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Part 1 - Understand the Statutory guidance for all schools
Part 1 - Understand the Statutory guidance for all schools
Keeping Children Safe in Education
Keeping Children Safe in Education
The Department for Education's statutory guidance, "Keeping Children Safe in Education," is clear that online safety is a shared responsibility. The document states that governing bodies and proprietors are responsible for ensuring their school or college has appropriate filtering and monitoring systems in place and that they regularly review their effectiveness. All staff must receive training on online safety, including an understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to filtering and monitoring. Furthermore, a designated safeguarding lead (DSL) should take the lead responsibility for online safety, including understanding the filtering and monitoring systems and processes in place.
Part 2 - Make the most of high quality resources
Part 2 - Make the most of high quality resources
LGfL: Safeguarding
A key resource for schools, LGfL provides a wealth of online safety materials, including teaching resources, policy templates, and guidance for staff, students, and parents. The platform is regularly updated with the latest information and offers tools to help schools stay compliant with statutory guidance.
SafeSkills is an interactive online safety diagnostic teaching tool for schools, enabling teachers to monitor progress throughout the year and drill down to school, class and pupil level to identify areas for development. SafeSkills is made up of 8 strands linked to statements from UKCIS Education for a Connected World framework, to help assess young people’s resilience and competency for digital life, as recommended in Keeping Children Safe in Education and RSHE guidance.
This website provides a wealth of free, high-quality resources for Year 1- 13 educators and students. It offers a comprehensive digital citizenship curriculum with lessons, videos, and activities covering topics such as online privacy, cyberbullying, and media literacy. It's a great resource for practical, ready-to-use lessons.
Google's Be Internet Legends (KS2):
This programme offers a fun and engaging way to teach children the fundamentals of online safety. It uses games and interactive activities to cover key principles like being "internet sharp" (thinking before you share), "internet alert" (spotting scams), and "internet kind" (positive online communication).
Education for a Connected World Framework:
This framework provides a structured approach to online safety education. It outlines the knowledge and skills children and young people need to navigate the digital world safely and confidently. It's an excellent resource for curriculum planning and ensuring a comprehensive approach to online safety that evolves with students' needs.
This centre offers a wide range of resources, from educational packs and videos to advice for parents and professionals. It provides up-to-date guidance on how to address a variety of online safety issues, including emerging risks.
Key Questions
Leadership & Strategy
Leadership & Strategy
Who "owns" the online safety audit in our school?
eg Is your DSL leading it, or is it delegated to the IT lead?Is our Online Safety Audit a "living document"?
eg Does it reflect real incidents from this term, or is it a one-off "tick-box" exercise completed in September?How are we integrating online safety into our overall Section 175 Safeguarding Audit?
eg Have you merged these to ensure a holistic approach?
Systems & Technology
Systems & Technology
When was our last annual review of filtering and monitoring systems?
eg are you following the guidance from DfE and LGfL to make it a a formal annual event?Are our technical staff and safeguarding leads "speaking the same language"?
eg Do the technicians understand the pedagogical risks, and do the DSLs understand the technical limitations of the current filtering?How are we monitoring the use of Generative AI tools among both staff and students?
eg Do you have a clear "permitted use" list for AI).
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