From Firewalls to Digital Well-Being: A Whole-School Approach to Online Safety



blog.knowbe4.comhubfsSocial Image RepositoryEvangelist Blog Social GraphicsEvangelists-Anna CollardRecently, I started working with my children's school to enhance their online safety measures and develop a digital mindfulness course in collaboration with their digital literacy lead. 

This experience highlighted the fact that our schools are not only expected to provide safe places of learning but also extend that safety into the digital spaces. 

Technology opens doors for learning, creativity, and connection, but it also presents risks—ranging from exposure to harmful content, problematic tech use to cyberbullying and online exploitation.

Schools must recognize their role in safeguarding children both offline and online. During the research phase I came across the UK Department for Education (DfE) issued "Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024" statutory guidance. While developed for UK schools, it serves as an excellent framework for any educational institution looking to establish governance and online safety policies.

Understanding the Framework for Safeguarding

The  "Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024" guidance highlights the need for a whole-school approach to safeguarding, particularly in digital environments. 

Schools must establish clear policies and governance structures, including:

  1. Whole-School Safeguarding Approach

Safeguarding isn’t just the responsibility of one individual—it requires commitment across all levels of the school, including teachers, administrators, IT staff, and leadership.

  • Every school must have a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) responsible for coordinating safeguarding policies and interventions, including online safety
  • All school staff should understand their role in identifying risks and responding to concerns
  • Safeguarding should be embedded across all school policies, from hiring practices to classroom technology use
  1. Online Safety & Digital Safeguarding

With digital risks increasing, online safety is now a critical part of child protection.

  • Schools must implement effective filtering and monitoring systems to protect students from harmful content
  • The 4 C’s of digital risks that schools must address:
    • Content: Exposure to harmful material (violence, extremism, explicit content)
    • Contact: Risky interactions (grooming, cyberbullying, exploitation)
    • Conduct: Unsafe behavior (oversharing, cyberbullying, risky challenges)
    • Contract: Financial and data risks (scams, hidden costs, privacy issues)
  • Staff must receive ongoing training on cybersecurity awareness, digital literacy, and safeguarding
  • Students should be taught how to protect themselves and others online as part of their education
  1. Governance & Compliance

Governance plays a vital role in ensuring policies are not just written but actively enforced.

  • Schools must regularly review safeguarding policies and align them with national laws and multi-agency safeguarding frameworks
  • Schools should conduct self-assessments to identify gaps in governance and training
  • One useful tool for self-assessment is the 360 degree online safety self review, which helps schools measure their maturity level against UK national benchmarks and identify areas for improvement. We used this tool to start the project with a data-driven approach

spider diagram 360school review

  1. Protecting Children from Emerging Threats

Schools must stay ahead of new safeguarding challenges, such as: 

    • Cyberbullying, online harassment, and child-on-child abuse require proactive intervention
    • Grooming and radicalization—schools must work with law enforcement and digital safety experts to identify warning signs
  • Mental health concerns—excessive social media use and online exposure can contribute to anxiety and low self-esteem. 
  1. Clear Reporting & Response Mechanisms
  • Schools must have well-documented procedures for reporting safeguarding concerns
  • Safeguarding leads should work closely with parents and external agencies to investigate and respond to incidents
  • Open and anonymous reporting channels encourage students to come forward with concerns
  1. Parental & Community Involvement

Safeguarding doesn’t end at school—it requires collaboration with parents and the wider community.

  • Schools should engage parents in digital safety education through workshops and resources
  • Parents should be encouraged to have open discussions with their children about online safety
  • Schools should collaborate with educators, technology providers, and child protection experts to ensure a holistic approach to online safety

Making Online Safety a Priority

As parents, educators, and cybersecurity professionals, we all have a role to play in safeguarding children in an increasingly digital world. Ensuring children’s online safety is a shared responsibility. The "Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024" framework provides schools with a clear roadmap for strengthening governance and safeguarding measures.

Schools can take practical steps such as conducting self-assessments, updating training for staff, and creating open dialogues with students and parents to make online safety a natural part of school culture.

To support these efforts, KnowBe4 offers age-appropriate cybersecurity awareness tools that complement these initiatives by helping students build safe digital habits across all educational levels. 

For primary and secondary schools, the KnowBe4 Children's Interactive Cybersecurity Activity Kit provides engaging, interactive resources covering essential topics like cyberbullying prevention, strong password creation, and safe AI use. 

For older students in higher education, the KnowBe4 Student Edition offers more advanced training, with student-specific content addressing critical issues such as social engineering, deepfakes, doxing, identity theft, and sextortion. These tools align perfectly with the "Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024" framework, fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness that spans from early education through university, ensuring age-appropriate digital literacy at every stage.

Conclusion

Working on online safety initiatives at my children’s school has been and still is a personal and professional learning experience. It’s a reminder that keeping children safe isn’t just about locking down networks or enforcing rules—it’s about education, digital mindfulness and fostering a culture of responsibility.

By leveraging frameworks like "Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024" conducting self-assessments, and prioritizing digital literacy, we can ensure schools are safe spaces for learning—both offline and online.


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