Filtering and Monitoring: A Summary

We encourage SLT to read the updates in full and in the meantime, to help you meet these expectations and save you some time, we’ve provided a summary of what schools, colleges and trusts are expected to deliver in terms of appropriate filtering and monitoring, and meeting the outlined standards:

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Identify and assign roles and responsibilities to manage your filtering and monitoring systems

Updates include:

• emphasis on the responsibility of governing bodies and proprietors to make sure appropriate systems are in place
• outlining Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) requirements in relation to online safety and how the standards can help you meet those requirements

In short: The governing body and school leadership must establish clear ownership of filtering and monitoring systems, ensuring KCSIE compliance and effective online safety measures. This role is not exclusive to IT support. DSLs and IT support should work in partnership to ensure systems and policies are strategically and technically sound.

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Review your filtering and monitoring provision at least annually

A more comprehensive assessment of student risk profiles should be conducted, including the use of generative artificial intelligence.

In short: Schools must conduct comprehensive annual reviews of their filtering and monitoring systems, with particular attention to emerging technologies and evolving student risk profiles. The review should be conducted by members of the senior leadership team, the designated safeguarding lead, and IT support. It should also involve the responsible governor. You should record the results of the online safety review and make it available to anyone who is entitled to inspect that information.

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Filtering systems should block harmful and inappropriate content, without unreasonably impacting teaching and learning

Updates to this standard include:

• using safe search in browsers or search engines
• establishing clear expectations for the use of devices without functioning filtering and monitoring
• ensuring that bring your own devices (BYOD) have adequate filtering and monitoring measures in place
• awareness of new technologies that reduce the effectiveness of filtering measures

In short: Filtering systems must effectively block harmful content while maintaining educational access, with particular attention to new technologies and BYOD policies. Your filtering system should not have a blanket filtering profile for all users. As a minimum, student and staff profiles should be in place to provide differing levels of access to online content.

Filtering system management requires specialist knowledge from both safeguarding and IT support to be effective.

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Implement effective monitoring strategies that meet the safeguarding needs of your school or college

Updates to this standard include:

• clarification on the role of in-person monitoring
• new information added to ‘The technical requirements to meet the standard’
• new information added to the technical requirements to meet the standard, regarding school managed device, monitoring reports and incident response, stating schools should have a policy for incident response in relation to monitoring incidents

In short: Schools need robust monitoring strategies combining technical solutions with in-person supervision, supported by clear incident response procedures. As a minimum, your monitoring plan should include weekly monitoring reports highlighting incidents. It should also include immediate reports when an incident is classed as high-risk. There should also be a documented process for recording incidents that includes what action was taken and the outcomes. This will help you to understand the effectiveness of your filtering and monitoring plan.

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We’re here to help! Download your Filtering and Monitoring Checklist:

We understand how overwhelming these requirements can be and are here to help with any support you need.

Whether it’s finding the right filtering and monitoring system or developing policies and procedures for whole-school compliance, whatever you need, we’re here to help!

All you have to do is get in touch using the form below.

Additional Resources – The filtering and monitoring standards align closely with the following:

• Department for Education – Broadband Standards for Schools and Colleges: https://www.dataspire.co.uk/blog/broadband-for-education/
• Department for Education – Cyber Security Standards for Schools and Colleges: https://www.dataspire.co.uk/blog/updated-cyber-security-standards/
• UK Safer Internet Centre – Appropriate Filtering and Monitoring: https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/teachers-and-school-staff/appropriate-filtering-and-monitoring