Child Safety for Schools
Whole-school safeguarding resources for headteachers, DSLs, and governors. Policies, training, parent communication, and compliance guidance.
Schools have a statutory duty to safeguard children, and online safety is now firmly embedded within that responsibility. This guide supports senior leaders, designated safeguarding leads, and governors with practical resources to strengthen your school's approach. From policy templates to parent communication tools, everything here is designed to be used immediately.
Why this matters
Ofsted inspections now explicitly assess how well schools protect children from online risks. Beyond compliance, a robust whole-school approach to online safety creates a culture where pupils feel safe to report concerns, staff feel confident to act, and parents feel engaged. Getting this right protects children and protects your school.
Quick wins
Send a termly online safety update to parents using our newsletter template
Time: 20 minutes
Add online safety to the agenda of your next governors' meeting
Time: 5 minutes
Audit which filtering and monitoring systems are active on your school network
Time: 30 minutes
Common challenges
Keeping safeguarding policies up to date with rapidly changing technology
Review your online safety policy at least annually, ideally termly. Use our policy checklist to ensure you cover current threats. Subscribe to alerts from the UK Safer Internet Centre to stay informed about emerging risks.
Engaging parents in the school's online safety efforts
Use our school newsletter template to share termly online safety updates with parents. Host an annual online safety evening — even a short presentation at parents' evening can make a significant impact.
Ensuring all staff, not just the DSL, understand their role in online safety
Include online safety in your whole-school CPD programme. All staff should receive basic training annually, with enhanced training for the DSL and deputy DSL. Our training courses are designed to support this.