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Our goal is to help you navigate the world of child digital safety and wellbeing - at school, home and everywhere in between. Browse articles, case studies, videos, whitepapers and podcasts curated by our digital wellbeing specialists.

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    14 min read | By Smoothwall

    A Guide to Managing Children’s Exposure to Distressing Content

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    Digital Monitoring – 14 Questions Ofsted May Ask You During an Inspection and Why

    Monitoring can have an impact on many different aspects when it comes to an Ofsted inspection. Discover some of the questions you could be asked.

    The 2023 KCSIE Filtering and Monitoring Updates Every School Needs to Know

    The updated KCSIE 2023 guidance highlights new responsibilities for DSLs, regarding how their school filtering and monitoring systems are managed.

    Latest content


    Safer Internet Day 2024: A 'Spotlight on Digital Safety'

    As part of Safer Internet Day, we share our latest impact stats and highlight the importance of putting a ‘Spotlight on Digital Safety’.

    How to Keep Pupils Safe Online

    As 2024 sees the introduction of the Online Safety Bill, now is the perfect time to review schools' digital safeguarding practices. Kat Howard looks at the key points to consider.

    Navigating Harmful Content: A Guide to Managing Children’s Exposure to Distressing Content

    Discover how you can manage children's exposure to distressing content online. This article has been written to help schools and parents protect and support their children.

    World Mental Health Day: How Can Busy DSLs Spot Students with Mental Health Concerns?

    10th October marks World Mental Health Day, which promotes mental health and wellbeing as a global priority. Learn more in our article.

    World Suicide Prevention Day: Let’s Live in a World Where Fewer Lives Are Lost to Suicide

    World Suicide Prevention Day on 10th September takes place to drive awareness to Government, businesses, public institutions and individuals.

    The 2023 KCSIE Filtering and Monitoring Updates Every School Needs to Know

    The updated KCSIE 2023 guidance highlights new responsibilities for DSLs, regarding how their school filtering and monitoring systems are managed.

    Help Students with Exam-Related Stress to Easily Speak Up

    Discover how DSLs can easily check-in and support students who are experiencing exam-related stress and anxiety in this article.

    The Problem of Pornography in Schools & Colleges and How Digital Monitoring Can Help DSLs

    Since the beginning of the pandemic, we've seen a significant increase in children accessing pornography. Discover how digital Monitoring can help identify the issues.

    Snapchat’s AI Chatbot and the Implications for Student Wellbeing

    Snapchat's recently launched ‘My AI’ came under criticism due to concerns surrounding child online safety and privacy. Find out more here.

    Twitter Ticks and the Implications for Child Online Safety

    Here's a round up of the latest developments surrounding the removal of ‘legacy’ verification ticks from Twitter accounts and the implications for student online safety.

    Let’s Connect: Encourage Children to Speak Up About Their Wellbeing

    Children's Mental Health Week 2023 - Encouraging children to have healthy connections with those around them, to help their sense of wellbeing.

    How to Empower Your Whole-School Community to Have Online Safety Conversations?

    Katherine Howard, our Head of Education and Engagement, shares why it’s important to encourage conversations with students about safety online.

    As a DSL, Do You Fear Missing a Child at Risk?

    Discover how digital monitoring can help take the pressure off and be your eyes and ears in the digital environment.

    Cyberbullying – What Is It, What’s Its Impact and How Can DSLs Spot It at an Earlier Stage?

    In support of Anti-Bullying Week, we'd like to draw attention to cyberbullying to help schools understand the scale of the problem and its impact. Read more here.

    Digital Monitoring – 14 Questions Ofsted May Ask You During an Inspection and Why

    Monitoring can have an impact on many different aspects when it comes to an Ofsted inspection. Discover some of the questions you could be asked.

    How to Prepare for Integrating a New School into Your Multi-Academy Trust

    Learn how you can prepare for integration and overcome the challenges of adding a new school to your Multi-Academy Trust?

    How Digital Monitoring Can Help Tackle Cyberbullying in Schools, Colleges and MATs

    Discover how digital monitoring can help schools, colleges and MATs tackle cyberbullying head-on in this article.

    How DSLs Can Spot the Signs of Self-Harm in Schools and Colleges

    The warning signs of a student at risk of self-harm are often hidden. Discover how digital monitoring can make the invisible risks, visible in this article.

    Huggy Wuggy: What DSLs Need to Know About the Rise in Disturbing Social Media Trends

    Learn how digital monitoring can help DSLs spot students at risk of negative social media trends in schools and colleges.

    KCSIE Update 2022

    Kat Howard, our Head of Education & Wellbeing, explores the 2022 KCSIE guidance and the three key filter & monitoring updates schools need to be aware of.

    How Digital Monitoring Can Be a Vital Time-Saving Tool for Busy DSLs

    Keeping children safe in their education environment comes with some often harsh realities. Read this article to see how digital monitoring can help.

    Novalis Trust – Smoothwall Filter Case Study

    Discover how Novalis Trust uses Smoothwall Filter to provide an improved internet experience to both students and staff, even when using BYOD.

    1 in 10 DSLs Admit to Not Being Able to Spot a Child with Mental Health Issues, Can You?

    Find out how safeguarding solutions can help you identify students at risk.

    The Growing Problem of Online Grooming and How Digital Monitoring Can Help

    Digital monitoring can help alert school DSLs to risks of grooming and enable fast intervention. Discover more here.

    How DSLs Can Identify and Support Students Struggling with Gaming Trolls and Threats

    Learn how to spot students who are struggling with trolls, cyberbullying and threats in online games they play in this article.

    The Secret Language of Self-Harm: Where Are the Risks and How Digital Monitoring Can Help

    Understand the secret language of self-harm, discover the dangers online platforms can pose and learn how digital monitoring can help.

    Lawnswood School – Smoothwall Filter Case Study

    Learn how Lawnswood School use Smoothwall Filter to effectively block students from accessing games and social sites during lessons.

    How Proactive Monitoring Can Help Identify Pupils at Risk of Mental Health Issues in Your School or College

    Digital monitoring provides DSLs with an extra pair of eyes and ears enabling them to identify pupils at risk of mental health issues. Learn more.

    How DSLs Can Advise Students to Stay Safe When Playing Online Games and Apps

    Discover top tips and advice on how to keep children and young people safe when they’re using online games and apps.

    How Digital Monitoring is Transforming Student Safety While Reducing DSL’s Workload

    Learn how proactive monitoring can help DSLs transform student safety, reduce workload, and save valuable time.

    How Can Proactive Monitoring Can Help Tackle the Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Culture in Schools and Colleges?

    Learn how digital monitoring can help school DSLs tackle the sexual violence and sexual harassment culture in schools and colleges.

    What Are the Most Common Risks in Gaming Apps Used by Children and What Do DSLs Need to be Aware Of?

    We give DSLs an insight into the most common online safety risks that students may be exposed to and explain how to make invisible risks, visible.

    Smoothwall Acquires eSafe Global

    Smoothwall, the market-leading developer of web filtering and proactive monitoring solutions, has announced it has acquired eSafe Global.

    The UKSIC Definitions on ‘Appropriate Monitoring’ Have Changed

    The UKSIC Definitions on ‘Appropriate Monitoring’ have changed. Our article explains why more emphasis has been placed on digital monitoring than ever before.

    A Cost Guide to Digital Monitoring in Education

    We've highlighted some key considerations and questions to bear in mind when choosing your digital monitoring vendor to ensure you get the best price possible. Learn more.

    What is a WinBook, and Why Do We Like It?

    Our Senior Product Manager shares his views on a new environment type emerging - the WinBook.

    Student Safeguarding: A Quick Guide to the Five Key Digital Safety Technologies

    Student safeguarding in a MAT. Discover a quick guide to the 5 key digital safety technologies designed to protect children at every touchpoint.

    New Ways of Ensuring Joined Up and Accessible Safeguarding Data in Your MAT

    Learn about the holistic view of student wellbeing, enabled by technology that now permits an integration of data streams.

    Student Safeguarding in a Multi-Academy Trust – Is Your Web Filter Exposing Your Students to Risk?

    Did you know that if the web filters used across your Multi-Academy Trust aren’t real-time you could be exposing your pupils to harmful content. Learn more.

    How to Use Digital Monitoring to Support Vulnerable Students Returning to School

    Digital monitoring plays a crucial part in helping schools spot vulnerable students who may have been impacted by isolation. Find out more in this article.

    Why Digital Safeguarding Records are an Imperative for Schools Amidst the COVID-19 Crisis

    Learn how digital safeguarding record manager solutions can support you in protection students at this difficult time.

    How to Ensure Safe Online Learning When Using Zoom

    Learn about the danger of Zoombombing and how to ensure safe online learning when using the video conferencing platform Zoom.

    Houseparty Video Call App Could Put Children at Risk – How Can You Keep Young People Safe?

    As video call app Houseparty grows in popularity, our article explains what parents need to know and how you can help keep children safe. Learn more.

    Global Health Situation: Offsite Filtering and Remote Network Access

    Read our guidance on offsite filtering and remote network access. We're here to help.

    This is Why We Must All Work Proactively to Safeguard Children Online

    Read our article on why we must all work proactively to safeguard children online and learn why an holistic, multi-agency approach is key.

    The Body Image Issue: Can a Holistic Approach Safeguard Young People Online?

    Read our article on 'The body image issue' and discover why a holistic approach to safeguarding young people online is needed to combat the issue.

    Smoothwall Makes it onto The Sunday Times UK’s ‘Top 100 Best Small Companies to Work For 2020’ List

    Smoothwall are delighted to have been named as one of the UK's '100 Best Small Companies to Work For' by The Sunday Times. Find out more here.

    Safer Internet Day – How to Choose the Right Web Filter for Your School’s Needs

    This Safer Internet Day, learn the key factors you should consider when choosing the right web filter for your school's needs. Read more here.

    Building a Digital Safety Culture: How to Involve the Whole-School Community

    Creating a digital safety culture that involves all stakeholders will result in better protection for the whole school community and better pupil outcomes.

    The Unique Digital Safety Challenges Independent Schools Face and How to Address Them

    Every school must keep their students safe in the online world but for independent schools their digital safety challenges can be critical. Find out more.

    KCSIE a Review of the Recent Statutory Changes to Education and Training of Online Safety

    Smoothwall's expert, Rob Faulkner, and National Online Safety's specialist, Chris Skinner, discuss the implications of the guidance changes for DSLs and school leaders.

    The Importance of Non-English Web Filtering

    Schools with student populations where English is not the first language must have a web filter capable of handling different languages. Read more here.

    Aletheia Anglican Academies Trust Can Now Scale Infinitely with Smoothwall Filter

    Learn how Aletheia Anglican Academies Trust can now scale infinitely to provide current & new schools with premium safeguard filtering in this case study.

    How Durham County Council ICT School Services - Smoothwall Filter Case Study

    See how Smoothwall Filter is helping Durham County Council ICT School Services by giving them the tools to provide tailored web filtering for each school.

    How Can MATs Identify Students at Risk of Involvement in County Lines and Gang Violence?

    Discover how digital monitoring can be used to identify students at risk of involvement in County Lines and gang violence.

    How Can a Digital Monitoring Solution Improve Safeguarding Across Your MAT?

    Learn how a digital monitoring solution can help raise your safeguarding standards and protect from dangerous incidents occurring.

    How Can Multi-Academy Trusts Improve Learning Outcomes in the Digital Classroom?

    Do you want to know how technology can enable lessons to be as outstanding as planned? We outline the effective technologies to have within your schools.

    How Can Digital Record Keeping Help Multi-Academy Trusts to Improve Safeguarding?

    Discover how digital record management solutions can keep your academies safer and give you a full overview of safeguarding activity across your Trust.

    How to Spot Those at Risk of Substance Abuse & County Lines Gangs in Independent Schools

    Discover how digital monitoring can help independent schools can identify students at risk in this article.

    How an Open Approach to Online Safety Could Help to Improve Digital Resilience in School Pupils

    How Independent Schools can improve pupil digital resilience with an open approach to online safety. Read our article to learn more.

    Self-Harm in Independent Schools – How to Spot the Signs of Risk

    Learn the key indicators Independent School teachers should look out for and how the use of digital monitoring can help spot the signs of risk.

    Prioritising online safety: A best practice guide for the whole independent school community

    Discover which technical aspects to consider when implementing a comprehensive online safety infrastructure that protects the whole-school community.

    Should Smartphones be Banned in Independent Schools?

    Find out why one Independent School has chosen to ban smartphones as part of their digital strategy and the positive impact it has had on pupils.

    Digital Monitoring in Schools: An Unlikely but Crucial Component in Maintaining Academic Excellence

    How can digital monitoring help Independent Schools transform academic performance and student outcomes? Read our blog to find out more.

    The Importance of Flexible Policy Controls in School Web Filtering

    Find out how a flexible web filtering policy can provide a premium solution for independent schools in this article.

    Web Filtering and the RIPA - Being Prepared

    When it comes to web filtering and the RIPA, is your filter logging sufficient enough to satisfy any law enforcement enquiries? Find out in this article.

    Recreational Web Filtering in a Boarding School Environment

    Learn how you can authenticate and protect students on their own devices with 802.1x and transparent filtering.

    How to Choose the Right Web Filter for Your School, College or MAT

    Choosing a web filter is no longer an isolated job. Learn which 'close relatives' and allies you should consider when ensuring your filtering is as effective as it can be.

    How to Tell if Your School’s Web Filter is Designed for Education

    Learn the key signs which suggest your web filter wasn't designed for education. Find out more.

    Web Filtering – The Road to Standardisation Across Multi-Academy Trusts

    Discover the technological challenges that Multi-Academy Trusts who take existing schools and bring them under their collective organisation face.

    How to Scale Digital Safeguarding Technology Across a Multi-Academy Trust

    Scaling digital safeguarding technology across Multi-Academy Trust can help provide a consistently high level of care in a cost-effective way. Learn more here.

    Web Filtering and AI Evaluation

    The web is so big today that it’s unusual to find any web filter vendor not making use of machine learning or intelligence – but how can you compare these systems? Learn more.

    Web Filtering and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

    Allowing students to connect their devices to the school network is becoming commonplace. Learn how you can offer filtered internet access to guest devices.

    Cyberbullying in Schools – How Can You Spot Pupils Harming or Being Harmed?

    There are endless ways for cyberbullying to occur in schools but how can you be sure your students are protected? Do you know what signs to look for?

    Web Filtering – 14 Questions Ofsted May Ask You During an Inspection and Why

    Web filtering can have a big impact when it comes to an Ofsted inspection, but do you know what questions they may ask and why? Find out here.

    The Impact DNS-Over-HTTP (DoH) Will Have on Protecting Children Online

    Discover the impact that DNS-over-HTTP will have on young people from harmful content and abuse online.

    Web Filtering Statutory Requirements and Guidelines

    When reviewing your web filtering it's a good idea to revisit the statutory requirements and guidelines to ensure you stay up to date. Learn more here.

    The Challenges Independent Schools Face When Choosing a Web Filter

    Learn about the challenges Independent schools face when choosing a web filter and how Smoothwall's solutions are designed with your needs in mind.

    Looking After Young People's Mental Health Online – A Guide to Improving Mental and Wellbeing

    The internet can be used to expose young people to bullying, grooming, sexual harassment and more. Read on to discover how to look after their wellbeing.

    Protecting Vulnerable Users Against “Suicide Games”

    Discover how you can protect your vulnerable users from suicide games using web filtering and digital monitoring technologies in this article.

    Is Social Media Causing Anxiety Amongst Young People?

    Research from Ditch the Label suggests it is. This article explores how social media impacts young people and what we can do to help.

    How Smoothwall’s Web Filter Stops Your Most Distracting Apps

    Discover how Smoothwall Filter can help stop students from accessing the most distracting apps.

    Smoothwall Acquires Safeguard Software

    Smoothwall is delighted to announce that Safeguard Software - a leading provider of record management software - is now part of the Smoothwall family.

    Why a Holistic Approach is Needed to Effectively Safeguard Children Online

    With the increase of safeguarding risks in the digital environment, discover how digital monitoring & filtering can protect students online and offline in this article.

    Why Calm and Practical Steps are Needed to Protect Children from ‘Games’ such as Momo

    Momo, the social media game that targets young people with violent images and dares, is in the news again. Learn more in this article.

    Birmingham Metropolitan College – Smoothwall Monitor Case Study

    Discover how Birmingham Metropolitan College uses Smoothwall Monitor to identify vulnerable students and provide support in this case study.

    Great Torrington School – Smoothwall Filter Case Study

    Learn how Great Torrington School uses Smoothwall Filter to restrict access to social media sites during lessons and control bandwidth.

    Warwickshire County Council – Smoothwall Filter Case Study

    Discover why WCC ICT Development Service chose Smoothwall Filter due to it's flexibility and ability to adapt policies for different groups/locations.

    Berwick Academy – Smoothwall Filter Case Study

    Find out how Berwick Academy use Smoothwall Filter to provide safe and secure internet access to over 900 pupils and staff in this case study.

    King Edward VII Academy – Smoothwall Filter Case Study

    Discover how King Edward VII Academy is able to control internet usage block inappropriate content with Smoothwall Filter.

    North East Learning Trust – Smoothwall Filter Case Study

    Discover how North East Learning Trust use Smoothwall Filter to provide safe and secure BYOD filtering for the first time in this case study.

    Rye St Antony – Smoothwall Filter Case Study

    Discover how Rye St Antony use Smoothwall Filter to provide varied but safe levels of internet access throughout the school and boarding houses.

    Smoothwall has acquired Future Digital

    Smoothwall, the market-leading developer of web filtering and monitoring solutions, has announced it has acquired digital safeguarding company Future Digital.

    Trending topics


    Latest videos


    6 min video
    How Digital Monitoring Can Help DSLs Save Valuable Time
    Ann Rose, Computing and E-safety lead, shares her school's experience of digital monitoring and how it helped to transform their safeguarding provisions.
    6 min video
    Improving Student Engagement with a Wellbeing Platform
    Safeguarding Coordinator, Ellie Green, explains how a wellbeing platform enables their Trust to connect and build better relationships with students.
    4 min video
    The Impact of Digital Monitoring
    IT Manager at Hipperholme Grammar School, Andy Eastcrabbe, talks about the impact of digital monitoring in their environment. 

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