Incident reporting

In the event of an e-safety incident, please follow the procedures outlined in the Northumberland Safeguarding Children's Board flowchart. If the incident has a racist element, please also see the NCC Community Cohesion site.

Further guidance on the range of likely minor and major incidents may be available in the schools section of the Becta website.

Further advice on securing evidence may also be available in the schools section of the Becta website. If the school identifies a suspect device (containing for instance indecent images or offences concerning child protection), it should not be used or viewed and advice sought from the Northumbria Police hi-tech crime unit via a local police station rather than commence your own investigations. To do so may result in the loss of valuable evidence both on and off the premises if suspects inadvertently become aware of raised suspicions. In some circumstances such interference may itself also constitute a criminal offence.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) provides information on dealing with illegal content. Download the IWF best practice guide on handling indecent or potentially illegal images of children. Any Internet content you believe to be potentially illegal, indecent (including images of child abuse), criminally obscene or of an incitement or racial hatred nature should also be reported to the Internet Watch Foundation.

Any inappropriate or potentially illegal activity with or towards a child online should also be reported to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.

If a child is in immediate danger or an urgent response is required, contact Northumbria Police.

Education and Inspections Act 2006

Becta’s guidance document ‘AUPs in Context: Establishing safe and responsible online behaviours’ published in February 2009 states, ‘Sections 90 and 91 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 provide new statutory powers for staff to discipline pupils for inappropriate behaviour or for not following instructions, both on and off school premises. Section 94 also gives schools the power to confiscate items from pupils as a disciplinary penalty.

These powers may be particularly important when dealing with e-safety issues: we know, for example, that online bullying may take place both inside and outside school, and so this legislation will give schools the legal power to intervene should incidents occur. It also gives teachers the power to confiscate mobile phones, and other personal devices, if they suspect that they are being used to compromise the wellbeing and safety of others.'

Additionally, the DCSF booklet ‘Cyberbullying, Supporting School Staff’ states that, ‘School staff can confiscate a mobile phone as a disciplinary penalty, and have a legal defence in respect of this in the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (s 94). N.B. Staff cannot search the contents of a pupil’s mobile phone without the consent of that pupil. Where a pupil refuses to allow the contents of his/her phone to be searched, the matter can be referred to the police who have more extensive search powers. If the pupil is suspected to have committed a criminal offence, it may be advisable to involve the police from the outset.’