Strengthen online safety with clearer filtering and monitoring

Filtering and monitoring only works when it is clearly owned, consistently applied, and regularly reviewed. In practice, the gaps are often in governance and visibility – who checks what, how often it is reviewed, how remote devices are covered, and where decisions and evidence are recorded.

When schools are working to expectations aligned to Keeping Children Safe in Education, being able to evidence reviews, roles, training and changes matters as much as the tools themselves.

Computeam Compass gives you a structured way to understand how your filtering and monitoring arrangements compare to the DfE digital and technology standard, assign actions, and maintain a live record of decisions, reviews and improvements.

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19% of IT leads are unsure how often filtering and monitoring is reviewed.

Source: Technology in schools survey: 2024 to 2025 – Research report (Department for Education, carried out by IFF Research, published Nov 2025)

The key filtering and monitoring checks you need in place

The DfE filtering and monitoring standard explains what schools and colleges must have in place to reduce exposure to harmful online content and identify concerns when they arise. It sits alongside statutory safeguarding guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education and focuses on both the technical systems and the governance around them.

The digital and technology standard covers filtering – systems that restrict access to illegal or inappropriate content – and monitoring – systems that review activity and generate alerts for potential safeguarding concerns. It expects schools to consider all devices and locations where children access the internet for school purposes, including remote use of school-managed devices.

At a glance, this digital and technology standard covers:

Providing effective web filtering that blocks illegal and harmful content

Implementing age and role-appropriate filtering for different user groups

Using monitoring to identify concerning activity and support early intervention

Reviewing filtering and monitoring at least annually with the right stakeholders

Ensuring roles, training, policies and records align with Keeping children safe in education

Why filtering and monitoring needs clear ownership and review

Filtering and monitoring are central to safeguarding in a digital world. Without appropriate controls, pupils can encounter content that is violent, sexual, discriminatory or otherwise harmful. In some cases, access to extremist or criminal material may create risk far beyond the classroom. Robust filtering is one of the practical ways schools discharge their safeguarding duties and reduce exposure to this kind of material.

Monitoring is equally important. Even with filtering in place, pupils may attempt to access worrying content, search for terms linked to self-harm, bullying or abuse, or use technology in ways that put themselves or others at risk. Effective monitoring helps schools identify patterns and incidents that need follow-up, so that DSLs and pastoral teams can respond in a timely and proportionate way.

For staff, clear filtering and monitoring arrangements provide confidence that online resources can be used appropriately and that support is available when concerns arise. For governors and trustees, they provide assurance that safeguarding responsibilities are being taken seriously and that technical tools are backed by strong leadership and documentation. In multi-academy trusts, consistent standards across schools make it easier to support DSLs, manage shared systems and provide central oversight.

How Compass supports shared safeguarding oversight across your school or trust

Computeam Compass turns the DfE filtering and monitoring standards into a clear, shared framework for leadership, safeguarding and technical teams. Instead of key information being spread across emails, contracts and separate documents, Compass brings it together in one secure place.

Make the expectations visible

Compass presents the key filtering and monitoring requirements in a structured format that follows the DfE guidance. Schools can record which solutions are in place, how they are configured, which user groups they cover and how they relate to safeguarding policies. This gives DSLs, SLT, IT staff and governors a shared overview of their current position.

Assign ownership and track actions

When gaps are identified – for example, an overdue annual review, limited coverage for remote devices or unclear alert processes – Compass allows you to create actions with named owners and sensible deadlines. Tasks might include updating policies, arranging training for staff, reviewing BYOD access or adjusting monitoring thresholds. Progress is visible to the right people, which helps ensure that identified risks lead to real change.

Keep a secure, auditable record

Compass provides a secure record of filtering and monitoring decisions, reviews and evidence. You can log annual review outcomes, configuration summaries, training records, sample reports and notes from safeguarding discussions. Each update is time-stamped so that you can show how your approach has developed over time and how you respond to emerging risks.

Give MAT leaders a trust-wide view

For multi-academy trusts, Compass brings together filtering and monitoring information from multiple schools. Central safeguarding leads and IT teams can see where standards are being met consistently, where additional support may be needed and how practice varies between sites. This supports trust-level decision making, shared training and coordinated responses to new risks.

Your next steps

If you are reviewing your filtering and monitoring arrangements against the DfE digital and technology standards, Computeam Compass can provide structure and shared visibility. It helps you capture what is in place now, identify where systems and processes need further work and record the actions you are taking to strengthen online safety.