Certificate in Online Safety for Teaching Staff

Course Duration: 165 minutes (approx.)

Safeguarding children online is everyone’s responsibility. All staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training, including online safety training, which is regularly updated and is integrated, aligned and considered as part of the whole school or college safeguarding approach and wider staff training and curriculum planning.

Our annual online safety training for teaching staff provides you with the knowledge and skills you need to feel confident and empowered to help keep children safe online.

Split into bite-sized modules, the training has been designed to provide maximum learning potential in the leanest, most cost-effective and most time-efficient manner. It has been produced in high-quality remote video CPD format which is accessible on any device, any time, anywhere.

Developed by Lorna Ponambalum, safeguarding expert and senior leadership education professional, the course is split into eight modules. The course consists of learning through video modules, completion of tasks, further reading and viewing external resources. Please consider this when planning and allocating your time. To successfully understand and achieve the objectives of the course, learners are expected to engage in all aspects of the learning process and complete all relevant activities to ensure they can successfully apply the knowledge and skills they have gained in their own setting.

Designed in line with the following policies

Keeping children safe in education
Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education
Teaching online safety in schools
Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people
Harmful online challenges and online hoaxes

Learning Outcomes

Understanding the key safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance around online safety and keeping children safe online.
Recognising how online safety should be implemented in schools and understanding the breadth of online risks and harms to ensure children’s safety.
Identifying how staff should be supporting children around online safety, spotting the danger signs and responding in a timely and effective manner.
Understanding how to implement a whole-school approach and developing a culture of online safety to embed policy and process.
Recognising staff responsibilities around safer use of technology, keeping up to date with online risks and knowing when to seek further advice and support.

Modules

Module 1: What is the need for online safety?

Module 1 discusses why online safety is so important and explores how children’s use of technology and the internet makes them vulnerable to a range of online risks.

Module 2: Statutory guidance and legislation

Module 2 explores the statutory guidance that DSLs must be aware of around online safety in schools. It examines key policy documents, including Keeping children safe in education, as well as discussing RSHE curriculum requirements and Ofsted expectations around online safety.

Module 3: Understanding online risks – unsafe communications

Module 3 looks at the dangers around who children might engage with online (and how they might do it), along with the different ways they may encounter harm. It also provides advice and guidance on how schools can take appropriate action.

Module 4: Understanding online risks – managing online information

In module 4, you will cover types of online content that children may have control over or access to. You will also learn to identify the activities which can place their own online information in danger.

Module 5: Understanding online risks – effects on health, wellbeing and lifestyle

In module 5, you’ll learn about how technology and social media can negatively impact on children’s mental health, wellbeing and lifestyle and how to support children who may be experiencing harmful behaviour.

Module 6: Building a culture of online safety

Module 6 discusses your role in developing a whole-school approach to online safety. It explores reporting mechanisms, referrals, compliance promoting good practice, teaching online safety and providing the necessary support to children.

Module 7: Safeguarding remote learners

In module 7, you’ll cover what your responsibilities are in relation to safeguarding remote learners in line with DfE requirements. You’ll consider how to ensure children remain safe online through blended learning and in respect of adapted teaching and learning due to COVID-19.

Module 8: Staff use of digital technologies

Module 8 explores your role in ensuring effective staff use of digital technologies, particularly in support of enhanced teaching and learning and in complying with relevant safeguarding requirements.

Course Units

Introduction

Developed by Lorna Ponambalum, safeguarding expert and senior leadership education professional, the course is split into eight modules and encourages audience interaction to support and embed learning. There is a knowledge assessment at the end to h...

Module 1: What is the need for online safety?

Module 1 discusses why online safety is so important and explores how children’s use of technology and the internet makes them vulnerable to a range of online risks.

Module 2: Statutory guidance and legislation

Module 2 explores the statutory guidance that DSLs must be aware of around online safety in schools. It examines key policy documents, including Keeping children safe in education, as well discussing RSHE curriculum requirements and Ofsted expectatio...