Can the same person be the senior leader and the governor for filtering and monitoring?

No — these roles are deliberately separate. One sits inside the operational leadership team; the other provides strategic challenge from the governing body.

Do we have to use a specific filtering product?

No. KCSIE 2025 and the DfE standards are technology-agnostic. They focus on outcomes: blocked categories, monitoring alerts reaching the right person, and clear ownership.

What about when pupils use their own data on phones?

School filtering does not extend to mobile data. Your mobile phone policy, behaviour policy, and pupil education must cover this gap. Some schools require devices in lockers or pouches during the day.

For leadership

Filtering and Monitoring Standards: Practical Checklist

What filtering and monitoring really means under KCSIE 2025 and the DfE standards — ownership, review cycle, evidence, provider questions, and governor oversight.

Overview

The DfE filtering and monitoring standards sit alongside KCSIE 2025. Schools must identify a senior leader and governor with named responsibility, review the systems at least annually, and assure themselves they are effective. Filtering blocks harmful content; monitoring records what people do so concerns can be acted on. Both are required.

Key points

Filtering and monitoring are distinct duties — both must be in place.
Named senior leader (often the DSL) and named governor are required.
Annual review is the minimum; six-monthly is good practice.
Effectiveness is judged by outcomes, not just by the technology installed.
Provider contracts must show how alerts reach the right person, fast.
Out-of-hours and BYOD scenarios must be considered, not ignored.

Practical steps

Step 1

Confirm in writing who the senior leader and link governor for filtering and monitoring are.

Step 2

Run the SWGfL Test Filtering tool annually to confirm category coverage.

Step 3

Review monitoring alerts received over the past year — who saw them, how fast, what action followed.

Step 4

Ask your provider the standard questions (see external sources) and record the answers.

Step 5

Brief governors on outcomes once a year, with anonymised examples.

Step 6

Update the acceptable use policy if any technical changes are made.

Checklist

Tick boxes are for on-screen working only — they do not save between visits. Use the checklist as a prompt and capture outcomes in your school's safeguarding system.

Senior leader for filtering and monitoring is named in writingGreen
Link governor for filtering and monitoring is named in writingGreen
Annual review of filtering and monitoring completed and minutedAmber
SWGfL Test Filtering (or equivalent) run in the last 12 monthsAmber
Monitoring alert log reviewed termly by the DSLAmber
Provider has confirmed alert escalation routes in writingGreen
Out-of-hours alerting procedure documentedRed
BYOD and staff devices included in scope or explicitly out of scopeAmber

What not to do

Do not assume filtering protects against every category — risks evolve faster than block lists.
Do not let monitoring alerts pile up unread — even one missed alert can be serious.
Do not exclude BYOD or staff devices from the conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions

External sources

Meeting digital and technology standards in schools — filtering and monitoring — Department for Education
Test Filtering — South West Grid for Learning
Appropriate filtering and monitoring definitions — UK Safer Internet Centre

Last reviewed: 2026-05-20Next review: 2026-08-20Reviewed against: KCSIE 2025

This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.