Advice, tips and knowledge
Online safety is part of safeguarding and it is recommended that there be some inclusion of online safety within the Safeguarding Policy. With regard to the actual online safety policy, it is suggested that a structured, modular approach be adopted, having an overarching online safety policy (which is short and easy to review) with separate but linked individual short sub-policies/IAG. It will be these latter ones that are likely to need frequent updating.
Once in place it is important that policies/information, advice and guidance are well managed, and that all stakeholders are familiar with them and apply them appropriately. This may include specific training or just advisory sessions. It may be useful to include student representation in the review process thereby helping the whole school to own and understand why policies and guidance are in place.
Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) may need revising and signing by the parties involved. This may include any Home/School agreements that refer to the use of technology.
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Advice, tips and knowledge
Any safeguarding issues that occur which include online safety should be dealt with according to the safeguarding policies in place currently. These policies may need to be amended/cross-referenced as necessary.
Sometimes incidents arise from a number of smaller issues that start occurring more frequently. It can be beneficial to continue to record such issues in the current way and perhaps look at established pattern of incidents and seeing if more serious incidents can be prevented from happening by adding interventions with all school stakeholders.
The implementation of Whisper from the Boost package will give parents and student another way of reporting issues to the right people within school.
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Advice, tips and knowledge
Having a robust AUP is important and all community members need to have read and understood this document. It is important to look at how you can demonstrate that staff have understood the document. We suggest the following ways:
Online Survey
Scenarios in a training workshop
Videos \ online training to support the document
It is important that this document is reviewed annually and also if any incidents happen in school that cause the document to be changed. For example: Introduction of new technologies or approaches to students’ learning environments.
Having a robust AUP is important and all community members need to have read and understood this document. It is vital that this document is updated and reviewed in line with your other policies and practices.
It is important to look at how you can demonstrate that staff have understood the document. We suggest the following ways:
Online Survey
Scenarios in a training workshop
Videos \ online training to support the document
It is important that this document is reviewed annually and also if any incidents happen in school that cause the document to be changed. For example: Introduction of new technologies or approaches to students’ learning environments.
Having a robust AUP is important and all community members need to have read and understood this document. It is important to look at how you can demonstrate that staff have understood the document. We suggest the following ways:
Online Survey
Scenarios in a training workshop
Videos \ online training to support the document
It is important that this document is reviewed annually and also if any incidents happen in school that cause the document to be changed. For example: Introduction of new technologies or approaches to students’ learning environments.
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Advice, tips and knowledge
Following on from your online safety training it may be worth canvassing all staff as to their actual training needs particularly with regard to the issues listed in the RM online safety questionnaire and arrange training accordingly. By doing this you will be able to provide not only good evidence but also helps to pinpoint further training gaps.
Have you thought about accrediting your staff in relation to online safety? This will ensure your school has staff who are up to date and have certification in this area.
Sometimes incidents arise from a number of smaller issues that start occurring more frequently. It can be beneficial to continue to record such issues in the current way and perhaps look at established pattern of incidents and seeing if more serious incidents can be prevented from happening by adding interventions with all school stakeholders.
Consider other ways of sending important up to date information to staff on a more frequent basis such as an online safety newsletter, podcast or website details.
Using a risk register to record all possible activity can illustrate that the school proactively considers the use of technology and makes informed decisions as to what level of risk to accept.
Have you thought about accrediting your staff in relation to online safety? This will ensure your school has staff who are up to date and have certification in this area.
Regular training for staff in important to ensure all staff have the tools to support and understand school escalation routes and help students with their online behaviour and journey.
Sometimes incidents arise from a number of smaller issues that start occurring more frequently. It can be beneficial to continue to record such issues in the current way and perhaps look at established pattern of incidents and seeing if more serious incidents can be prevented from happening by adding interventions with all school stakeholders.
Consider other ways of sending important up to date information to staff on a more frequent basis such as an online safety newsletter, podcast or website details.
Using a risk register to record all possible activity can illustrate that the school proactively considers the use of technology and makes informed decisions as to what level of risk to accept.
Regular training for staff is important to ensure all staff have the tools to support and understand school escalation routes as well as policy and practice to help students and staff with their online behaviour and journey. KCSiE state that all staff should receive a minimum of annual training in this area.
Have you thought about accrediting your staff in relation to online safety? This will ensure your school has staff who are up to date and have certification in this area.
Sometimes incidents arise from a number of smaller issues that start occurring more frequently. It can be beneficial to continue to record such issues in the current way and perhaps look at established pattern of incidents and seeing if more serious incidents can be prevented from happening by adding interventions with all school stakeholders.
Consider other ways of sending important up to date information to staff on a more frequent basis such as an online safety newsletter, podcast or website details.
Using a risk register to record all possible activity can illustrate that the school proactively considers the use of technology and makes informed decisions as to what level of risk to accept.
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Advice, tips and knowledge
Involving the school council may help to highlight specific issues that students are concerned about.
Additionally, a questionnaire for students to complete may also provide information to base further guidance and resassurance on. Themed messages could be used to engage all students and this could be integrated into the curriculum as well as allowing students to be creative about how they interpret and pass this information on to their family.
Have you thought about sending information out to students in other ways such as a newsletter, via the website or using things such as QR codes to engage students with this topic?
Additionally making full use of the resources provided nationally for Safer Internet Day (SID) every February and Anti-bullying week (November) to all year groups will help enforce important messages and give opportunity for consultation and discussion.
Embedding online safety in school – and the community – is an ongoing objective and every opportunity should be taken to give online safety messages to students, promoting good behaviour and discussing issues as they arise. This should be tackled in many ways, through all curriculum lessons and through an assembly programme which also allows to intervention assemblies when there are incidents which need to be tackled.
Creating a school council for its input may help to highlight specific issues that students are concerned about.
Additionally a questionnaire for students to complete may also provide information to base further guidance on. Themed messages could be used to engage all students and this could be integrated into the curriculum as well as allowing students to be creative about how they interpret and pass this information on to their family.
Have you thought about sending information out to students in other ways such as a newsletter, via the website or using things such as QR codes to engage students with this topic?
Additionally making full use of the resources provided nationally for Safer Internet Day (SID) every February and Anti-bullying week (November) to all year groups will help enforce important messages and give opportunity for consultation and discussion.
Embedding online safety in school – and the community – is an ongoing objective and every opportunity should be taken to give online safety messages to students, promoting good behaviour and discussing issues as they arise. This should be tackled in many ways, through all curriculum lessons and through an assembly programme which also allows to intervention assemblies when there are incidents which need to be tackled.
Creating a school council for its input may help to highlight specific issues that students are concerned about.
Additionally a questionnaire for students to complete may also provide information to base further guidance on. Themed messages could be used to engage all students and this could be integrated into the curriculum as well as allowing students to be creative about how they interpret and pass this information on to their family.
Have you thought about sending information out to students in other ways such as a newsletter, via the website or using things such as QR codes to engage students with this topic?
Additionally making full use of the resources provided nationally for Safer Internet Day (SID) every February and Anti-bullying week (November) to all year groups will help enforce important messages and give opportunity for consultation and discussion.
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Advice, tips and knowledge
Parents/carers can sometimes be more challenging to engage. The school can continue to use every formal and informal opportunity to raise issues and discuss concerns as well as signposting to the numerous parent resources available. As suggested this may include Information sessions as part of Parent evening, QR codes at the locations where parents congregate (Reception, for example) or alternatively a section on the school newsletter focusing on online safety.
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Advice, tips and knowledge
Any safeguarding issues that occur regarding online safety should be dealt with according to the safeguarding policies in place currently. These policies may need to be amended/cross-referenced as necessary.
It is recommended that all schools use a flowchart incident management diagram. This can be displayed in the staff room, making sure staff are familiar with what they need to do in the event of an online safety incident.
Having anonymous reporting tools on your school website can also be used to give students, parents and staff another avenue to report incidents – such as Whisper
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Advice, tips and knowledge
It’s important to offer age-appropriate filtering in school so access to content is suitable for different ages groups without limiting the power of the internet.
The DfE recommend ‘age appropriate filtering without overblocking’ so every school needs to be sure they have the control to meet this requirement.
It is important to know what your system is filtering and also then to be able to work on your own set of school-based filters which might need to be applied to meet your schools policies and safeguarding needs.
It’s important to offer age-appropriate filtering in school so access to content is suitable for different ages groups without limiting the power of the internet.
The DfE recommend ‘age appropriate filtering without overblocking’ so every school needs to be sure they have the control to meet this requirement.
It is important to know what your system is filtering and also then to be able to work on your own set of school-based filters which might need to be applied to meet your schools policies and expectations.
It’s important to offer age-appropriate filtering in school so access to content is suitable for different ages groups without limiting the power of the internet.
The DfE recommend ‘age appropriate filtering without overblocking’ so every school needs to be sure they have the control to be able to meet this requirement.
Members of the school should have the ability to change filter rules as required without reliance upon a 3rd party.
It is important to know what your system is filtering and also then to be able to work on your own set of school-based filters which might need to be applied to meet your schools policies and expectations.
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Advice, tips and knowledge
It is essential that schools have monitoring in place to complement filtering (Ofsted, DfE, Prevent). Monitoring will highlight themes that can then be addressed through online safety training with staff, students and parents.
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