Online Safety, Filtering and Monitoring

What the course covers

As digital technologies play an increasingly central role in education, protecting pupils from online risks is a critical safeguarding priority. This course provides comprehensive guidance on implementing effective filtering and monitoring standards in independent schools, fully aligned with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and Department for Education (DfE) filtering and monitoring expectations.

Learners will examine the wide spectrum of online harms, including cyberbullying, grooming, exposure to inappropriate or extremist content, self-harm networks, and sharing nude or semi-nude images. The module details the technical differences between appropriate web filtering and proactive digital monitoring, helping leaders and IT staff establish proportionate safeguards without stifling academic freedom.

By completing this course, staff and technical leads will understand how to respond swiftly to filtering alerts, educate pupils on responsible digital citizenship, and foster an environment where online risks are intercepted early.

What your team takes away

• Understand statutory DfE standards and KCSIE requirements for school filtering and monitoring.
• Differentiate between web filtering blocks and proactive digital monitoring alert systems.
• Recognise indicators of online grooming, cyberbullying, radicalisation, and digital distress.
• Respond effectively to filtering flags and implement appropriate internal support pathways.
• Promote safe, responsible online behaviour across all year groups and residential areas.

How it runs

The course opens in a browser on a phone, a tablet or a desktop, with nothing to install. Progress is saved as it goes, so someone can stop and pick it back up. The assessment sits at the end, and passing it issues a certificate with its own reference number that an inspector or an auditor can check.

Who it is for

Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs), IT network managers, senior leadership teams, computing teachers, pastoral leads, and boarding staff in independent schools.

Schools CPD Safeguarding