Online safety information for parents: what to publish on your school website
What parents need to know about online safety, including how you filter and monitor internet use and which senior leader and governor are responsible.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- The school's own website
- School type
- Academies and maintained schools
- School stage
- All stages, from early years to sixth form
- Does not apply to
- No school types are excluded
When it's due
Keep it up to date
There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
What's needed
Publish online safety information for parents on the safeguarding page on your website, describing the filtering and monitoring systems in place and naming the senior leader and governor responsible for them.
What it must contain
4 parts- Names the SLT member and governor responsible for filtering and monitoringShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
- Says what systems are used to filter and monitor online useShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
- Says that filtering and monitoring processes are in placeShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
- Reflects the monitoring procedures in the acceptable use policyShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
What the official sources say
Set out in 2 official sources:
Keeping children safe in education
Online safety and the school or college’s approach to it should be reflected in the child protection policy which, amongst other things, should include appropriate filtering and monitoring on school devices and school networks.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 169 (Online safety policy), page 47
Schools and colleges are likely to be in regular contact with parents and carers. These communications should be used to reinforce the importance of children being safe online and parents and carers are likely to find it helpful to understand what systems schools and colleges use to filter and monitor online use.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 172 (Remote education), page 47
Show 2 more from this source
Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure online safety is a running and interrelated theme whilst devising and implementing their whole school or college approach to safeguarding and related policies and procedures. This will include considering how online safety is reflected as required in all relevant policies and considering online safety whilst planning the curriculum, any teacher training, the role and responsibilities of the designated safeguarding lead (and deputies) and any parental engagement.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 166, page 46
These policies should include individual schools and colleges having: • an effective child protection policy which: • reflects the whole school/college approach to child-on-child abuse (see paragraphs 192-193 and Part five), • reflects reporting systems as set out at paragraph 121, • describes procedures which are in accordance with government guidance, • refers to locally agreed multi-agency safeguarding arrangements put in place by the safeguarding partners (see paragraphs 132-139), • includes policies as reflected elsewhere in Part two of this guidance, such as online safety (see paragraphs 164-169), and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) (see paragraphs 249-251), • is reviewed annually (as a minimum) and updated if needed, so that it is kept up to date with safeguarding issues as they emerge and evolve, including lessons learnt, and • is available publicly either via the school or college website or by other means.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 123, page 36
Filtering and monitoring standards for schools and colleges
To do this, they should identify and assign: – a member of the SLT and a governor, to be responsible for ensuring these standards are met
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ Standard 'Identify and assign roles and responsibilities to manage your filtering and monitoring systems' > How to meet the standard
Your DSL should take any necessary action in line with Keeping children safe in education and your existing safeguarding policies. Make sure all users, parents and carers are aware of your policy.
Expected: Inspectors expect to see it, though it isn't a legal requirement.§ Standard 1 'Identify and assign roles and responsibilities', How to meet the standard, DSL paragraph
Show 2 more from this source
Make sure that everyone using your school’s network knows that filtering and monitoring processes are in place. Technical monitoring systems should also notify users that the device is being monitored. This could be a message each time they log in.
Expected: Inspectors expect to see it, though it isn't a legal requirement.§ Standard 4 'Have effective monitoring strategies', Technical requirements to meet the standard
School and college monitoring procedures need to be reflected in your acceptable use policy (AUP). Add them to relevant online safety, safeguarding and organisational policies, such as privacy notices.
Expected: Inspectors expect to see it, though it isn't a legal requirement.§ Standard 4 'Have effective monitoring strategies', Technical requirements to meet the standard
Questions schools ask
Do schools have to publish online safety information for parents?
For academies and maintained schools, it's recommended in official guidance, but isn't a legal requirement in itself.
What does online safety information for parents need to include?
Names the SLT member and governor responsible for filtering and monitoring; Says what systems are used to filter and monitor online use; Says that filtering and monitoring processes are in place; Reflects the monitoring procedures in the acceptable use policy.
When do we need to update our online safety information?
Keep it up to date. There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
Where does the requirement for the online safety information for parents come from?
It is set out in Keeping children safe in education and Filtering and monitoring standards for schools and colleges.
Recent changes to the official guidance
Updates to the official sources that affect this requirement, newest first.
16 September 2026 · Filtering and monitoring standards for schools and colleges
Added information about schools' and colleges' statutory responsibility to keep children and young people safe online.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
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Official wording that does not apply to schools (1)
All staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training (including online safety which, amongst other things, includes an understanding of the expectations, applicable roles and responsibilities in relation to filtering and monitoring – see paragraphs 173-177 for further information) at induction.
Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4