School Online Safety Reporting and Support Procedure

This procedure explains how pupils can seek help with online concerns, including inappropriate contact or content, harmful online experiences, cyber crime, fraud and suspicious online activity. It should be used alongside the school's safeguarding and child-protection reporting policies and processes.

School reporting arrangements

If you are worried about something online, tell a trusted adult. A trusted adult may be a member of school staff, a parent or carer, or another adult who can help you seek support.

At school, you can report a concern to [school reporting route] or directly to [designated safeguarding lead contact]. School staff should follow the school's current safeguarding and child-protection reporting process for concerns or incidents.

The school's child-friendly reporting mechanisms are [child friendly reporting mechanisms]. Pupils should be told clearly how these mechanisms work and how to obtain help.

External support and reporting routes

Depending on the concern, support may also be available from the police, the National Crime Agency's Click CEOP reporting service for children at https://www.ceop.police.uk/CEOP-Reporting/, Childline at https://www.childline.org.uk/ and the Internet Watch Foundation at https://www.iwf.org.uk/.

Cyber crime, fraud and suspicious online activity may be reported through organisations such as Action Fraud at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/. An online scam advertisement may be reported to the Advertising Standards Authority at https://www.asa.org.uk/make-a-complaint/report-an-online-scam-ad.html.

Inappropriate contact or content can also be reported using the reporting route provided by the relevant platform or app. The school should provide pupils with the current platform-specific routes relevant to its pupils at [relevant platform reporting routes].

How reports are supported

Pupils should be able to raise concerns in a safe environment where they feel comfortable saying what happened. They should not be discouraged from reporting because they think they will get into trouble or be judged.

When a pupil reports unacceptable online behaviour by another pupil, including cyberbullying, or shares a concern about something seen online, the school should take appropriate and consistent action in line with its safeguarding, child-protection, behaviour and bullying processes.

Where the school is already aware that a child is being abused or harmed online, safeguarding lessons and activities should be planned carefully so that the child is not drawn into attention in a way that highlights or publicises the abuse. The designated safeguarding lead or a deputy should be included when appropriate in planning safeguarding-related lessons or activities.

Communication with pupils, staff and parents or carers

The school should communicate its online-safety principles, reporting processes and available support to staff, pupils and parents or carers. Online-safety expectations and reporting processes should be reflected, where appropriate, in the school's relevant policies and practice, including its child-protection, behaviour and bullying policies.

The school should support parents and carers to apply the same online-safety principles at home. Parent and carer information is available through [parent carer online safety information].

Use in lessons and activities

When online-safety lessons or activities are planned, staff should consider whether a pupil may be experiencing online abuse or harm. Staff should ensure that pupils know the school's child-friendly reporting mechanisms and what support is available after a lesson or activity.

A pupil may disclose a concern after a lesson or activity. Staff receiving a disclosure should follow the school's current safeguarding and child-protection reporting process and use [designated safeguarding lead contact] for safeguarding advice or escalation.

Online behaviour across school settings

The school should apply consistent standards of pupil behaviour whenever a pupil is online at school, including in class, while using the library or while using a personal device in the playground. Appropriate and consistent action should follow reports of unacceptable online behaviour or concerns.