NOS Courses

Keeping pupils and teachers safe during remote education is essential. Teachers delivering remote education online should be aware of their behaviour and conduct, but more importantly, should continue to adhere to their statutory safeguarding duties as closely as possible in order to keep children safe and report any safeguarding concerns in relation to remote education.

Safeguarding and online safety is everyone’s responsibility. It is an area that the whole school community should be engaged in – including non-teaching staff. They need to be aware of difficulties relating to online safety and be able to recognise them.

Governing bodies and proprietors must ensure that policies, procedures and training in their schools or colleges are effective and comply with the law at all times. They should be doing all that they reasonably can to limit children’s exposure to online harms and risks, ensuring appropriate filters and monitoring systems are in place, and consider a whole school or college approach to online safety.

All teaching staff have a responsibility to provide a safe learning environment. This includes protecting children from online harm, abuse and risks. School staff should receive online safety training that is integrated, aligned and considered as part of the overarching safeguarding approach (Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance 2020).

Children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities can face additional safeguarding challenges online. They often experience more online harms than their peers and can be vulnerable to online risks such as cyberbullying, online grooming and exploitation. SENDCOs play a central role in safeguarding pupils with SEND. They are a core element of ensuring relevant policies are adhered to, co-ordinating SEND provision and providing the necessary support that SEND and vulnerable learners need.

ICT Leads play a vital role in developing and enhancing children’s learning around online safety. They are central to progressing policy and process and in helping to shape how young people acquire the skills to use ICT effectively, confidently and safely. Furthermore, ICT Leads should work closely with DSLs and have an awareness of their wider safeguarding responsibilities.

Designated Safeguarding Leads should take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection, including online safety, in schools. They should undergo training to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to carry out the role, including the ability to understand the unique risks associated with online safety. They should be confident that they have the relevant knowledge and up to date capability required to keep children safe whilst they are online at school or college (Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) statutory guidance 2020).

Safeguarding children online is a whole school responsibility. All educators have a duty of care to protect children from online harm. It’s important therefore that their knowledge of the online world is relevant and up to date and that they have the expertise and awareness to be able to support children’s activities online in line with policy requirements and individual pupil needs.

All schools should adopt a robust and effective strategy to help keep children safe online. Senior leaders should ensure that their school is meeting local policy requirements and that they are pursuing a culture of online safety which is fully integrated into their school safeguarding practice.

This short course provides you with an important insight into how children aged 4 to 7 are typically engaging with the online world.

This short course provides you with an important insight into how children aged 7 to 11 are typically engaging with the online world.

This short course provides you with an important insight into how children aged 11 to 14 are typically engaging with the online world.

This short course provides you with an important insight into how children aged 14 to 18 are typically engaging with the online world.