Safeguarding & KCSIE Compliance
Meeting your IT obligations under Keeping Children Safe in Education
What Schools Need to Know
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) is the statutory guidance that all schools and colleges in England must follow. It's updated every year by the Department for Education and sets out what schools need to do to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
In recent years, KCSIE has placed increasing emphasis on the role of technology in safeguarding. Schools now have specific IT obligations — particularly around web filtering and monitoring — that go well beyond simply having antivirus software installed. These aren't suggestions; they're legal duties.
Getting this right matters. It protects children, supports your staff, and ensures your school can demonstrate compliance to Ofsted and other inspectors.
What KCSIE Expects From Your IT
Seven key requirements your school must meet
Appropriate filtering systems
Schools must have filtering in place to restrict access to harmful and inappropriate content online.
Appropriate monitoring systems
Monitoring tools should be used to identify children who may be at risk of harm, including from radicalisation or exploitation.
DSL access to reports and alerts
Designated Safeguarding Leads need timely access to filtering and monitoring reports so they can act quickly when concerns arise.
Regular review of filtering and monitoring
Systems must be reviewed regularly to ensure they remain effective, up to date, and appropriate for the school context.
Age-appropriate systems
Filtering and monitoring must be tailored to the age and needs of the children in the school — what works for a sixth form won't work for Year 2.
Staff online safety training
Staff should receive training on online safety, including how to recognise and respond to concerns.
Clear technology use policies
Schools should have clear, well-communicated policies covering acceptable use of technology by staff and pupils.
How We Help
We take a practical, school-focused approach to filtering and monitoring. We'll implement systems that genuinely protect children while keeping things workable for teachers and pupils. Over-blocking can be just as much of a problem as under-blocking — if staff can't access the resources they need, the technology becomes a hindrance rather than a help.
We set up DSL reporting so that your Designated Safeguarding Leads receive timely, meaningful alerts — not a flood of noise they can't act on. We'll work with you to configure age-appropriate policies and ensure that your monitoring tools are tuned to your school's specific context.
We also help you keep your acceptable use policies current and support regular reviews of your filtering and monitoring setup, so you can be confident everything is working as it should — and that you can evidence this to inspectors.
DfE Digital & Technology Standards
Filtering and monitoring is one of the seven DfE Digital & Technology Standards that schools are expected to meet. Understanding how all the standards fit together can help you build a stronger, safer IT environment.