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Low-level concerns log

A free log for recording and reviewing low-level concerns about adults in school, following Part four of Keeping children safe in education 2026.

Download for Word (.docx)

Free to use and adapt to your own low-level concerns policy. The log prints on A4 landscape; choose “Save as PDF” in the print window for a PDF. This page doesn’t collect anything. To print, use your browser’s Print command (Ctrl+P, or Cmd+P on a Mac).

Pupil ProtectFree template · pupilprotect.co.uk/tools

Low-level concerns log

School: ______________________________   Page ____ of ____

Confidential. Keep this log separately from pupil records and staff personnel files. Only [the headteacher and DSL] can see it.

For concerns about any adult working in or on behalf of the school (staff, supply staff, volunteers, contractors) that don’t meet the harm threshold. If you think a concern may meet the harm threshold, don’t log it here: tell the headteacher straight away, and consult the LADO.

  • Facts, not opinion. Say where and when, and what was seen or heard.
  • Record the context: what was happening at the time.
  • Note the action and the reason, including a decision to take no further action.
  • Notify supply staff’s and contractors’ employers.
Date and time raisedStaff member (name and role)The concern, and the context it arose inReported by (or “self-report”, or “anonymous”)Action taken, by whom, and the reasonsOutcomePattern review: earlier concerns about this person? (date, by)

Pattern review record

Review the log regularly to spot patterns of inappropriate, problematic or concerning behaviour, about one person or across the school (KCSIE 2026, paragraph 522).

Date of reviewReviewed byPatterns found (about one person, or wider cultural issues)Decision and action (disciplinary, LADO referral, policy change, training)

Based on Keeping children safe in education 2026 (DfE, statutory guidance, in force from 1 September 2026), Part four, section two (paragraphs 506 to 528), checked 20 October 2026. Free template from Pupil Protect: pupilprotect.co.uk/tools. Adapt it to your own staff code of conduct and low-level concerns policy. Guidance, not legal advice.

Recording, reviewing and keeping low-level concerns

What Part four, section two of KCSIE 2026 says, and where each column of the log comes from.

This is guidance, not legal advice. Your own low-level concerns policy, usually part of the staff code of conduct, comes first (KCSIE 2026, paragraph 513).

  • What counts as a low-level concern

    Any concern, however small, even a sense of unease or a “nagging doubt”, that an adult working in or on behalf of the school may have acted in a way that doesn’t fit the staff code of conduct (including conduct outside work) and doesn’t meet the harm threshold. Examples: being overfriendly with children, having favourites, taking photos of children on a personal phone against policy, being alone with a child behind a closed door, or humiliating children. “Low-level” doesn’t mean insignificant.

    KCSIE 2026, paragraphs 509 and 510
  • Record every one in writing

    The record should include details of the concern, the context it arose in, and the action taken. Note the name of the person who raised it; if they want to stay anonymous, respect that as far as reasonably possible. Record the rationale for decisions and actions too.

    KCSIE 2026, paragraphs 520 and 526
  • Keep it confidential and secure

    The school decides where low-level concern records are kept, but they must be confidential, held securely and comply with data protection law.

    KCSIE 2026, paragraph 521
  • Review it for patterns

    Review the records so that patterns of inappropriate, problematic or concerning behaviour are spotted. Where there is a pattern, decide on a course of action: through disciplinary procedures, or, if the pattern now meets the harm threshold, a referral to the LADO. Also consider whether wider cultural issues let the behaviour happen, and whether policies or training should change.

    KCSIE 2026, paragraph 522
  • Who decides

    Your policy says whether concerns go first to the DSL (or a nominated person) or to the headteacher. If they go to the DSL, the DSL tells the headteacher in good time. The headteacher is the final decision maker. If in doubt whether a concern meets the harm threshold, consult the LADO.

    KCSIE 2026, paragraphs 516 and 518
  • Supply staff and contractors

    Pass low-level concerns about supply staff and contractors to their employer, so patterns can be identified across the places they work.

    KCSIE 2026, paragraph 517
  • How long to keep the records

    It is for the school to decide, but KCSIE recommends keeping them at least until the person leaves your employment.

    KCSIE 2026, paragraph 523
  • References

    Don’t include low-level concerns in a reference unless they relate to something that would normally be included, such as misconduct or poor performance. A low-level concern that relates only to safeguarding shouldn’t be mentioned. Substantiated concerns that meet the harm threshold, including a group of low-level concerns about the same person, should be.

    KCSIE 2026, paragraph 524

Low-level concerns in Pupil Protect Staff

Staff records low-level concerns, self-reports and allegations about adults separately from pupil records, and only case managers can open them. When the same adult has two or more low-level concerns in six months, Staff points it out, and you decide whether together they meet the harm threshold.

See how Staff handles concerns about adults

Questions about low-level concerns

What is a low-level concern in a school?

Any concern, however small, that an adult working in or for the school may have acted in a way that doesn’t fit the staff code of conduct, including outside work, but doesn’t meet the harm threshold for a referral to the LADO. Keeping children safe in education 2026 gives examples such as being overfriendly with children, having favourites or taking photos of children on a personal phone (paragraph 509).

How long should low-level concerns be kept?

Keeping children safe in education 2026 leaves it to the school, but recommends keeping them at least until the person leaves your employment (paragraph 523). Write your retention period into your low-level concerns policy.

Do low-level concerns go in a reference?

Not usually. Only include them if they relate to issues that would normally go in a reference, such as misconduct or poor performance. A concern that relates only to safeguarding shouldn’t be mentioned (KCSIE 2026, paragraph 524).

Who should staff report a low-level concern to?

To whoever your policy names: the DSL, a nominated person such as a values champion, or the headteacher. The headteacher is the final decision maker (KCSIE 2026, paragraph 516). Staff can also self-refer, for example after a situation that could be misinterpreted (paragraph 519).

When does a low-level concern become an allegation?

When it meets the harm threshold: the adult may have harmed a child, committed an offence against a child, or behaved in a way that suggests they pose a risk of harm or may not be suitable to work with children. A pattern of low-level concerns can reach that point. Then it goes to the headteacher and the LADO under Part four, section one of KCSIE 2026 (paragraphs 437 and 522).

Sources

Checked 20 October 2026.

KCSIE 2026 also points to Farrer & Co’s guide, Developing and implementing a low-level concerns policy, for case studies (paragraph 528).

What is a low-level concern? · Child protection policy template · All free tools