Safe use of Technology
Safe Use of Technology Policy
The Independent Grammar School Durham
This policy should be read alongside the school’s Safeguarding, Staff Behaviour, Anti-Bullying, Child-on-Child Abuse, Behaviour, Cybersecurity, Data Protection, Photography and EYFS policies. It applies to pupils, staff, volunteers and others using school technology, and to online conduct outside school where it affects pupils’ welfare or the school community.
Technology brings wonderful opportunities, not least in the classroom. At IGS: Durham, we will provide carefully managed resources to enable children to benefit from educational software and to use the internet sensibly to gather information and conduct research. Our approach combines appropriate safeguards with teaching children how to behave safely and responsibly online.
Technology also brings real risks. The school considers four areas of online risk:
- Content: exposure to harmful or illegal material, including pornography, discriminatory or extremist material, promotion of self-harm and misleading information.
- Contact: harmful interaction with others, including grooming, exploitation, coercion and unsafe interactions with AI applications.
- Conduct: behaviour which causes harm, including cyberbullying and creating or sharing intimate images, including digitally altered or AI-generated images.
- Commerce: gambling, scams, phishing, inappropriate advertising and financial exploitation.
Teaching and use of technology will take account of pupils’ ages, understanding and individual needs, including SEND and other vulnerabilities. Internet use in any case will be extremely limited and closely supervised. Staff will select suitable resources and check online material before use where practicable. Pupils will be taught how to recognise unsafe situations, question information, protect privacy and seek help. Online safety will run through the curriculum, including computing, PSHE and relationships education or RSE as appropriate.
The proprietor and Board have overall responsibility for effective online safeguarding. The Principal is the senior leader responsible for implementing this policy and ensuring that filtering and monitoring arrangements meet the school’s needs. The Board will designate a member to oversee these arrangements and record the allocation of responsibilities. The DSL leads on safeguarding and online safety, understands the systems in use and responds to concerns. The school’s IT support has technical responsibility for maintaining systems, providing reports and carrying out agreed checks and corrective actions. Technical support does not replace the DSL’s safeguarding role.
The school maintains appropriate filtering and monitoring on its networks and school-managed devices. Controls reflect pupils’ needs and include suitable staff and guest access arrangements. Blocking protects against harmful material without preventing legitimate teaching. Staff supervise pupils’ use of devices and report weaknesses in controls. Monitoring arrangements provide a weekly review of incident reports and immediate escalation of high-risk concerns, with DSL cover arrangements ensuring prompt action. Users are told that school systems are filtered and monitored.
The Principal, DSL, IT support and responsible Board member will review provision at least once every academic year and following significant incidents or changes in technology. The review will include checks across devices, user accounts and relevant locations, including off-site use of school-managed devices where applicable. Results, limitations and corrective actions will be recorded. Mobile data, hotspots, apps and AI tools may bypass or exceed some controls; their risks must be considered before use is permitted. Checks between reviews will be scheduled according to risk and recorded.
The school’s acceptable use expectations are:
- Use school devices, accounts and services only as authorised; pupils must follow staff instructions.
- Keep passwords secure, use only authorised accounts, lock unattended devices and report suspected account compromise promptly.
- Do not bypass filtering, connect unauthorised devices, install unapproved software or use personal hotspots to evade school controls.
- Do not access, create or share illegal, abusive, discriminatory, sexually explicit or otherwise harmful material.
- Respect other people’s privacy and dignity; do not impersonate others or share their information or images without authority.
- Report upsetting material, suspicious messages, cyberbullying and unsafe contact promptly to a trusted adult or the DSL.
Expectations will be explained in age-appropriate terms to pupils and communicated to staff and parents. Staff must follow the Cybersecurity and IT Password policies, including requirements for secure access, updates, approved storage and incident reporting. Loss of a device, a data breach or a cyber incident must be reported immediately to the Principal and IT support, and to the DSL where pupils’ safety may be affected.
AI tools may be used only where approved by the Principal following assessment of safeguarding, age restrictions, privacy and educational suitability. Staff must check outputs for accuracy, bias and inappropriate content. Personal or confidential pupil information must not be entered into an AI service unless expressly authorised through the school’s data protection arrangements. Pupils must not use AI to impersonate people, harass others, produce intimate images or misrepresent work as their own. Children will be helped to recognise that AI-generated content and simulated conversations can be misleading or unsafe.
The DSL will maintain current online safety knowledge. All staff will receive training at induction and regular updates, including at least annual online safety updates and instruction on their filtering and monitoring responsibilities. September staff training will include online safety, with specialist input where appropriate. Relevant Board members will receive training to support effective oversight.
The school will not tolerate technology being used to bully, harass or abuse another pupil. Cyberbullying, including abuse in private messaging groups, will be dealt with under the Behaviour, Anti-Bullying and safeguarding procedures. Responses will consider the needs and protection of affected children and appropriate support for those responsible, alongside proportionate sanctions. Pupils are encouraged to tell a teacher even if an incident happened outside school or they fear that they have broken a rule. A child seeking help will be listened to and taken seriously.
Staff must report online safeguarding concerns immediately to the DSL or deputy and must not investigate independently. If there is immediate danger, staff should contact emergency services. The DSL will assess the concern, arrange support and make referrals to local authority children’s social care, police or other relevant services, including CEOP where appropriate. Decisions, actions and reasons will be recorded under the Safeguarding Policy. Parents will normally be involved promptly unless doing so could increase risk or conflict with advice from safeguarding agencies.
Where nude or semi-nude imagery involving a child is suspected, including AI-generated or altered imagery, staff must inform the DSL immediately. They must not ask a child to show or send an image, view it themselves, copy, print, save, forward or delete it. Staff must not conduct their own investigation. The DSL will manage the incident in accordance with KCSIE and UKCIS (UK Council for Internet Safety) guidance, including advice on securing devices, preserving evidence and involving police or children’s social care. Children must be reassured and supported without blame.
IGS: Durham is a mobile phone-free environment for pupils throughout the school day, including lessons, breaks and lunchtime. Mobile phones are not permitted to be brought to school. Connected watches and other personal communication or recording devices must not be used to evade these rules. Other personal electronic equipment requires the Principal’s permission.
Any exceptional device use, for example to meet a medical need or a disability-related adjustment, requires the Principal’s approval and a recorded arrangement. Parents should contact the school rather than their child during school hours. Confiscation and any search of devices must follow the Behaviour Policy and applicable searching guidance; staff must not browse content without lawful authority or handle suspected child sexual imagery themselves.
All communications with parents or children must be through the school’s own channels and a professional tone must always be maintained. Staff must not use personal messaging accounts, social media or personal telephone numbers to communicate with pupils. Necessary contact details for educational visits must be held on approved school systems, used only for the authorised purpose and removed when no longer needed in accordance with retention arrangements. Legitimate school records must not be deleted simply because they contain a pupil’s telephone number.
Photography or recording by pupils is permitted only when specifically authorised and supervised by staff. School photography must follow the Photography and Data Protection policies and use approved school devices and storage. In EYFS, staff, volunteers and visitors must not use personal phones, cameras, smart watches or other devices capable of capturing or sharing images while working with children. Personal devices must be kept securely away and used only in authorised areas when children are not present. School devices must not be used to photograph intimate care.
Pupils must not gamble using school systems or personal devices at school. Accessing or sharing pornography must be reported promptly to the DSL. The response will consider exposure, coercion, exploitation and the child’s needs alongside any behavioural issues; parental involvement will follow the safeguarding arrangements above.
We will work with parents to support safe technology use at home and provide information at least annually, through a meeting, specialist session or written resources. Where remote education is used, parents and pupils will be told which platforms and contacts are authorised and how to report concerns. Monitoring data will be handled securely under the Data Protection Policy and privacy notices; any technical monitoring system will be subject to an appropriate data protection impact assessment.
The Principal and DSL will review this policy and the school’s online safety risks annually, using incidents, pupil and parent feedback, system checks and changes in guidance. The Board will receive assurance on effectiveness and outstanding actions.
Useful sources of advice include Childnet at www.childnet.com, CEOP at www.ceop.police.uk, NSPCC at www.nspcc.org.uk and Childline at www.childline.org.uk or 0800 1111.
This policy is informed by Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, the Independent School Standards Guidance April 2026, the EYFS statutory framework, DfE filtering and monitoring standards, UKCIS advice on sharing nudes and semi-nudes, the ISI Commentary March 2023 and the ISA Regulatory Change Toolkit 2026.
Reviewed: October 2026
Next review October 2027 or earlier if circumstances or guidance change
Safe Use of Technology Policy
The Independent Grammar School Durham
This policy should be read alongside the school’s Safeguarding, Staff Behaviour, Anti-Bullying, Child-on-Child Abuse, Behaviour, Cybersecurity, Data Protection, Photography and EYFS policies. It applies to pupils, staff, volunteers and others using school technology, and to online conduct outside school where it affects pupils’ welfare or the school community.
Technology brings wonderful opportunities, not least in the classroom. At IGS: Durham, we will provide carefully managed resources to enable children to benefit from educational software and to use the internet sensibly to gather information and conduct research. Our approach combines appropriate safeguards with teaching children how to behave safely and responsibly online.
Technology also brings real risks. The school considers four areas of online risk:
- Content: exposure to harmful or illegal material, including pornography, discriminatory or extremist material, promotion of self-harm and misleading information.
- Contact: harmful interaction with others, including grooming, exploitation, coercion and unsafe interactions with AI applications.
- Conduct: behaviour which causes harm, including cyberbullying and creating or sharing intimate images, including digitally altered or AI-generated images.
- Commerce: gambling, scams, phishing, inappropriate advertising and financial exploitation.
Teaching and use of technology will take account of pupils’ ages, understanding and individual needs, including SEND and other vulnerabilities. Internet use in any case will be extremely limited and closely supervised. Staff will select suitable resources and check online material before use where practicable. Pupils will be taught how to recognise unsafe situations, question information, protect privacy and seek help. Online safety will run through the curriculum, including computing, PSHE and relationships education or RSE as appropriate.
The proprietor and Board have overall responsibility for effective online safeguarding. The Principal is the senior leader responsible for implementing this policy and ensuring that filtering and monitoring arrangements meet the school’s needs. The Board will designate a member to oversee these arrangements and record the allocation of responsibilities. The DSL leads on safeguarding and online safety, understands the systems in use and responds to concerns. The school’s IT support has technical responsibility for maintaining systems, providing reports and carrying out agreed checks and corrective actions. Technical support does not replace the DSL’s safeguarding role.
The school maintains appropriate filtering and monitoring on its networks and school-managed devices. Controls reflect pupils’ needs and include suitable staff and guest access arrangements. Blocking protects against harmful material without preventing legitimate teaching. Staff supervise pupils’ use of devices and report weaknesses in controls. Monitoring arrangements provide a weekly review of incident reports and immediate escalation of high-risk concerns, with DSL cover arrangements ensuring prompt action. Users are told that school systems are filtered and monitored.
The Principal, DSL, IT support and responsible Board member will review provision at least once every academic year and following significant incidents or changes in technology. The review will include checks across devices, user accounts and relevant locations, including off-site use of school-managed devices where applicable. Results, limitations and corrective actions will be recorded. Mobile data, hotspots, apps and AI tools may bypass or exceed some controls; their risks must be considered before use is permitted. Checks between reviews will be scheduled according to risk and recorded.
The school’s acceptable use expectations are:
- Use school devices, accounts and services only as authorised; pupils must follow staff instructions.
- Keep passwords secure, use only authorised accounts, lock unattended devices and report suspected account compromise promptly.
- Do not bypass filtering, connect unauthorised devices, install unapproved software or use personal hotspots to evade school controls.
- Do not access, create or share illegal, abusive, discriminatory, sexually explicit or otherwise harmful material.
- Respect other people’s privacy and dignity; do not impersonate others or share their information or images without authority.
- Report upsetting material, suspicious messages, cyberbullying and unsafe contact promptly to a trusted adult or the DSL.
Expectations will be explained in age-appropriate terms to pupils and communicated to staff and parents. Staff must follow the Cybersecurity and IT Password policies, including requirements for secure access, updates, approved storage and incident reporting. Loss of a device, a data breach or a cyber incident must be reported immediately to the Principal and IT support, and to the DSL where pupils’ safety may be affected.
AI tools may be used only where approved by the Principal following assessment of safeguarding, age restrictions, privacy and educational suitability. Staff must check outputs for accuracy, bias and inappropriate content. Personal or confidential pupil information must not be entered into an AI service unless expressly authorised through the school’s data protection arrangements. Pupils must not use AI to impersonate people, harass others, produce intimate images or misrepresent work as their own. Children will be helped to recognise that AI-generated content and simulated conversations can be misleading or unsafe.
The DSL will maintain current online safety knowledge. All staff will receive training at induction and regular updates, including at least annual online safety updates and instruction on their filtering and monitoring responsibilities. September staff training will include online safety, with specialist input where appropriate. Relevant Board members will receive training to support effective oversight.
The school will not tolerate technology being used to bully, harass or abuse another pupil. Cyberbullying, including abuse in private messaging groups, will be dealt with under the Behaviour, Anti-Bullying and safeguarding procedures. Responses will consider the needs and protection of affected children and appropriate support for those responsible, alongside proportionate sanctions. Pupils are encouraged to tell a teacher even if an incident happened outside school or they fear that they have broken a rule. A child seeking help will be listened to and taken seriously.
Staff must report online safeguarding concerns immediately to the DSL or deputy and must not investigate independently. If there is immediate danger, staff should contact emergency services. The DSL will assess the concern, arrange support and make referrals to local authority children’s social care, police or other relevant services, including CEOP where appropriate. Decisions, actions and reasons will be recorded under the Safeguarding Policy. Parents will normally be involved promptly unless doing so could increase risk or conflict with advice from safeguarding agencies.
Where nude or semi-nude imagery involving a child is suspected, including AI-generated or altered imagery, staff must inform the DSL immediately. They must not ask a child to show or send an image, view it themselves, copy, print, save, forward or delete it. Staff must not conduct their own investigation. The DSL will manage the incident in accordance with KCSIE and UKCIS (UK Council for Internet Safety) guidance, including advice on securing devices, preserving evidence and involving police or children’s social care. Children must be reassured and supported without blame.
IGS: Durham is a mobile phone-free environment for pupils throughout the school day, including lessons, breaks and lunchtime. Mobile phones are not permitted to be brought to school. Connected watches and other personal communication or recording devices must not be used to evade these rules. Other personal electronic equipment requires the Principal’s permission.
Any exceptional device use, for example to meet a medical need or a disability-related adjustment, requires the Principal’s approval and a recorded arrangement. Parents should contact the school rather than their child during school hours. Confiscation and any search of devices must follow the Behaviour Policy and applicable searching guidance; staff must not browse content without lawful authority or handle suspected child sexual imagery themselves.
All communications with parents or children must be through the school’s own channels and a professional tone must always be maintained. Staff must not use personal messaging accounts, social media or personal telephone numbers to communicate with pupils. Necessary contact details for educational visits must be held on approved school systems, used only for the authorised purpose and removed when no longer needed in accordance with retention arrangements. Legitimate school records must not be deleted simply because they contain a pupil’s telephone number.
Photography or recording by pupils is permitted only when specifically authorised and supervised by staff. School photography must follow the Photography and Data Protection policies and use approved school devices and storage. In EYFS, staff, volunteers and visitors must not use personal phones, cameras, smart watches or other devices capable of capturing or sharing images while working with children. Personal devices must be kept securely away and used only in authorised areas when children are not present. School devices must not be used to photograph intimate care.
Pupils must not gamble using school systems or personal devices at school. Accessing or sharing pornography must be reported promptly to the DSL. The response will consider exposure, coercion, exploitation and the child’s needs alongside any behavioural issues; parental involvement will follow the safeguarding arrangements above.
We will work with parents to support safe technology use at home and provide information at least annually, through a meeting, specialist session or written resources. Where remote education is used, parents and pupils will be told which platforms and contacts are authorised and how to report concerns. Monitoring data will be handled securely under the Data Protection Policy and privacy notices; any technical monitoring system will be subject to an appropriate data protection impact assessment.
The Principal and DSL will review this policy and the school’s online safety risks annually, using incidents, pupil and parent feedback, system checks and changes in guidance. The Board will receive assurance on effectiveness and outstanding actions.
Useful sources of advice include Childnet at www.childnet.com, CEOP at www.ceop.police.uk, NSPCC at www.nspcc.org.uk and Childline at www.childline.org.uk or 0800 1111.
This policy is informed by Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, the Independent School Standards Guidance April 2026, the EYFS statutory framework, DfE filtering and monitoring standards, UKCIS advice on sharing nudes and semi-nudes, the ISI Commentary March 2023 and the ISA Regulatory Change Toolkit 2026.
Reviewed: October 2026
Next review October 2027 or earlier if circumstances or guidance change
Discover more
If you would like to know more about life at IGS, or to book an in-person visit, contact us now.
Discover more
If you would like to know more about life at IGS, or to book an in-person visit, contact us now.