Department For Education
Schools and colleges have a statutory responsibility to keep children and young people safe online as well as offline. Governing bodies and proprietors should make sure their school or college has appropriate filtering and monitoring systems in place, as detailed in the statutory guidance, Keeping children safe in education.
Filtering is preventative. It refers to solutions that protect users from accessing illegal, inappropriate and potentially harmful content online. It does this by identifying and blocking specific web links and web content in the form of text, images, audio and video.
Monitoring is reactive. It refers to solutions that monitor what users are doing on devices and, in some cases, records this activity. Monitoring can be manual, for example, teachers viewing screens as they walk around a classroom. Technical monitoring solutions rely on software applied to a device that views a users activity. Reports or alerts are generated based on illegal, inappropriate, or potentially harmful activities, including bullying. Monitoring solutions do not block users from seeing or doing anything.
The job titles in these standards may not fit your educational setting, but the responsibilities described should be applied to the most relevant person.
These standards help school and college leaders, designated safeguarding leads and IT support understand how to work together to make sure they can effectively safeguard their students and staff.
Why this standard is important
Schools and colleges should provide a safe environment to learn and work, including when online. Filtering and monitoring are both important parts of safeguarding students and staff from illegal, inappropriate and potentially harmful online material.
Clear roles, responsibilities and strategies are vital for delivering and maintaining effective filtering and monitoring systems. Its important that your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and IT support work together, using their professional expertise to make informed decisions. Governors and your senior leadership team (SLT) should provide support as required.
How to meet the standard
Governing bodies and proprietors have overall strategic responsibility for filtering and monitoring and need assurance that the standards are being met.?
To do this, they should identify and assign:?
- a member of the SLT and a governor, to be responsible for ensuring these standards are met
- the roles and responsibilities of staff and third parties, for example, in-house or third-party IT support
There may not be full-time staff for each of these roles. Some responsibilities may lie as part of a wider role within the school, college, or trust. However, it must be clear who is responsible and it must be possible to make prompt changes to your provision.
Technical requirements to meet the standard??
The SLT is responsible for:
- buying filtering and monitoring systems
- documenting decisions on what is blocked or allowed and why
- reviewing the effectiveness of your provision
- overseeing reports
They are also responsible for making sure that all staff:?
- understand their role
- are appropriately trained
- follow policies, processes and procedures
- act on reports and concerns
Senior leaders should work closely with governors or proprietors, the DSL and IT support in all aspects of filtering and monitoring. Your IT support may be in-house or a third-party service provider.
Day-to-day management of filtering and monitoring systems requires the specialist knowledge of both safeguarding and IT support to be effective.
Your DSL should lead on safeguarding and online safety as detailed in the Keeping children safe in education statutory guidance. This should include, among other duties:
- checking relevant reports
- responding to safeguarding concerns identified by filtering and monitoring
- providing governors with assurance that filtering and monitoring systems are working effectively and reviewed regularly
Your DSL should take any necessary action in line with Keeping children safe in education and your existing safeguarding policies. Make sure all users, parents and carers are aware of your policy.
Your in-house or third-party IT support have technical responsibility for:
- maintaining filtering and monitoring systems
- providing filtering and monitoring reports
- completing actions following concerns or system checks
Your in-house or third-party IT support should work with your SLT andDSLto:
- help buy systems
- identify risk
- carry out reviews
- carry out checks
When to meet the standard?
You should already be meeting this standard.?
Why this standard is important
For filtering and monitoring to be effective it should meet the needs of your students and staff. It should reflect your specific use of technology while minimising potential harms.
To understand and evaluate the changing needs and potential risks of your school or college, you should review your filtering and monitoring provision at least once every academic year.
The review process should identify additional filtering and monitoring checks that are needed. This will give governing bodies and proprietors assurance that systems are working effectively and meeting safeguarding obligations.
How to meet the standard
Governing bodies and proprietors have overall strategic responsibility for meeting this standard. They should make sure that filtering and monitoring provision is reviewed at least once every academic year. This can be part of a wider online safety review.
The review should be conducted by members of the senior leadership team, the designated safeguarding lead, and IT support. It should also involve the responsible governor. You should record the results of the online safety review and make it available to anyone who is entitled to inspect that information.
Technical requirements to meet the standard??
A review of filtering and monitoring should be carried out to identify your current provisi
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