Fiducia TogetherOnline safety
Keeping children safe online, and what schools must do about it.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Online safety covers the risks children meet online — content, contact, conduct and commerce — and the filtering, monitoring and education schools use to address them.
Where it applies
All schools, as part of safeguarding under Keeping Children Safe in Education.
How it works
Schools must have appropriate filtering and monitoring, must teach online safety, and must treat online incidents as safeguarding matters.
Sharing indecent images of under-18s is a criminal offence even between young people of the same age, and schools have a protocol for handling it.
What you can ask for
Ask what filtering and monitoring the school uses and what happens if something is flagged.
Ask how online incidents between pupils are handled, including those that happen at home.
If an image has been shared, act quickly: the school's DSL, and Report Remove from Childline and the IWF, which can get images taken down.
Where to get help
The school's DSL. The NSPCC, Internet Matters, and CEOP for reporting concerns about an adult's contact with a child.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.