Delivering online learning: safeguarding principles and practice

Introduction

This Welsh Government guidance outlines how online tools, such as Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, can be used effectively to maintain learning and contact during periods of disruption or absence, while prioritising the safety, security and welfare of learners and staff. Aimed at maintained schools and settings in Wales, this guidance is also of use to other practitioners, such as therapists, educational psychologists, additional learning needs coordinators (ALNCo), support assistants and teaching assistants, youth workers, learning advisory staff and peripatetic services.

Digital learning context in Wales

Through Hwb, the digital learning platform for Wales, learners and practitioners from maintained schools and settings have access to a range of online learning tools, such as Microsoft Teams in Microsoft Office 365 and Google Meet in Google Workspace for Education.

Using these applications can provide an interactive experience and an opportunity to collaborate and engage in a safe and accessible way. There are practical guides available that explain the features of Microsoft Teams and Google Meet and how to use these for live lessons. 

Safeguarding responsibilities

Maintained schools and settings, governing bodies, headteachers and staff must have full regard to national safeguarding guidance and local safeguarding policies.

In all maintained schools and settings, headteachers and governing bodies (or equivalents) are accountable for safeguarding, and this guidance should be observed alongside local guidance.

In developing their approach, schools must undertake a risk assessment and review their safeguarding processes and procedures (including reporting mechanisms) to ensure the safety and security of their learners and staff.

The Welsh Government recommends that:

• all lessons or sessions should be carried out through Hwb using Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, rather than an external provider, or the school or setting’s own implementation of Google or Microsoft 365
• the practitioner uses a school or setting-issued device. Staff should not use their own personal equipment under any circumstances
• due regard should be given to the considerations outlined in this guidance to ensure learners and all practitioners are appropriately protected and safeguarded

The differences between a synchronous and asynchronous approach

It is useful to note the key differences between approaches that involve real-time interaction and those that involve one-way broadcasting, ‘live-streaming’. This can help you choose the appropriate format for your activity.

A synchronous approach involves real-time participation, where everyone joins at the same time and there is the option to interact with each other through audio, video and chat. This is ideal for lessons, small group work, meetings and well-being check-ins because it allows immediate feedback and active engagement.

An asynchronous approach is one-way broadcasting, where content is shared by a presenter and viewed either live or later as a recording. This offers flexibility for families and is particularly useful for large-scale events such as assemblies, webinars, or lessons where interaction is limited to typed questions during the live session.

The difference between lessons and sessions

For the purpose of this guidance:

• a lesson refers to the delivery of a classroom lesson 
• a session refers to instances outside of a typical lesson where there may be only one learner present such as a well-being catch-up session with a learner or an additional learning need (ALN) appointment

Please note the term learner is used throughout the document to describe children and young people in lesson or session situations.

Key principles: safeguarding at the core

• Whether learners are at home or in the classroom, safeguarding and welfare of learners is paramount and takes precedence over all other considerations. As outlined in the Keeping learners safe guidance, practitioners have a duty to report children at risk (including online abuse) under section 130 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. This applies equally whether learning is delivered online or in the classroom.
• At all times you should follow the school or setting safeguarding policies. All issues relating to online safeguarding should be dealt with in the same way as face-to-face teaching or interactions.
• The maintained school or setting’s policies for online safety, staff and learner well-being, safeguarding and distance learning, should reflect how online lessons or sessions will be carried out and monitored. The 360 degree safe Cymru tool is available on Hwb and supports schools and settings review their online safety policy and practice.
• Policies and procedures for reporting incidents of misuse must be followed at all times. As outlined in the Keeping Learners Safe guidance, practitioners have a duty to report children at risk (including online abuse) under section 130 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.
• If a learner requests a one-to-one online chat about a serious issue, staff must prioritise supporting the learner. The discussion should take place in accordance with the school’s safeguarding policy and procedures.
• If you have any safeguarding concerns about a child, you should discuss these with the Designated Safeguarding Person (DSP) for your school or setting ensuring your concerns are reported as soon as possible.
• If for any reason you cannot contact the DSP for your school or setting, contact the local authority Children’s Services Team and report your concerns.
• If you think a child or young person is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999.
• For further resources, guidance and information on keeping safe online, including help and support services, please visit the Keeping safe online area of Hwb.

Initial considerations 

When planning lessons or sessions, practitioners must consider:

• the purpose, benefits, limitations and appropriateness of the delivery format
• the suitability for all learners based on their individual circumstances
• the number of learners on a lesson or session
• the availability of learners, for example, whether all learners are available to attend for the full duration of the lesson or session
• the length and time of lessons and sessions
• the connectivity and devices available to learners and staff members

Preparations

If it is determined that an online lesson or session is suitable, the following should be undertaken as part of any preparations:

• Seek authorisation from your school or setting’s senior leadership team beforehand and let them know the planned timetable of all lessons or sessions.
• Ensure any lessons are planned in advance and sufficient notice is given to learners and parents or carers as required.
• Ensure appropriate use agreements are in place for all learners involved and that these agreements are clearly communicated to learners and shared with parents and carers. The agreement will set out clear expectations from all parties and identify actions that will be taken if the agreement is broken. Please refer to the example agreement for use with online classes, which is available as a downloadable Word document at the bottom of this page.
• Maintain a central record of all online events alongside a list of attendees.
• Ensure all learners have access to software applications required, for example Microsoft Teams. This can be facilitated through the Hwb platform.
• Check all content is appropriate and for any tasks requiring online research, check the suitability of the websites prior to the lesson.
• Be mindful that if the lesson includes tasks, some learners may require more time than others.
• Familiarise yourself with functions of Microsoft Teams or Google Meet and how to use the chosen tool effectively, practicing with other staff members if helpful.

Location, camera and audio settings

It is essential to carefully consider location, audio and camera settings to uphold a professional and responsible presence at all times. This is particularly important when practitioners or learners are at home. Practitioners must undertake the following considerations.

Location

If a practitioner is leading or a learner is joining a video-conferencing call or live-streaming call from home or remotely they should:

• choose a neutral location that is appropriate and safe, for example a living room, a study or a kitchen
• encourage learners to work from a suitable communal home location where they feel comfortable, preferably accompanied by their parent or carer
• reduce the possibility of the lesson being interrupted by other household members or pets

Camera settings

• Carefully consider what is in view of the camera. Check that the background is professional and does not contain images or information that should not be shared or that could be deemed inappropriate.
• It may be helpful to ask a ‘critical friend’ to check what is in view of the camera.
• Where possible, it is recommended that practitioners and learners change their background as standard practice. You could design and upload a background as a participatory class activity.

Audio

The use of a headset with microphone (like those available with many mobile phones) is recommended for audio clarity.

Professional conduct

Practitioners should continue to work in the same professional manner as they would in the classroom.

Practitioners should:

• join the lesson or session before the scheduled time to ensure a proper connection and review the lesson plan
• adhere to professional standards of dress when in front of the camera
• focus on clear communication and be mindful that tone and context can be harder to interpret online
• be mindful of the need for confidentiality, especially if delivering a lesson from a venue where other adults or children are present
• end the session for all participants, ensuring learners are not left alone and unsupervised in a lesson or session after the practitioner has left

Recording lessons and sessions: important UK GDPR considerations

There is recording functionality available in both Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.

As a recording of practitioners or learners will contain personal data and possibly special category data, the school or setting’s senior management team should develop a policy for recording live lessons and sessions. In developing this policy, advice should be sought from the school or setting’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) to ensure that the storing and sharing of any recordings complies with all the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). 

This will include setting out the purposes for which the school or setting is processing the data, the legal basis on which they rely as well as respecting the personal data rights of practitioners and learners. More information and guidance is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

When recording live lessons, practitioners and learners should comply with their school or setting’s policy for recording live lessons and sessions as well as all other relevant policies. Recordings must not be used for any teacher-evaluation purpose.

If you intend on recording a lesson or session to share with learners at a later date, this should be done as a live-streaming event or pre-recorded lesson, without learners present.

Learner behaviour and etiquette

A ‘classroom standard’ of behaviour should be expected. Setting out acceptable behaviours and expectations from the outset is essential for ensuring an effective and orderly lesson or session.

Practitioners should undertake the following:

• Clearly communicate that ‘classroom standard’ of behaviour is expected at all times.
• Make parents and carers aware of the expected behaviours and requirements, including location to join the lesson or session, appropriate dress and background setting.
• Make all the learners ‘attendees’ and not ‘presenters’. If you ask a learner to share their screen and any work that they do, make them presenters. Afterwards change them back to attendees.
• Create and agree clear ground rules to reflect the standard of behaviour expected based on their existing school or setting behaviour management policy.
• Explain the rules at the introduction of the lesson or session, for example, who can speak, how to ask a question or ask for help. Using the chat function can allow the structured engagement with attendees.
• Remind learners about agreed rules at the start of each lesson or session and outline how they can raise concerns if required.

Practitioners can open the participant list and remove learners if they are behaving inappropriately. This should be documented and any sanctions applied in accordance with the school’s behaviour policy.

If something inappropriate is shared on the screen, practitioners should end the lesson or session as soon as possible and raise the issue with the DSP. All learners in the room can then be contacted as soon as possible after the event to inform them of what happened, and what the arrangements are for future lessons or sessions. In line with safeguarding guidelines, the practitioner must write a full account and record in the usual way.

Tips for effective practice

Create or adapt a class charter with learners as a participatory activity. Children’s rights can provide a basis to develop its key principles, including the rights to:

• be safe
• learn
• express an opinion
• equality and non-discrimination
• privacy
• develop talents and skills to the full

Learners can develop a list of key video-conferencing behaviours that uphold their rights and the rights of others. This can be referred to throughout the lesson or session.

Linking up two sites for synchronous learning

There may be instances where a school or setting may wish to link up with another site. Such instances could include the following:

• Linking up with another classroom in their school or setting.
• Linking up with learners where some are in school or setting and some are at home.
• Linking up with other classrooms to facilitate a lesson or session between different year groups, for example to enable the school council to meet.

In all instances, schools and settings should adhere to the guidance outlined in this document.

External organisations

There may be occasions where schools or settings wish to arrange lessons or sessions with external organisations. For example, to deliver a music lesson.

These should be dealt with using the same safeguarding protocols as any lesson or session, with the additional points also recommended:

• The practitioner should set up and control the session, inviting the external organisation as a guest participant.
• The practitioner should clearly establish expectations and communicate the expectations set out in this guidance to the external provider.
• The practitioner should ensure they end the lesson or session for all.
• Other professionals involved in providing online sessions with learners or their families will have been provided with clear guidance from their professional associations or employers and should follow these in conjunction with this guidance.

Everyone in education services who comes into contact with children and young people and their families has a role to play in safeguarding. If a practitioner, member of staff or a learner experiences a problem online you should treat it in the same way as any incident in a school or setting.

How this guidance was developed

Originally published in May 2020 during the COVID-19 outbreak, when most practitioners were working from home, this guidance formed part of the continuity of learning ‘Stay Safe. Stay Learning.’ Programme. The previous title was ‘Live-streaming safeguarding principles and practice for education practitioners’. 

While it still retains guidance on working and learning from a home environment, it has since been updated to:

• reflect instances where practitioners and learners are back in the classroom
• ensure relevance for external practitioners and organisations that support maintained schools and settings and their learners
• remove the fixed requirement for the number of practitioners required for live-streaming (following feedback from schools and local authorities), allowing for local flexibility and decision-making 
• update language and terminology to reflect current practice when referring to the use of online tools, which are increasingly embedded in everyday teaching and learning