Parent Zone and Securus join forces to help schools meet KCSIE duties

/in /by

digitalschoolsprogramme

November 2016, London
Parent Zone and Securus join forces to help schools meet KCSIE duties

Parent Zone has joined forces with leading e-Safety software and monitoring company Securus to help secondary schools comply with the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) statutory guidance.
Securus will buy each of its new secondary school customers Parent Zone’s Digital Schools membership (worth £600), which offers a host of resources for schools to keep children safe, support resilience and educate them for a digital future.
The KCSIE guidance, which came into force on 5 September this year, requires schools to:
 have appropriate filtering and monitoring systems in place;  have an effective policy for dealing with incidents of concern that have been flagged up by the monitoring software;  ensure that pupils and staff are kept up to date and informed about online safety (an additional responsibility that was introduced this year);  ensure that pupils are not excessively blocked or over monitored to the extent that it restricts their educational opportunities.
Securus’s software monitors a school’s network for incidents which breach its acceptable use policy. For example, if a student was to Google a word on a school’s watch list, such as ‘pornography’, it will be captured and flagged up by the monitoring system.
Greg Johnson, CEO of Securus says: ‘We are thrilled to be partnering with Parent Zone and have long admired the work that Vicki Shotbolt and her team do. At Securus, e-Safety is not just our business – it is our passion. Like Parent Zone, we believe that the way to improve outcomes for young people in a digital world is by teaching children, parents and teachers how to enjoy the benefits of modern technology, while avoiding its inherent dangers. By working in partnership, Parent Zone and Securus can reach an even wider audience and achieve our common aim of promoting lasting improvements in online behaviour and the safe and responsible use of new technologies.’

Vicki Shotbolt, CEO of Parent Zone says: ‘Now that Digital Schools membership is delivered alongside Securus’s software system, schools will know how to respond and effectively deal with online concerns such as cyberbully, sexting and grooming.
‘Our Digital Schools membership offers a host of resources designed to give schools the support that they need in the digital age, enhancing the software system and package sold by Securus.’
To find out more please contact press@parentzone.org.uk or call 020 704 0415.