There's been a recent surge of online learning activity as schools and universities around the world look for solutions to continue their teaching, learning and student support while institutions close due to the outbreak of Covid-19/coronavirus. 

While this surge will help to protect the well-being of their students, these institutions now face the additional challenge of how to protect students while they learn virtually.

Schools and universities launching virtual learning platforms and online classrooms should review their existing policies and consider implementing specific guidelines.

where students and staff or faculty should be located when they join virtual classrooms. For example, you might want to ensure where possible that individuals do not join virtual sessions from their bedroom, and school students are located in a common space in their house within earshot of parents unless they are having a confidential session (see below)


how staff, faculty and students interact with each other online, what are the do’s and don’ts around language, sharing of any personal contact details and sharing of material during virtual classrooms


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what staff, faculty and students should do if they are worried about someone or something they witness in an online platform? For example: 


are students able to report easily to a nominated person at the school or university


do staff and faculty know what to do and who to contact if a student becomes distressed during a session?


for schools, are teachers able to contact parents if they are worried? 


for universities, if your protocols do not allow you to contact parents, what other actions can you take?

are staff and faculty able to block a user if that user starts sharing inappropriate material in a virtual break-out session?


do your staff and faculty know how to report any illegal content that might be shared online, both internally within your organisation and externally to law enforcement?


are managers or designated staff able to enter virtual classrooms to monitor lessons on an ad hoc basis? 


is the school or university storing messages so that it can review material afterwards if necessary, and is this being done in accordance with relevant privacy laws in your country?

if it is necessary to have one-to-one counselling sessions virtually, how is the school or university protecting both the student and the counsellor? The same broad principles that apply to in-person sessions should also apply to virtual sessions, including around letting parents know about sessions in advance (for schools), behaviour and boundaries, recording and reporting. Specific considerations include:


do you have a safety plan in place for each student, which sets out what action counsellors should take if they think that a student is at significant or immediate risk of harm?


can your counsellors report to someone if they feel that a student might be developing a crush on them or if they feel that their behaviour might have been misunderstood?


for schools, can you have a parent be present at the start of the session and be nearby in case the student needs support, whilst still maintaining the confidentiality of the session?

For further information about how to protect staff, faculty and young people involved in one to one sessions, see this NSPCC Lone Working Guidance.

How are you adjusting any online monitoring that you already carry out to take into account new virtual activities? Find out more about monitoring for early intervention.

Tim Gerrish (a CIS Affiliated Consultant) and his colleagues at The Child Protection Advisors have drafted a set of guidelines to help navigate these complexities. CIS members can access these guidelines in the CIS Community portals for Schools and Universities.

Katie Rigg is the Head of Safeguarding and Student Well-Being at The Council of International Schools (CIS). Katie’s primary responsibility is to help CIS and school and university members to keep children and young people safe and to support and strengthen their mental health and well-being. In this capacity Katie carries out and supports research into new areas, develops resources, provides guidance and oversees professional development.

Safeguarding implications for online learning

With more than 100,000 cases across the globe, the coronavirus outbreak is a natural source of concern for schools and colleges. Schools in high-risk areas like China have been closed for weeks, and Italy — the worst affected country in Europe — recently announced a national 10-day school shutdown. According to the United Nations, almost 300 million students are currently affected globally. 

All scary-sounding statistics, yet the situation at home remains in containment mode. At the time of writing, 319 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, in the UK. But despite government advice, headteachers have been unsure of the best steps to take. As a result, a number of schools have reportedly closed over fears of spreading the virus. 

If you’re concerned about your school, here’s all the official advice you need to know about and some practical steps to help you prepare for a potential widespread outbreak.

Few coronavirus cases have been seen in children, says the government. “Evidence from China at least would imply children have much less of this disease, either because they get it less often or the version they get is a lot milder,” explained chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty to The Sun.

In fact, most people with coronavirus will not experience a severe infection. (However, the elderly and people in ill health can be at risk of more serious symptoms.) It’s still not 100% clear how the virus spreads, but it’s believed that droplets from coughs or sneezes can transmit it to others.

Public Health England has advised that schools don’t need to close right now. If a student or staff member has returned from a Category 1 area — that’s Wuhei city and Hubei Province in China, Iran, special care zones in South Korea, and quarantined areas in Italy — in the past 14 days, they should remain at home in isolation for two weeks. Anyone who has returned from any part of Italy since the 9th of March is now also being advised to do the same.

Those who have recently visited Category 2 countries — a longer list that includes the rest of China, Japan, and Hong Kong — only need to self-isolate if they develop symptoms. These tend to show up as coughs, fevers, and breathing difficulties.

Within the next two weeks, however, advice may intensify. The government is soon expected to tell anyone with a fever or minor signs of a respiratory tract infection to self-isolate for seven days. It’s part of a bid to delay the peak of the virus until summer when the NHS is more well-equipped to cope.

If pupils or staff are in self-isolation, the rest of the school should carry on as normal, per the government’s action plan. There is also no need for schools to send students home if a pupil or colleague is being tested for coronavirus. But if they receive a positive diagnosis, your local Public Health England Protection Team will be in touch to advise next steps. According to the government, full closures are often unnecessary. 

But if the UK’s coronavirus situation worsens, stricter measures may be put in place to reduce the risk of spreading. This may include social distancing strategies like school closures. However, any tactics “will need to be balanced against their impact on society,” says the action plan — especially the burden on parents.

A Department for Education helpline now exists to answer burning questions from educational staff and parents. Call 0800 046 8687 any time between 8am and 6pm on weekdays.

How to deal with the current coronavirus risk

To help contain the coronavirus outbreak, it’s important to practice basic hygiene and to pass this knowledge on to the school community. Hold an assembly detailing simple ways to prevent spreading germs, and put up posters around the school to emphasise the message.

Here are a few easy things for both staff and students to remember:

Wash your hands as often as you can. This includes before you leave the house, when you arrive at and leave school, before and after eating, and after going to the toilet.

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or the amount of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.

Use hand sanitiser containing at least 60% alcohol when you don’t have access to soap and water.

Always cough and sneeze into a tissue, and immediately throw the tissue away.

Try not to touch your face with unwashed hands.

Disinfect surfaces and objects that people tend to touch throughout the school day. 

You may also want to hold off booking school trips to at-risk countries. For more prevention information, head straight to the government's educational settings guidance. 

If you suspect a pupil or colleague has coronavirus, don’t shut the school and don’t send the person to a doctor or hospital. Instead, call NHS 111. While waiting for a response, sit the person in an isolated room or at least two metres away from others. Ask them to avoid touching people and objects, and ensure they have a tissue for any coughs and sneezes. (They can sneeze or cough into their elbow if you don’t have tissues to hand.)

When you’ve been given official advice and the person has left the premises, the room should be thoroughly cleaned. Again, you don’t need to take further steps unless told to by health professionals.

Although coronavirus may not spread to all corners of the UK, it’s sensible to start considering how you’d continue teaching if your school were to shut.

With exam time on the horizon, a particular worry may be the fate of your students’ grades. Exam regulator Ofqual told Schools Week it’s working closely with exam boards and the Department for Education, and continues to “consider whether there are particular risks to the smooth running of exams.”

“We will update our existing guidance to reflect any specific arrangements schools and colleges should put in place if required,” the regulator added, advising schools to continue preparing students for exams and to ensure up-to-date contingency plans. Help with contingency planning can be found here.

But it’s not just exams that need attention. One school in Devon was forced to adapt when a case of the virus spelled its closure. Laptops were loaned to students, and online lessons — four blocks of 75 minutes each day — were implemented, with teachers available to mark work and answer questions.

Ask yourself if your school or college can adopt a similar strategy. If so, do students have the resources to work virtually? Or can they be given hard copies of lesson plans? Answering these questions now will save a lot of stress if a national outbreak were to occur. Don’t forget to keep parents informed of any measures that may be put in place and, most importantly, don’t panic.

As Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told the Independent: “The priority must be to minimise the disruption to the learning of students.” Only time will tell if disruption is on the horizon for education across the UK.

How schools should react to the coronavirus outbreak

In 2019, Oxford Dictionaries declared ‘climate emergency’ the word of the year. And it’s no wonder. The #FridaysForFuture movement saw millions band together to strike against government inaction, leading to local jurisdictions across the globe declaring their own climate emergencies. In fact, almost all the councils in Britain have done so. 

Schools, too, have taken action. But only a handful of UK schools have declared climate emergencies. Plus, a debate still rages among school staff over allowing students to strike. So should all be in favour of responding strongly to the climate crisis, or should educational institutions carry on as normal?

The first country to force schools to teach about climate change was Italy. In December 2019, its education minister said sustainability and the climate would be “the centre of the education model”, requiring state schools to implement relevant lessons for 33 hours a year.

Climate change is a mandatory part of the UK curriculum. As Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said in a statement: it forms “part of the programmes of study in Key Stage 3 and 4 science and geography. Many schools will also discuss the issue in other forums, such as through assemblies and class projects.”

Despite this requirement, it’s difficult to form a clear picture of students’ climate knowledge. (Some schools may focus on the topic more than others.) What is clear, however, is some students’ frustration. Almost a year ago, four 15-year-old pupils from Oxford petitioned the education secretary to make climate change a core part of the national curriculum. “We’ve barely learned about the climate crisis at school,” they wrote. 92,000 people have supported their rallying cries.

A school’s responsibility is first and foremost to its pupils: preparing them for the outside world and equipping them with the tools to tackle any situation. The education system is not there to create panic, it’s true. But the science doesn’t lie. Climate change is real and future generations will bear the brunt. But they also have the power to make a difference.

Surely, the question isn’t: Should schools respond? It’s more a question of how. Firstly, take responsibility. The government seems unlikely to implement change, but there are 30,000 schools across the UK that can recognise their power and act. Acting, however, needn’t involve long periods of discussion. If the climate emergency is to be treated as such, it requires urgent attention and adjustments.

Changes to the curriculum are an obvious first step. “There is a strong argument for climate change to feature more prominently in the curriculum, not only in terms of studying its environmental impact, but also focusing on renewable energy and green technology,” Barton says. (Academies and independent schools have more free rein in this area. Schools that follow the national curriculum can push for reform via local authorities and teacher organisations.)

Schools should “be embedding Education for Sustainable Development into their curriculum — not as a standalone subject, but into each subject,” adds Rosie Saban, PR and policy officer for EAUC (the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education). “It has relevance to everything, and the only way to make progress towards emissions reduction is if there is far better education on the topic.”

Barton advocates a “comprehensive review” of the current curriculum “to ensure it is fit for the future.” But, as he explains, “this sort of adjustment could not be done in isolation.” Three-quarters of teachers felt they hadn’t been properly trained on the climate crisis, found a recent Oxfam-commissioned poll. And unconfident teachers are likely to lead to unsuccessful education. 

An online accreditation scheme, like EduCCate Global, can help teachers better understand the issues and learn how to teach them effectively. When it comes to lesson plan inspiration, organisations such as World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have numerous resources for pupils of all ages.

As well as making staff feel comfortable with a climate-focused curriculum, it is important for them to have an individual or group to turn to for support. Schools can consider using one of their Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) positions to appoint a climate change coordinator. (The United Nations is set to provide extra funding for this role, according to a National Education Union guide.)

Alternatively, a climate committee could be set up to discuss issues and formulate policies. This may involve not just school staff, but parents, students, members from the local community and other schools or colleges. Schools that are part of a multi-academy trust luckily already have this support network.

Students also need to feel engaged and empowered. Lively debates and discussions can help, but allowing pupils to lead can be even more effective. Let them form an eco council, organise a march, or even declare a school climate emergency. (Here’s a how-to for the latter option.) Again, organisations exist to help young people create planetary change; Eco Schools, Bright Green Future and the Foundation for Environmental Education are just three.

Last but certainly not least, schools need to examine their personal environmental footprint. Schools are responsible for around 2% of UK greenhouse gas emissions; simple changes can reduce that figure. For example, examine how to make your buildings and facilities net zero, says Saban, and track your school’s emissions.

Involving students in this area is yet another way of preparing them for the future. Encourage their participation in discussions surrounding energy usage, waste reduction and the design of new buildings, and utilise programmes such as Less CO2 to pave the way to a more sustainable educational environment.

All of the above may sound like a great degree of work. In reality, the climate crisis is a chance to avoid stagnation; to give both teachers and students a greater sense of purpose and a combined goal. Set the foundations and the rewards are bound to follow.

Should schools respond to the climate crisis, and if so, how?

As finalists in the "Leadership and Management Solutions" category this year, we at SCR Tracker were so excited to be attending the Bett Awards 2020. 

We arrived and were greeted upon arrival with a glass of champagne, and began to mingle with the other guests. Some had been nominated consecutively year after year, and others were first timers like us. It was great to hear from guests who had travelled far for the evening, and to hear from people who had attended this year's popular Bett Show earlier the same day.

During the dinner we were entertained by comedian Sally Phillips, and enjoyed meeting new acquaintances on our table.  We ate good food and heard about each other's experiences within the education sector, ranging from the challenges of working for a £30bn company to those working for a young startup based up North.

The Awards Ceremony began and the Impact Award was up first. One of the shortlisted organisations was nominated for, amongst other things, using digital technology to improve their safeguarding, and they use our single central record software to do this! We waited with bated breath. 

And the winner is.... Northern Education Trust! We were beyond excited and cheered loudly. It's great to see our clients recognised for their hard work, and we are proud to be working with each and every one of our amazing organisations to help them improve their safeguarding practices.

The time came for our category 'Leadership and Management Solutions', where we learned that SCR Tracker had been awarded 'Highly Commended' by the Bett Show Judges! We were ecstatic! To be up against so many incredible finalists (most much larger than ourselves!), we were so thrilled to be recognised for our brilliant software.

The Bett Awards Judges commented that SCR Tracker "demonstrated an entrepreneurial approach, they spotted an opportunity and created a solution which helps schools to fulfil their legal obligation in their core function of safeguarding young people."

Thank you to the Bett Awards for a wonderful evening and start to 2020 – we are very excited for the Bett Show and Awards next year!

SCR Tracker wins Highly Commended Award at Bett Awards 2020

With the UK's exit from the EU looming on the horizon, what do schools need to know about current staff members and hiring new starters?

The team at SCR Tracker has pulled together the important parts of the latest news from the Department for Education, to help you keep your single central record compliant.

Firstly, you must start by addressing your current staff members who could be affected. If they are EU, EEA or Swiss citizens, they will need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. This scheme will allow them to maintain their residency in the UK after 2020.

The temporary leave to remain scheme applies if the individual arrives in the UK after the UK leaves the EU and before 1 January 2021. The deadline for applications is 31 December 2020.

Remember that it is the responsibility of the individual to apply to these schemes, not you as the employer. There is no requirement for the staff member to inform you, as their employer, that they have applied, or what the status of their application is.

You are not required to check that an employee has applied. Next, you'll need to address new staff members arriving in the UK after Brexit.

Current ‘right to work’ checks apply until the end of 2020. EU citizens may also prove their right to work using the DfE's online service, if they choose to.

There will be no official change to the rights or status of EU citizens living in the UK until 30th of June 2021. In the event of a no deal, however, the deadline would be the 31st of December 2020.

As the employer, you will not be required to carry out retrospective checks on existing EU employees after the UK transitions to the future skills-based immigration system.

Irish citizens’ right to live in the UK will not change when the UK leaves the EU. Irish citizens do not need to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, but their family members, who are not Irish or British citizens, do need to.

European professional qualifications checks

Teachers with EU, EEA or Swiss teaching qualifications that have qualified teacher status (QTS) will continue to hold QTS.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, teachers that have applied for QTS before the exit date will be able to continue their application under the previous system.

With a deal in place, a new system will apply teachers who haven't begun the process to still apply for QTS.

EEA teacher sanctions and restrictions checks

With a no-deal Brexit, EEA professional regulating authorities will no longer be required to automatically share details of any sanction or restriction imposed on teachers with the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

The TRA will therefore no longer automatically receive, or maintain, details of teachers who have been sanctioned, post exit, in EEA member states.

Schools must continue to carry out the same safer recruitment checks for applicants who have lived or worked outside the UK as they currently do for all other staff.

Furthermore, schools must continue to make any further checks they think appropriate in order to consider any relevant events that occurred outside the UK. Schools will be able to apply in the same ways as they currently do when employing an applicant from the rest of the world.

If the UK leaves with a deal, the existing system for checking EEA sanctions will remain in place until at least 31 December 2020.

Finally, you'll have to check the levels of security around the personal data you're keeping.

Identify where you receive data from, determine who the data controllers and processors are, and where the data is stored.

Contact education management providers that you share personal data with within the EEA.

You may still share personal data lawfully with them once the UK leaves the EU.

With regards to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), it will be incorporated into UK law if there’s a no-deal Brexit. This and the Data Protection Act 2018 will therefore continue to apply to data transferred within or from the UK.

If you have a contract with SCR Tracker, know that your data is safely secured on servers in London so there is no need to worry about data transfer laws with us as your software providers. All of our data is encrypted to the highest of levels, so you can rest easy knowing your data is with us.

The above information was sourced from the latest guidance from https://www.gov.uk and is up to date as of the 4th of October 2019.

Have any questions? Contact the team here.

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