360 safe Cymru
A bilingual online safety tool for maintained schools in Wales.
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Overview
Online safety affects us all, from individuals young and old to organisations large and small. All schools have statutory duties to operate in a way that ensures learners are safeguarded and that their welfare is promoted within the school.
360 safe Cymru is an interactive online safety self-review tool which is available bilingually through Hwb for all maintained schools in Wales.
The tool supports schools to review their online safety provision and develop and review their online safety policies in line with current practice. Schools can use the tool to produce action plans to improve online safety provision and access a range of relevant resources and example policy templates that can be adapted to meet the needs of the school.
Why use 360 safe Cymru?
Schools can follow the structure of the tool and information provided to identify areas of online safety provision that need strengthening in their school and prepare action plans to improve provision.
Schools can access up to date template policies that can be adapted to their school setting.
The tool provides schools with the opportunity to look at online safety as a school community, promoting the understanding of online safety procedures, processes and safeguards while preparing school staff to respond to incidents that might arise or be reported in school.
Schools can re-visit their self-review regularly to maintain and improve their online safety provision.
Feedback from schools that are using the tool
“It really does help us identify our strengths and weaknesses, and allows us to make progress by specifically stating what steps could be taken next.”
All age school, Pembrokeshire
“Going through this process has made us look at things we would never have thought about before. You don’t know what you don’t know! We feel that the school is now in a much stronger position.”
Comprehensive School, Bridgend
“Where we were lacking policies, we were able to use the templates provided to develop new systems. The tool is easy to access for all Hwb users, plus the navigation and interface is simple to use.”
Primary School, Torfaen
“The tool gives clear guidance of where you are and of the next steps that need to be taken.”
Primary School, Rhondda Cynon Taf
“The use of the 360 safe online tool has enabled us to move from a school that was OK at online safety to one which now really addresses issues and ensures that everyone in the community is moving along the same continuum towards being safe in all spheres of our digital lives. The journey has been intense and must be a whole school process, as to be otherwise, negates the core purpose of online safety.”
Primary School, Powys
How to access 360 safe Cymru
Once a user has logged in to Hwb, the 360 Cymru icon will become available on their home page. Each school must register for their own 360 safe Cymru organisational account and account administrator(s) (which includes the headteacher as a minimum by default) may allow as many users to register to that account as required. Account administrators manage the access and permissions of all users in their school, including assigning administrator permissions to other staff members if appropriate.
Most schools in Wales have a registered 360 safe Cymru account, but for those wishing to register or who want to identify current administrators and users in their school, please email 360safe@swgfl.org.uk or use the 360safeCymru contact form.
How to check or register my Hwb account in 360 safe Cymru
Log in to Hwb and click on 360 Cymru on your home page.
If you are already registered
- You will be re-directed to your school’s ‘Welcome to your online safety review’ dashboard page.
- Your name and school will be visible in the profile box in the top right-hand side of the application window.
If you are not registered
- Complete the online registration form with your full name and Hwb email address.
- Your school’s 360 safe Cymru administrator(s) will be automatically informed of your registration request and must approve this before you can access the tool.
- Once approved, you will be sent a time limited verification email.
Using the tool
The 360 safe Cymru tool allows you to rate your school against a number of different online safety criteria. It is structured into:
Elements
The elements provide the highest level in the structure, defining the 4 main categories in which the review is carried out, these are ‘Policy and leadership’, ‘Education’, ‘Technology’ and ‘Outcomes’.
Each element provides the starting point for the review and consists of a number of strands and aspects.
Strands
There are 8 strands in total divided between the four elements. Each strand is then further divided into aspects.
Aspects
There are 21 aspects to complete in total.
Within each aspect there are 5 level statements starting with Level 5 up to Level 1 which represents the highest level of achievement. Schools select the statement that best reflects their current position.
Dashboard
The ‘Dashboard’ includes a radar graph which provides an overview of your school’s progress within the tool and the areas of online safety that need improvement. The levels you have selected for each aspect are shown in green, along with the current national level in blue and recommended benchmark levels in red.
For more information about using 360 safe Cymru please visit FAQ & Support.
