This causes real problems. A school asks for “Level 2”, the agency buys something labelled Level 2, and nobody has checked whether it covers what a supply teacher in a primary school actually needs.
Where the levels come from
The tiered language originates in health and social care, where intercollegiate documents set out competence levels for different roles. It migrated into education training as a marketing convention. It has no statutory basis in the school context, and no regulator defines what any level must contain.
| Label you will see | What providers usually mean | Statutory basis |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 / Basic awareness | General awareness for anyone in the building | None |
| Level 2 | Staff who work directly with children | None |
| Level 3 | Staff with a specific safeguarding responsibility | None |
| Designated safeguarding lead training | The school’s DSL and deputies | KCSiE, but described by role rather than by level |
| Safer recruitment | People running recruitment and vetting | KCSiE, at least one person on an appointment panel |
What KCSiE describes instead
KCSiE describes training by who the person is and what they do, not by a number.
- All staff: read Part One in full, safeguarding and child protection training including online safety at induction, regularly updated, plus updates at least annually.
- The designated safeguarding lead and deputies: training described in Annex C, updated at least every two years, with knowledge and skills refreshed at regular intervals.
- At least one person on any appointment panel: safer recruitment training.
- Governing bodies and proprietors: safeguarding training relevant to their governance functions.
What to ask for instead of a level
When a school asks for “Level 2 safeguarding”, what they are really asking is whether your candidate is safe to put in front of their children. Answer that instead, with specifics.
- Which edition of KCSiE the course was written against, by year.
- Whether Part One was read in full and confirmed, rather than summarised.
- Whether it covers the Prevent duty, and online safety including nudes and semi-nudes.
- Whether it covers allergy awareness, which the July 2026 statutory guidance says should reach supply teachers.
- Whether there is an assessment, what the pass mark is, and whether the certificate carries a date and a reference.
If a school insists on the words