Ken Corish: Online Safety Director, SWGfL David Wright: Director UK Safer Internet Centre, SWGfL

EU Kids Online Schools are best placed to teach children the digital and critical literacy skills required to maximise opportunities and minimise risks. Schools are also best placed to reach all children, irrespective of socioeconomic status and other forms of inequality. For both these reasons, schools have a key role to play in encouraging and supporting creative, critical and safe uses of the internet, crucially throughout the curriculum but also at home or elsewhere In certain countries, however, there are gaps in provision or insufficient/outdated provision of ICT in schools. More widely, there are difficulties in ensuring that digital literacy in general, and internet safety in particular, is addressed as it arises across the curriculum (not simply in ICT classes) by teachers who have been recently and appropriately trained, and with adequate resources at their disposal. Further, in many countries, schools have tended to regard children’s use of the internet at home or elsewhere (outside school) to be beyond their remit. Nonetheless, the resources of the school outstrip those of many parents, making schools the most efficient and effective way of advising children on use of the internet in any location Global Kids Online Few children confided in a teacher, and the follow-up survey questions suggested that few children had received e-safety or digital literacy teaching at school Unicef – Children in a digital world Do you remember the first time you went online? - One in three internet users worldwide is a child - Digital technology can be a game changer for disadvantaged children as digital technology rapidly evolves, so can the risks children face online Recommendations Protect children from harm online. Teach digital literacy to keep children informed, engaged and safe online. Put children at the centre of digital policy.

Transformation Expectation National digital safety policy and standards for schools Empowerment Universal system to equip all schools to implement the system and empower staff Education Educate all children to manage online risks to benefit from technology Prevent harm online Evaluation How well equipped are schools and teachers to recognise, respond and resolve issues How do you know?

Develop school safeguarding policy Encourage safe use in school and beyond Outstanding online safety education for all

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Expectation 15 years SWGfL experience in policy and standards development NATIONAL ONLINE SAFETY POLICY FOR SCHOOLS STANDARDS FOR ONLINE SAFETY UAE adaptation EDUCATION SYSTEM CULTURE LANGUAGE LEGISLATION Education system Cultural Language Legislation

Empowerment 360 degree safe system empowers schools to assess and track performance against online safety standards. Prioritized improvement actions and reports Schools rewarded with accreditation standard National training programme

Education Age appropriate classroom and curriculum resources Staff Professional Development Parental support materials Child Protection reporting measures National online safety specialists trained

Evaluation Individual school progression data and report Accreditation levels National school performance and tracking data Inform national strategy

…”changing a nation, one school at a time”

esafety@swgfl.org.uk +44 344 8002382 @swgfl_offical @UK_SIC www.swgfl.org.uk/ITU