Government Wants Schools To Monitor Pupil Web Use

The government is urging schools to set new online filters to monitor websites visited by pupils whilst in order to prevent any possible radicialisation.

The new guidelines were published today by education secretary Nicky Morgan, who said they were in reaction to some pupils accessing information on Islamic State terrorists online whilst at school.

At risk?

The reforms, which have today been published for consultation, come in response to several cases that have seen British school children travelling both successfully or unsuccessfully to Syria.

This includes three girls from Bethnal Green Academy, who in February flew from London to Istanbul en route to Syria.

Following this, the school’s head teacher said there is no evidence they were radicalised at school as pupils cannot access social media on the academy’s computers.

The proposed measures also include guidelines on how to teach school children how to use the internet responsibly and making sure parents and teachers are able to keep their children safe from exploitation and radicalisation, she added.

And the reforms will also cover issues such as cyberbullying and pornography, the Department for Education (DfE) said.

However teaching unions said schools would welcome greater clarity on the plans, which are aiming to come into law by September 2016.

“As a parent, I’ve seen just what an important role the internet can play in children’s education,” Morgan told the BBC. “But it can also bring risks, which is why we must do everything we can to help children stay safe online – at school and at home.”

Online protection has become a hot topic as more and more children begin accessing the Internet at an early age.

Back in August, the NSPCC announced it would be teaming up with O2 to help educate parents who find it easier to discuss ‘real world’ issues than online safety topics such as cyber bullying amid fears children might suffer from a ‘digital delay’.

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