Under new plans announced by the government, all schools will be required to put in place strengthened measures to protect children from online harm…
The new plans include protecting children from cyber bullying, pornography and the risk of radicalisation, following recent events that have shown the risks to young people being targeting by radical groups have risen.
Under the proposal published today for consultation, all schools will:
- Need to have appropriate filters and monitoring systems, so that no child can access harmful content via the school’s IT systems and concerns can be spotted quickly;
- Be required to ensure that they teach their pupils about safeguarding, including online.
Speaking about the new measures, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: “As a parent I’ve seen just what an important role the internet can play in children’s education. But it can also bring risks, which is why we must do everything we can to help children stay safe online – at school and at home.
“This includes ensuring young people know how to use the internet responsibly and that parents and teachers have the right measures in place to keep children safe from exploitation or radicalisation.
“These measures are delivering on the government’s commitment to keep children safe from harm, as well as providing helpful support and information for professional and parents so we are all equipped to help protect children in this digital age.”
As part of the new curriculum in 2014, the government made internet safety a compulsory, and schools are all required by law to have measures in place to prevent bullying and cyber bullying.
Russell Hobby, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “The internet is a powerful tool but also poses obvious risks for children and young people. We think schools would welcome greater clarity on how to deploy appropriate filter and monitoring systems and that they will readily fulfil their safeguarding duties in this domain.”
The government has also announced a further package of measures to help keep children safe online, which includes: practical guides on social media; a guide for social media on good practice; and, a guide to help parents keep their children safe online produced by the UK’s Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCISS).
