A new Tes Safeguarding Report has highlighted the increasing pressure that schools are under to protect children from online harm, especially with most online activity occurring outside the school setting. With 90% of children now owning a smartphone by age 11, safeguarding has become significantly more complex – particularly as harmful content, online bullying, and toxic behaviours are often engaged with in a private setting, but can then manifest itself in the classroom, creating real challenges for schools.
Dawn Jotham, Safeguarding and Pastoral Lead at Tes, said: “The complexity of safeguarding concerns facing children remains troubling, and clearly online safeguarding remains a serious concern for teachers and parents alike. However, despite these challenges, we are encouraged to see more than 90% of respondents viewed their schools positively in terms of proactive safeguarding. With the right measures taken, such as prioritising early intervention and implementation of robust safeguarding systems, we’re confident children will be safer than ever before.”
The report also found that 88% of surveyed educators reported online bullying as a regular issue for schools, as well as the issues faced by primary schools, where the report showed that 74% of primary school respondents said online bullying, or cyberbullying, is the most common online risk.
Will Gardner, CEO of Childnet, said: “Tes’ Safeguarding report clearly shows that it’s now more important than even that we listen to, work with and support school educators and children to tackle safeguarding issues. We’ve seen significant positive steps in safeguarding over recent years, but with the emergence of new technologies and platforms it’s paramount that we work together to keep children safe, equipping them with the core skills and knowledge they need to navigate the online world safely.”
In light of recent high-profile incidents involving online bullying and harmful social media trends, the report also examined pupil confidence in reporting safeguarding, finding 90% of respondents believed students were confident or somewhat confident reporting safeguarding concerns, which is down from 98% last year.
Brian Duffy, Director of Safeguarding at Shaw Education Trust, said: “Safeguarding awareness helps us build better solutions for early detection, prevention, confidence, and trust. It’s incredibly important that we stay proactive, as it helps us empower staff and students to speak up and take action if they feel something is wrong.”
