Today the Department for Education has published its revised statutory guidance; ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’
Following the consultation launched in December 2015, the Department for Education has today published its response and revised statutory guidance; ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’. This revised guidance is for schools (including academies, free schools special schools, PRUs and independent schools) and colleges across England and will become active on 5th September 2016 (until then, the existing version published in July 2015 remains in place).
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We welcome the proposed changes, in particular the new aspects around the requirement to provide ‘appropriate filtering and monitoring’ systems.
Earlier this year, UK Safer Internet Centre with partners and stakeholders published definitions of what might be considered ‘appropriate filtering and monitoring’ systems – these were published at www.saferinternet.org.uk/appropriate-filtering-and-monitoring. The purpose is to enable those subject to this guidance to better assess the ‘appropriateness’ of their existing and future filtering and monitoring provision. The definitions are also intended to support solution providers in defining, presenting and developing their services. It is helpful that the revised statutory guidance signposts to these definitions.
To support schools in preventing and responding to cyberbullying we will also soon be publishing guidance. Find out more at www.childnet.com/cyberbullying-guidance
