Updates to the 360safe Tool – April 2026
The 360 safe online safety self-review tool has received significant updates to make the tool easier for schools to use, to reflect recent updates to national guidance in England and the ongoing developments in the use of digital technologies.
In summary the changes in the 360 safe tool are:
- The aspects in the tool have been reduced from 21 to 18.
- The following aspects have been deleted, but their content added to other aspects: Professional Standards; Contribution of Learners; Agencies and Social Media
- There is a new Cyber Security aspect (the level from the Technical Security aspect will be copied to the new aspect, but the commentary will be blank)
- All level statements and improvement actions have been updated to increase their clarity and to reflect national guidance, developments in the use of digital technologies and the merging of some of the aspects.
Overview
Current structure (pre April 2026) | New structure from April 2026 | |||
Current aspects | Changes | Element | Strand | New Aspect Structure from April 2026 |
OS Responsibilities | Content updated | Policy and Leadership | Responsibilities | Online Safety Responsibilities |
Online Safety Group | Content updated | Online Safety Group | ||
Professional standards | Deleted and integrated into Acceptable Use aspect | |||
Online Safety Policy | Content updated | Policy | Online Safety Policy | |
Acceptable Use | Content updated | Acceptable Use | ||
Reporting and responding | Content updated | Reporting and responding | ||
Online Safety Education | Content updated | Education | Learners | Online Safety Education |
Contribution of Learners | Deleted and integrated into Education and Outcomes aspects | |||
Staff Training | Content updated | Adults and Agencies | Staff Training | |
Governor Training | Content updated | Governor Training | ||
Families | Content updated and renames as “External Stakeholders” | External Stakeholders | ||
Agencies | Deleted and integrated into External Stakeholders | |||
Filtering | Content updated | Technology | Filtering and Monitoring | Filtering |
Monitoring | Content updated | Monitoring | ||
Technical Security | Content updated | Security | Technical Security | |
Data Security | Content updated | Cyber Security (New aspect) | ||
Data Protection | ||||
Mobile Technology | Renamed “Device Management” | Practice | Device Management | |
Social media | Deleted and integrated into Acceptable Use, Public Online Communications and Education aspects | |||
Digital & video images | Renamed as “Digital Content” | Digital Content | ||
Online Publishing | Renamed as “Public Online Communications” | Public Online Communications | ||
Impact of Online Safety Policy and Practice | Content updated | Outcomes | Impact of Online Safety Policy and Practice | |
The school’s data will be migrated to the updated tool.
While the content in the tool has been significantly updated, the level of expected provision required for each level has only minimal change. We do however recommend that schools revisit their 360 safe reviews to ensure that their provision continues to meet national standards and relevant guidance. We also suggest that you add a school specific commentary to the new Cyber Security aspect.
Online Safety Policy Templates
The Online Safety Policy Templates have been updated to reflect the changes in the 360 safe tool and to make them more user friendly. The main changes are:
- The policy templates have been simplified and are now significantly shorter – without losing any of the essential statements required for a school Online Safety Policy
- There is a new “Online Safety Policy Statement” (Appendix A7) which summarises the main points from the Online Safety Policy Templates into a two page statement
- There is a new Cyber Security Policy Template (Appendix C3)
With the significant updates to the Policy Templates we recommend that schools adopt the latest versions, adapting them to the school’s particular needs and circumstances.
If you would like any further information or clarification please contact us at 360safe@swgfl.org.uk