Leadership - Show you are responsible- take the lead

Senior management has a key role to play as the aim is to demonstrate a whole organisational approach. E-Safety should be integrated into your quality systems, your internal review process and existing policies. Consult staff and learners regularly and demonstrate your response with priorities and action plans for implementation. Actively promote e-safety, ensuring a consistent message - it is what Ofsted are looking for. It is important that your policies encourage the use of technology in learning because of the benefits derived, but you should clearly state the boundaries and the sanctions. You might consider giving incentives to staff to use technology innovatively and to learners for using it responsibly.

Key steps in implementing e-safety:

1. Set up an e-safety Committee or e-safety group that is:

• Active and widely representative of the organisation structure and activities - with a designated lead at senior level

• Actively promote and obviously monitor e-safety through organisational systems such as the Self Review Framework. and organisational, departmental and team self-reviews.

The committee should include a range of individuals who can who can professionally reflect on and consider Policy & Practice, Infrastructure & Technology, Education & Training (staff and students) and Standards & Inspection.

2. Plan your future strategy by first evaluating your existing practice:

• The SWGfL - South West Grid for Learning has an online tool for organisations to evaluate their e-safety practice against 4 levels and includes accreditation.

• Becta PIES Model - This article from the Excellence Gateway looks at the Becta PIES framework for eSafety. It offers a simple way of mitigating against risks through a combination of effective policies and practice, a robust and secure technical infrastructure, education and training for learners and employees alike, underpinned by standards and inspection.

3. Develop your AUP Acceptable Use or E-Safety Policy

Central to the approach will be an Acceptable Use Policy that covers all the areas mentioned. It should be integrated with all your existing policies such as Risk Assessment, Human Resources, Social Media, Classroom Management, Training, ILT, Teaching & Learning, Quality and Pastoral Care Policies and any others. JISC Legal have developed an e-safety policy template and other guidance on meeting the providers e-safety duty on the themed area of the JISC legal website. 

Demonstrate evidence that e-safety responsibilities are considered throughout activities and delivery:

• With staff i.e. defined in job descriptions, induction, professional conduct and contracts, staff development CPD and Appraisals and practice i.e. risk assessment activities.

• With learners induction and feedback surveys

• With any other stakeholders

• External communications (e.g. contact with the Local Safeguarding Board)

4. Link e-safety with Safeguarding Limiting Grade

In England Safeguarding is a limiting Ofsted grade and as such evidence will need to be provided. Some context around Safeguarding practice may be useful. Links at the bottom of this page to Ofsted articles and publications may be useful in preparing evidence on e-safety approaches within a wider framework of safeguarding.

In Wales Estyn's overall judgement is based on the three key questions with the greatest weight given to the judgement about Key Question 1 - Standards and Wellbeing. When evaluating learners’ personal, social and life skills, inspectors consider how well learners show respect, care and concern for others, and whether they take on responsibility for their actions and their work. 

Related Links

Online Briefing giving an overview of e-Safety and the implications for the post 16 education sector developed by RSC Scotland South & West.

Becta PIES Model in the Excellence Gateway

Ofsted: Safeguarding FAQs - These frequently asked questions (FAQs) aim to dispel many of the myths surrounding the inspection of safeguarding within the new inspection framework for schools and colleges, and learning and skills providers.

Ofsted: Self-evaluation and the SEF - This article outlines the new self-evaluation form (SEF) alongside the framework for inspection of schools.

Ofsted: School self-evaluation: A response to the Byron review - This briefing note gives an overview of what schools say about e-safety in their self-evaluation forms.

Ofsted: The safe use of technologies report - This report, launched February 2010, presents the findings from a small-scale e-safety survey of 35 maintained schools in England. It evaluates the extent to which the schools taught pupils to adopt safe and responsible practices in using new technologies.

This site offers a number of useful links to supplementary guidance and resources for inspectors. http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Forms-and-guidance/Browse-all-by/Education-and-skills/Schools/Supplementary-guidance-and-resources-for-inspectors

Handbook for the inspection of further education and skills from September 2009. This handbook provides guidance on inspection for inspectors and will be of use to colleges and providers of further education; work-based learning; adult and community learning; and next-step provision. http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Forms-and-guidance/Browse-all-by/Other/General/Handbook-for-the-inspection-of-further-education-and-skills-from-September-2009.

Estyn Common Inspection Framework Resources from RSC Wales http://moodle.rsc-wales.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=251 

During 2010 Colleges Wales alongside Estyn, the Welsh Assembly Government and the National Training Federation for Wales organised a series of Peer Assessor events. Presentations and Information relating to these events can be found at https://moodle.colegaucymru.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=111 - you will need to log in as Guest.

To view the WBL Wales Leadership and Management toolkit, including an Inspection Toolkit devised by Estyn, the Welsh Assembly government and LSIS, and create user accounts visit http://www.leadershiplearning.org.uk/course/view.php?id=273 and enter the enrolment key 'neonatal'.