RRSchools’ use of technology, and the risks and opportunities associated with it, continue to change rapidly. Alongside these developments, national expectations have also evolved through Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026, the DfE digital and technology standards, the new DfE statutory guidance on mobile phones in schools and developments in areas such as artificial intelligence and children’s use of social media. SWGfL has therefore reviewed and updated the 360safe online safety self-review tool and its supporting Online Safety Policy Templates to ensure that they remain current, practical and aligned with the expectations placed on schools.
A Clearer 360Safe Framework
Expectations have been strengthened around leadership responsibility, annual review of filtering and monitoring effectiveness, cyber risk assessment, staff awareness, governance oversight and a recognition of developments in AI-generated and manipulated content.
The Device Management aspect has been updated to reflect the new statutory guidance on mobile phones in schools, including expectations that learners should not normally have access to mobile phones during the school day and that schools make appropriate provision for authorised exceptions.
Technical controls alone cannot keep children safe. The revised Education aspects continue to emphasise a planned, progressive and age-appropriate online safety curriculum that develops learners’ knowledge, critical thinking and resilience.
This is particularly important as the Government considers restrictions on social media use by under-16s. Rather than attempting to anticipate the final legislation, 360Safe encourages schools to help learners understand age restrictions, online relationships, digital wellbeing, harmful content and the reasons why access to some services may be restricted.
Strengthening the Role of Adults and Governance
KCSIE 2026 continues to emphasise that online safety is a whole-school safeguarding responsibility. The revised Staff aspect consequently gives greater attention to staff understanding of filtering and monitoring, cyber security, professional use of personal devices and the need for training to keep pace with emerging risks.
The Governors aspect has also been strengthened. It distinguishes more clearly between the operational responsibilities of school leaders, DSLs and technical staff and the governing body's collective responsibility for strategic oversight, assurance and challenge.
The External Stakeholders aspect now places greater emphasis on partnership with families. Schools should provide accurate information about developments such as mobile-phone and social-media restrictions, listen to the experiences of families and learners, and help parents and carers support safe, responsible and balanced technology use at home.
Updated Policy Templates
The accompanying Online Safety Policy Templates have been reviewed alongside the 360Safe aspects so that the two resources remain closely aligned. Existing material has been simplified and duplication reduced, while several appendices have been substantially revised or replaced.
The Harmful sexual behaviour guidance has been updated to reflect KCSIE 2026, including online and image-based sexual harm, coercion and AI-generated or manipulated sexual content.
Updates to the August 2026 policy templates are highlighted in the documents which can be accessed here
Supporting Continuous Improvement
The purpose of these changes is not to create additional compliance work for schools. It is to ensure that 360Safe continues to provide a clear, coherent and practical framework for improvement.
Online safety will continue to evolve as technology, legislation and children's experiences change. The updated 360Safe framework and policy templates are designed to help schools respond to those developments while retaining the central principle that has always underpinned effective online safety: combining effective safeguarding, education, leadership and appropriate technical measures to enable children to use technology safely, responsibly and positively.
