Safeguarding

Online Safety: Filtering and Monitoring

The school’s filtering and monitoring service provides a filter for children, staff and visitors preventing them from accessing potentially harmful online content. As outlined in the statutory guidance, KCSiE (2023-24) and the Red Kite Learning Trust (RKLT) Safeguarding policy, schools are required to do ‘all they reasonably can to limit children’s exposure to the above risks from the school’s IT system’. We apply an international standard filtering software through our provider, Talk Straight, to all online activity via the school’s network on school owned desktop PC’s and 1:1 devices.

The Talk Straight filtering package is compliant with the Internet Watch Foundation’s URL blocked list and the Home Office Terrorism Block watch list. Practically, this means that over 240,000 websites are restricted from access and this list is updated daily. Web filtering blocks access to potentially harmful online material by categorising online content using key terminology and targeted words e.g. pornography, gaming, gambling and social media.

We ask that all children and parents sign and abide by the school’s Online Acceptable Use Policy, which provides a clear set of protocols and expectations for the use of 1:1 devices both inside and outside of the school setting. The following disclaimer is published by the UK Safer Internet Centre: “It is important to recognise that no filtering systems can be 100% effective and needs to be supported with good teaching and learning practice and effective monitoring”. Schools need to “be careful that “over-blocking” does not lead to unreasonable restrictions as to what children can be taught with regards to online teaching and safeguarding.”

Monitoring of children’s online activity is strengthened through the addition of a daily electronic Prevent report. This will alert designated school staff if there has been an access attempt to a filtered website through the school’s network and allow them to investigate further.

In addition to centralised filtering, all schools retain the autonomy to identify specific websites that they wish to additionally filter from both children and staff usage. It is the responsibility of the DSL, in conjunction with the nominated Online Safety lead, to ensure that this is communicated with the RKLT’s IT team.

What does the Prevent duty mean for schools?

The Prevent Duty is about ensuring that appropriate support is available for individuals who may demonstrate vulnerabilities to radicalisation. This is an extension of the safeguarding process in the same way that schools help to safeguard young people from child sexual exploitation, drugs, and other forms of harm.

At Oatlands Juniors we build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British Values and enabling them to challenge extremist views. It is important to emphasise that the Prevent duty is not intended to stop pupils debating controversial issues. On the contrary, school provides a safe space in which children and staff can understand the risks associated with terrorism and develop the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge extremist arguments. 

OJS PREVENT- Risk Assessment