KCSIE filtering and online checks.
The internet is widely used in schools and colleges playing a key role in how education can be delivered whilst enabling students to instantly access a wealth of information. At the same time, filtering and monitoring of its use are both important parts of safeguarding pupils and staff from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material.
In March 2023, the Department for Education published (DfE) new filtering and monitoring standards. In Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE), filtering and monitoring has been given greater emphasis. Filtering is preventative. It refers to solutions that protect users from accessing illegal, inappropriate and potentially harmful content online. It does this by identifying and blocking specific web links and web content in the form of text, images, audio and video.
In September 2023, the DfE published updated guidance to KCSIE regarding carrying out online checks of candidates during the recruitment process.
“As part of the shortlisting process schools and colleges should consider carrying out an online search as part of their due diligence on the shortlisted candidates. This may help identify any incidents or issues that have happened, and are publicly available online, which the school or college might want to explore with the applicant at interview. Schools and colleges should inform shortlisted candidates that online searches may be done as part of due diligence checks.”
This guidance means that schools should be carrying out these checks and any decision not to undertake the checks should be documented.
The Independent Schools Inspectorate has stated:
“Where the guidance states schools should do something, this should be followed unless the school has a good reason not to.”
Online searches, which inevitably include social media, are designed to supplement traditional background checks such as a DBS. The purpose of the online search is to look for any incidents or issues that could suggest that the candidate is unsuitable to work with children. Most importantly, this is part of the safer recruitment process but also helps protect the school from reputational damage. Read our blog. This should not only apply to teachers but to any staff employed or contracted to the school.
Whilst Social Media Check (SMC) provides a technology solution to help schools comply with the guidance (Education – Social media check for business), there are still educational establishments that attempt to carry out these checks manually for budgetary reasons. This method is not only more expensive, if calculated in terms of staff time taken to undertake and document a check, but is also fraught with dangers. Read our blog. Moreover, The UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) states that schools should use filtering and monitoring systems to manage and block illegal and inappropriate content such as extremism, pornography, violent images and drugs – these are included in the 10 risk categories that SMC identifies with its fully automated solution. Therefore, it becomes unworkable for many HR and safeguarding leads in schools to even carry out a proper manual check if these filtering systems are effective. Indeed, this issue has been raised by some of our educational customers who now see the real benefits of using SMC to meet KCSIE guidelines as evidenced by their testimonials Education – Social media check for business.
