Online safety and schools

Free online e-safety self-review tool: www.360safe.org.uk

A safe environment is a basic right and a responsibility that we all share, not only within the physical world, but increasingly within the online world where many children, young people and adults work and play. Online technologies have allowed school boundaries to stretch way beyond the school gate whilst we know this offers huge potential for new teaching and learning experiences, it brings with it a different set of responsibilities and issues that are often hard to understand, track and manage.

Over the last few years, schools have increasingly been on the 'front line of being online': managing the fallout from online disputes; tackling cyberbullying; managing the right response to inappropriate and illegal content; dealing with threats to the safety of their staff and students and maintaining their safeguarding obligations.

Following the report of the Byron review in 2008, Ofsted was asked to evaluate the extent to which schools teach pupils to adopt safe and responsible practices in using new technologies. Their 2010 report "The safe use of new technologies" assessed this provision along with e-safety training.

The 2013 Ofsted guidance on "Inspecting E-Safety in Schools" highlighted the features that are common in schools where e-safety provision is good or outstanding. Using 360 degree safe allows you to judge your school against these good and outstanding features.