Department for Education releases Updated Filtering and Monitoring Standards

The Department for Education (DfE) has updated its standards for how schools and colleges filter and monitor online content. These updates are intended to support and improve schools approaches towards meeting the guidelines set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) whilst creating a more secure digital environment for students. Below is a summary of the key updates, especially around real-time content scanning and enforcing filters on illegal websites.

Clearer Roles and Responsibilities: Schools’ governing bodies are now more responsible for ensuring strong online filtering and monitoring systems are in place. Senior leadership teams must manage the day-to-day operation of these systems, make decisions about blocking certain content, and train staff around these responsibilities. IT staff and safeguarding leads are expected to work closely together, ensuring both technical and safety concerns are addressed.

Annual Review of Systems: Schools must now review their filtering and monitoring systems every year to ensure they are effective. This review should consider the specific needs of vulnerable student groups, such as those with special educational needs (SEND) or English as an additional language (EAL). The review must also account for new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policies to keep up with modern threats.

Real-Time Scanning and Enforced Illegal Content Filters: Schools are now required to understand whether their filter systems can filter and block harmful content in real-time, that help to reduce the chance of students accessing inappropriate material, particularly related to content created by Generative AI technologies.. Another critical update is that schools must always block illegal websites (e.g., those hosting child sexual abuse or terrorist content) without the option to turn off these filters, ensuring continuous protection.

Improved Filtering Requirements Filtering systems must allow features like Safe Search that will cover all devices, including personal devices (BYOD), to the same safety standards as school equipment. Schools should also prevent students from bypassing filters using VPNs or proxies and regularly update their blocklists based on emerging threats.

Better Monitoring Strategies Besides filtering, schools should monitor online activity to spot unusual behaviour early. Automated monitoring should be supported by staff checking screens or using device management tools. Schools need clear protocols for responding to flagged incidents, with senior leadership ensuring staff understand and apply these rules. Detailed reports that track incidents to specific devices or users are also required.

Schools are also encouraged to perform Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) to ensure their monitoring is legal and respects privacy. They should meet cyber security standards and align all monitoring efforts with broader safeguarding policies.

The recent updates to the DfE’s filtering and monitoring standards place a strong focus on real-time protection and the enforcement of illegal URL filter lists, ensuring that schools remain proactive in safeguarding students from online harms. These additions, combined with annual system reviews and stronger monitoring protocols, provide a more robust framework to support online safety in schools.

By embedding these practices, schools can ensure their filtering systems not only block harmful content but also remain flexible enough to adapt to new and emerging threats. At the UK Safer Internet Centre, we offer resources and tools, such as our testing utility testfiltering.com to help schools assess their filtering systems and ensure they meet these updated standards.
 

If you would like to read a more detailed account of what these changes entail – please refer to the SWGfL article for more information