The Online Safety Mark

Schools that are able to show good practice in their online safety policy and procedures can apply for the Online Safety Mark. The first step towards gaining the mark involves an online application to South West Grid for Learning and submission of a completed 360 degree safe self review in which the school has reached at least the benchmark level in all aspects.

Following the application, the Assessor will check the completed 360 degree safe self review tool to ensure that the school appears to have met the benchmark levels and be ready for an assessor visit. The school is then visited by one or two assessors for a half day visit. Assessors will agree an agenda for the visit with the school based on an exemplar agenda and will meet with a range of staff, students/pupils, parents/carers and governors and will also carry out a brief review of some of the schools paper/online evidence (policies, minutes, audit logs etc). At the end of the visit the school will be informed by the assessor whether or not their application has been successful and the assessor will also suggest areas of strength and weakness in the school’s online safety provision.

The 360 degree safe self review tool is free to use and is intended to help schools review their online safety policy and practice. It provides:

Information and stimulus that can influence the production or review of online safety policies and develop good practice.
A process for identifying strengths and weaknesses.
Opportunities for commitment and involvement from the whole school.
A continuum for schools to discuss how they might move from a basic level provision for e-safety to practice that is aspirational and innovative.

All Curriculum Innovation consultants are qualified SWGfL Online Safety Mark assessors and have delivered inspections across Bradford.

Standard costs for an assessment are:

Maintained schools less than 500 pupils - £850
Maintained schools 500 or more pupils - £1,000
All Independent Schools £1,000

We can provide a discounted assessment for all BLN schools as below:

Primary - £600
Secondary - £700

Bradford schools who are currently accredited withthe Online Safety Mark

Addingham Primary School
Burley Oaks Primary
Cottingley Primary School
Cullingworth Primary School
Green Lane Primary and Nursery School
Horton Park Primary
Miriam Lord Primary School
St John the Evangelist Catholic Primary
Worthinghead Primary

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(e)Safeguarding Surveys

We have created a range of online (e)Safeguarding surveys that can be shared with school staff, parents and pupils. These surveys are free to any Curriculum Innovation subscribing schools. If you wish to access one of these surveys please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Local Context

In 2013 the council carried out a Children and Young People Lifestyle Survey targeting all Y4, Y7 and Y10 children across the authority.

There were several questions on the survey with regard to the use of the Internet and technology by these pupils as summarised below.

79% of all pupils said that they communicate with friends and family online, 12% said that they communicate with strangers who they met online. The percentage of pupils who talk to strangers online is highest among year 10 pupils with 17%.
18% of Year 4 pupils use social networks and this increases to 46% in Year 7 and 77% in Year 10.
13% of secondary school pupils reported people had said bad things or written unpleasant things online, this was highest among year 10 females.
Half of all secondary pupils said that they were given advice about sharing their personal information online.
35% of pupils were taught about viruses, and 33% have been advised about identity theft.

It is clear that children are engaging with technology and particualrly gaming and social media technologies at very young ages and we need to ensure that as educators and parents we understand how to ensure they are utilising these technologies safely and responsibly.

We have developed online (e)Safeguarding surveys that you can provide to specific year groups, the whole school, staff and parents to enable you to get an accurate local picture of the technology use and online behaviours of your local community. The results can inform your (e)Safeguarding provision and you can then measure the impact of this provision by using the surveys annually.

Details of this can be find on the (e)Safeguarding survey menu.

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OfSTED

Ofsted

(e)Safeguarding expectations are clearly identified in the 2014 school inspection handbook including the following:

The Ofsted 2014 school inspection handbook states that inspectors should consider the following about the behaviour and safety of pupils at the school

Types, rates and patterns of bullying and the effectiveness of the school’s actions to prevent and tackle all forms of bullying and harassment. This includes online bullying and prejudice-based bullying related to special educational need, sexual orientation, sex, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment or disability.
The school’s success in keeping pupils safe, whether within school or during external activities through, for instance, effective risk assessments, online safety arrangements, and action taken following any serious safeguarding incident.

The Ofsted 2014 school inspection handbook states that inspectors should consider the following about the quality of leadership in, and management of, the school

The effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements to ensure that there is safe recruitment and that all pupils are safe. This includes the promotion of safe practices and a culture of safety, including online safety.

David Brown HMI and National Lead for Computing gave a presentation in the summer of 2014 about Inspecting Computing including direct references to the importance of (e)Safeguarding

Pupils have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of how to stay safe when using new technologies
An age-appropriate online safety curriculum that is flexible, relevant and engages pupils’ interest; that is used to promote online safety through teaching pupils how to stay safe, how to protect themselves from harm and how to take responsibility for their own and others’ safety
E-safety is a priority across all areas of the school, with all teaching and non-teaching staff receiving regular and up-to- date training in online safety.
Rigorous online safety policies and procedures are in place, written in plain English, contributed to by the whole school, updated regularly and ratified by governors.

The indicators of inadequate practice in Ofsted reports include:-

Personal data is often unsecured and/or leaves school site without encryption
Security of passwords is ineffective, for example passwords are shared or common with all but the youngest children
Policies are generic and not updated
There is no progressive, planned (e)Safety education across the curriculum, for example there is only an assembly held annually
There is no internet filtering or monitoring
There is no evidence of staff training
Children are not aware of how to report a problem.

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WHAT WE DO

The Curriculum Innovation consultants are experts in their field with many years of primary school teaching experience. The team delivers high-quality training and support to schools and other partners in Bradford and the local region. We have a national reputation for leading innovation in the education sector. Besides having specialist knowledge of the Computing Curriculum we also have an impressive track record of raising attainment across the curriculum through the effective use of new and emerging technologies. All consultants are qualified Online Safety Mark Assessors, CEOP Ambassadors, and Into Film CPD Practitioners.

We work in close partnership with schools, communities and local businesses as well as a range of regional and national organisations. We are passionate about the safe, responsible, legal and effective use of connected technologies to encourage lifelong learning through developing successful pedagogies and practice in education and the local communities.