School Online Safety and Online Behaviour Policy

This policy is intended for a maintained or academy primary or secondary school in England. It applies where adopted by the school and should reflect the school’s actual reporting and response arrangements.

Purpose and scope

The school promotes safe, responsible and respectful online behaviour. Online-safety teaching and support form part of a whole-school approach that includes school culture, ethos, environment, and partnerships with families and the community.

The expectations in this policy apply whenever a pupil is online at school, including in class, while using the library, or when using their own device in the playground. The school will communicate these expectations to staff, pupils, parents and carers.

Expected online behaviour

Everyone in the school community is expected to support safe, responsible and respectful online behaviour. Pupils should use online services, school networks, school facilities and devices in ways that are consistent with the school’s behaviour, bullying and safeguarding expectations.

The same standards of behaviour should be modelled and applied across school settings. Online behaviour that is unacceptable in one school setting should not be treated as acceptable in another.

Teaching and the whole-school approach

The school embeds teaching about online safety and online harms within school life rather than relying on lessons alone. Teaching is supported through the school’s culture, ethos, environment, and partnerships with families and the community.

Online-safety principles are reflected, where appropriate, in this policy and in the school’s child-protection, safeguarding, behaviour, bullying and other relevant policies. The school will communicate the relevant expectations and arrangements to staff, pupils, parents and carers.

Reporting concerns

A pupil, member of staff, parent or carer who has a concern about online safety, online harm or unacceptable online behaviour should use [online safety reporting route]. Concerns may include unacceptable behaviour by another pupil or something that a pupil has seen online.

The school will maintain clear processes for reporting online-safety incidents or concerns. Reports will be handled through the school’s actual child-protection, safeguarding, behaviour and bullying arrangements, including [safeguarding response arrangement] where relevant.

Response to unacceptable online behaviour

The school will take appropriate and consistent action when a pupil reports unacceptable online behaviour by another pupil, including cyberbullying, or shares a concern about something they have seen online. The response will follow the school’s relevant behaviour, bullying, child-protection and safeguarding policies.

The school’s response arrangements are set out in [online behaviour response arrangement]. The arrangements should be applied consistently across the school settings covered by this policy.

Support for pupils who may be more vulnerable online

Any pupil can be vulnerable online, and vulnerability can change with age, developmental stage and personal circumstances. Some pupils, including looked-after children and pupils with special educational needs, may be more susceptible to online harm or may have less support from family or friends in staying safe online.

The school will consider differing pupil needs and tailor online-safety teaching, pastoral support, accessibility or safeguarding responses so that relevant pupils receive the information and support they need. The school’s arrangements for this support are described in [vulnerable pupil online support arrangement].

Working with parents and carers

The school will extend support to parents and carers so that they can incorporate the same online-safety principles at home. Information and support will be provided through [family online safety communication route].

Where appropriate, the school may engage staff, pupils, parents and carers in activities that promote the agreed online-safety principles. This may include co-designing programmes that reflect emerging issues or using peer-to-peer support to help pupils stay safe online.

Links with other school policies

This policy should be read with the school’s child-protection, safeguarding, behaviour, bullying and other relevant policies. Those policies should set out the detailed reporting, safeguarding and response arrangements used by the school.