of history, a short summary of current risk and context is likely to help more than unstructured records alone.
- Records should be clear and factual, and should distinguish between observed concerns, professional opinion and historic information.

A chronology is a good basis for the summary. See [what to include in a safeguarding chronology](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/glossary/chronology).

## Sharing more than the file

The DSL should also consider whether to share **other information in advance** of the move, especially where it would help the new school assess risk to the child or others (paragraph 151). KCSIE gives examples:

- children who have had a social worker and been victims of abuse
- children receiving support through the Channel programme
- incidents that may point to serious violence or harmful behaviour

Where a pupil has carried, threatened with or used a knife or other weapon, the receiving school should assess the risk and have a safety and support plan in place before the child arrives (paragraph 152). KCSIE says a conversation between the two DSLs is good practice where there are concerns.

The information sharing duty in force since 30 September 2026 supports this. The DfE's guidance says organisations should share concerns across boundaries when a child is known to be moving, so that important information isn't lost (paragraph 15). See [information sharing in safeguarding](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/glossary/information-sharing).

## What the receiving school should do

Annex B says the receiving school or college should:

- have the information reviewed by an appropriately trained member of staff, so key risks and needs are understood
- ask the old school for clarification if anything is unclear or incomplete
- make sure key staff, such as the SENCO, know what they need to, with the DSL deciding what else to share and when
- use the information "to support, not disadvantage, the child"

If a file hasn't arrived and you know the child had safeguarding involvement, chase the old school's DSL.

## The pupil file runs on a different clock

The child protection file is separate from the **common transfer file and educational record**. For a pupil leaving a maintained school, regulation 9 of the Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005 says those must reach the new school no later than **15 school days** after the pupil comes off roll. Don't wait for that to send the child protection file.

If you don't know where the child has gone, or they are being educated at home, there is no new school to send the file to. Follow your local authority's procedures for children missing education or elective home education. See [children not in school registers and home education](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/glossary/children-not-in-school-register).

## Who keeps it afterwards

The file moves with the child, so the last school or college they attended usually keeps it. The IRMS toolkit says to keep child protection files until the child's 25th birthday, then review, and that the school a pupil leaves should consider keeping a copy. Use the [retention calculator](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/tools/retention-calculator) to work out review dates.

## Questions

**How long does a school have to transfer a child protection file?**  
KCSIE 2026 says as soon as possible, and within 5 days for an in-year transfer or within the first 5 days of the start of a new term, so the new school or college can have support ready when the child arrives (paragraph 150 and Annex B).

**Should the child protection file go with the pupil file?**  
No. For schools, KCSIE 2026 says the child protection file should be transferred separately from the main pupil file. The DSL should make sure it travels securely and should get confirmation of receipt.

**Which school keeps the child protection file when a pupil moves?**  
The new school. The file moves with the child, so it usually ends up with the last school or college the child attended, which is responsible for keeping it. The IRMS toolkit says the school the pupil leaves should consider keeping a copy.

**Do child protection files go to college at 16?**  
Yes. KCSIE 2026 says the DSL should transfer the file to the new school or college, with the same timescale and confirmation of receipt. The separate-from-the-pupil-file rule is written for schools, but sending it separately and securely is good practice for any move.

**What should a child protection file contain when it is transferred?**  
The concerns and referrals, with a summary of each concern, how it was followed up and resolved, and any action, decisions and outcome. KCSIE 2026 adds that the exporting school should include a clear, structured summary of current safeguarding concerns, relevant context and any ongoing support needs, and should separate current concerns from historic information.

## Sources

- [Keeping children safe in education 2026, Part two, paragraphs 150 to 152, and Annex B, Information sharing and managing the child protection file (DfE, in force from 1 September 2026)](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6ac3c09c11ed58342ad8e4ac/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2026.pdf), checked 2026-10-20
- [Keeping children safe in education 2026, Annex C, summary of changes to Annex B](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2), checked 2026-10-20
- [The Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005, regulation 9 (transfer of the common transfer file and educational record)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1437/regulation/9), checked 2026-10-20
- [Information Sharing Duty: statutory guidance (DfE, September 2026), paragraph 15 (sharing when a child moves)](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6aa2a5b1c5796a7a179c665a/Information_sharing_duty_statutory_guidance.pdf), checked 2026-10-20
- [IRMS Information Management Toolkit for Schools](https://irms.org.uk/schools-toolkit/), checked 2026-10-20

## Related

- [Child protection file retention calculator](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/tools/retention-calculator): Work out how long to keep a child protection file, and who keeps it after a move.
- [Information sharing in safeguarding](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/glossary/information-sharing)
- [How to record a safeguarding concern](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/guides/how-to-record-a-safeguarding-concern)
- [What to include in a safeguarding chronology](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/glossary/chronology)
- [Can parents see safeguarding records?](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/guides/can-parents-see-safeguarding-records)
- [What is a designated safeguarding lead?](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/glossary/dsl)

## In Pupil Protect

Pupil Protect Safeguard moves a pupil's safeguarding file between Pupil Protect schools through Record transfers, and every step is logged. A request not dealt with in 5 school days is overdue. For schools not on Pupil Protect, the file goes by a secure link that works for 30 days, and the receiving DSL confirms receipt there. [See record transfers in Safeguard](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/safeguard#transfers)