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Education resources - UK Safer Internet Centre

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Online Safety Tips, Advice and Resources

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Inspector training videos | GoToStage.com

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Training for school inspectors These videos share the training that our inspectors received. We are making them available as part of our commitment to be a more transparent organisation. We also run regular webinars aimed at staff working in the sectors we inspect. We promote these through blogs,

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Safer Internet Day 2025 – Live Lesson: Tuesday 11 February, 11:00

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These Safer Internet Day 2025 Live Lesson and teaching resources are designed to help young people navigate the online world safely and positively.

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This Safer Internet Day 2024 Live Lesson and teaching resources is designed to help young people navigate the online world safely and positively.

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https://better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/adwiseonline/guide

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AdWiseOnline Guide_Outsmart online ads and traps_EN

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5-7

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Designed and Developed by South West Grid for Learning (https://swgfl.org.uk/)

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7-11

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Designed and Developed by South West Grid for Learning (https://swgfl.org.uk/)

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This resources aims to educate young people on inaccurate and pervasive information that they might come across online.

Developed in partnership with the London Grid for Learning (LGfL) Safeguarding Board, the resource contains lesson plans for both primary and secondary level that discuss how to think critically around the areas of content, contact, and propaganda material that may seek to persuade or change young people's views.

We have also produced guidance for educators which contains additional content to help you to deliver this resource. It includes an overview of the relevant laws online and definitions to support you in answering any questions which may arise during these sessions.

We hope that teachers will adapt these packs to suit their pupils and have created all the content under a creative commons licence so any changes can be made so they fit the specific needs of each school.

Download the packs containing lesson plans, worksheets and guidance

For

Topics

Type

Donate

Even a small donation can support the development of our online safety resources and help our Education Team to connect with more children and young people.
Donate

As part of our work in the UK Safer Internet Centre

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A resouce designed to educate young people around inaccurate and pervasive information online and open up discussions in order to devevlop their critical thinking skills.

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The web is full of photos, and even videos, that are digitally altered. And it's often hard to tell the difference between what's real and what's fake. Help your students ask critical questions about why someone might alter a photo or video in the first place.

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Is Seeing Believing? | Common Sense Education

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Why do people alter digital photos and videos? Check out Is Seeing Believing?, a free digital citizenship lesson plan from Common Sense Education, to get your grade 3 students thinking critically and using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.

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Protecting children from bullying and cyberbullying | NSPCC Learning

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Describes what bullying and cyberbullying is, how it affects children and how people working with children can prevent and respond to it.

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Live Data to look at

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You may start to see the brand new results page when you search for your train journey over the next few weeks. The new National Rail Journey Planner provides detailed, up-to-the-minute information about train services, fares and more, and you can plan up to 12 weeks in the future.

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National Rail - Welcome to the Official source for UK trains | National Rail

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You've found the gateway into Britain's national train and rail network. The portal to rail travel, including train company information, promotions; train times; fares enquiries; ticket purchase and train running information.

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Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map | Flightradar24

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The world's most popular flight tracker. Track planes in real-time on our flight tracker map and get up-to-date flight status & airport information.

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Train a computer to recognize your own images, sounds, & poses. A fast, easy way to create machine learning models for your sites, apps, and more – no expertise or coding required.

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Great for Chrome books

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AudioMass is a free full-featured web-based audio & waveform editing tool

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Music is for everyone. Play with simple experiments that let anyone, of any age, explore how music works.

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Teams

Get everything in the Premium plan, plus extras to meet the business needs of designers across the UK.
Learn more
First year only. Min. two seats required. One-year commitment required.
Free features include:

25 generative credits a month for features like Text to Image and Text Effects, powered by Adobe Firefly.

Features like drag and drop video creation and photo effects like remove background.¹

Import and enhance PDF files in the editor and get 10 free PDF Quick Actions per month.

Thousands of professionally designed static & video templates and design elements.

Animation presets to add motion to text, photos, videos, or design elements.

Everything in the Free plan plus more, such as:

250 generative credits a month for generative AI features like Generative Fill, Text to Image, and Text Effects, powered by Adobe Firefly.

Features like drag and drop video, remove background from images and video, refine cutout, resize and more.

Create Brand kits to keep logos, colors and fonts consistent and apply brand guidelines to images in a click.

Over 195 million on-trend, royalty-free Adobe Stock Collection photos, videos and music.³

Everything in the Premium plan plus more, such as:

1TB of storage per user.

180-day version history.

Admin Console for license management.

Ownership of all your corporate assets.

Sharing restrictions for your organisation.

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Free Online Photo & Design Tool | Adobe Express UK

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The free to use and intuitive Adobe Express software is available across the UK. Use the platform's tools to craft incredible designs and elevate your creativity.

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Instrumental music created using AI

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Haven't had any issues but recommend check lyrics before playing to class.

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Create stunning original music for free in seconds using our AI generator. Make your own masterpieces, share with friends, and discover music from artists worldwide.

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360 imagery helps you know where to go and what to expect when traveling. Explore world-famous landmarks, galleries, and museums right from your device, or turn the clock back with Street View historical imagery to see how a location has changed over time.

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Explore Street View and add your own 360 images to Google Maps.

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Learn how to navigate and use Street View. Explore the world without leaving your couch and create and add your own images into Google Maps.

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Coding and digital art | Computer Science - Coding: The Future is Creative

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Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.

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The Bebras Computing Challenge introduces computational thinking to students.
It is organized in over 50 countries and designed to get students all over the world excited about computing.
Each participant answer questions that focus on computational and logical thinking.
It is completed online in your own school.

What teachers say about the challenge:
"I just want to say how much the children are enjoying this competition. It is the first year we have entered, and I have students aged 8 to 11 participating in my Computing lessons, with some of our older students also taking on the challenges. It is really helping to challenge their thinking, and they are showing great determination to try and complete each task! Also fantastic to find something that works on our iPads, as most puzzles of this kind are flash based."

"Our students completed the challenge this morning, I just wanted to say thank you for running this. It's a brilliant idea!"

The Challenge is available for the following age groups:

* Kits and Castors can enter individually or as a small team (up to 4)

Anyone within these groups can participate; it does not matter if they are language students or born mathematicians! The questions only require thinking skills.

The aim of the Challenges:

Solve as many problems as you can in 40 minutes.
You are not expected to finish!

The problems come in three levels of difficulty: A, B and C.
The "A" problems are the easiest. "C" problems the hardest.
You can find a problem's difficulty in the problem overview before you click on it.
The difficulty of a problem determines how it will be scored.

The scoring rules are as follows:

Our Carbon Footprint:

Our computing based system requires no paper to be posted between schools and our offices as everything is done electronically. The data centre that hosts UK Bebras obtains its electricity from wind farms. When the wind doesn't blow the energy comes from the grid but when it does blow there is more than enough for the servers and the excess is returned to the grid. The net result is that UK Bebras is using 100% wind energy overall. The heat from cooling the servers, when everyone is beavering away, is used to heat buildings in the neighbourhood.

[ terms and conditions | privacy policy | info@bebras.uk ]

© 2018 - 2022 UK Bebras

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The Bebras Computing Challenge introduces computational thinking to students. It is organized in over 50 countries and designed to get students all over the world excited about computing.Each participant answer questions that focus on computational and logical thinking.It is completed online in your own school.

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Teachers: Empower your classroom with code

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Discover free coding lesson plans and resources at Barclays Code Playground. Engage students with exciting coding activities and teacher-friendly workbooks.

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Cyber security standards for schools and colleges

The cyber security standards have been updated to address tasks that should be completed by both the senior leadership team (SLT) and IT support. Cyber security is not something that IT teams can carry out alone, it is a shared responsibility between multiple roles and teams.

The new cyber security standards contain the same key information that the previous cyber security standards held, but the format of this has changed to make them more accessible to staff without cyber expertise.

The previous cyber security standards have been mapped to the new ones below, so that you can see where the previous information now lies.

1. 'Conduct a cyber risk assessment annually and review every term'. This new standard addresses:

- elements of the previous standard titled 'Your business continuity and disaster recovery plan should include a regularly tested contingency plan in response to a cyber attack'
- the importance of risk assessments; helping users understand where they are now and where they need to go next to improve their cyber security

2. 'Create and implement a cyber awareness plan for students and staff'. This standard addresses:

- the previous standard titled 'Train all staff with access to school IT networks in the basics of cyber security'
- the importance of students and staff understanding the risk of cyber security as your first line of defence against cyber incidents and attacks - this includes both training students and staff, as well as developing and implementing an acceptable use policy

3. 'Secure digital technology and data with anti-malware and a firewall'. This standard addresses the previous standards titled:

- 'Protect all devices on every network with a properly configured boundary or software firewall'
- 'Network devices should be known and recorded with their security features enabled, correctly configured and kept up-to-date '
- 'You should use anti-malware software to protect all devices in the network, including cloud-based networks'
- 'An administrator should check the security of all applications downloaded onto a network'

4. 'Control and secure user accounts and access privileges'. This new standard addresses the previous standards titled:

- 'Accounts should only have the access they require to perform their role and should be authenticated to access data and service'
- 'You should protect accounts with access to personal or sensitive operational data and functions by multi-factor authentication'

This standard covers password security, multi-factor authentication and account management.

5. 'License digital technology and keep it up to date'. This new standard addresses the previous standard titled:

- 'All devices and software must be licensed for use and should be patched with the latest security updates'

6. 'Develop and implement a plan to backup your data and review this every year'. This new standard addresses:

- the previous standard titled 'You should have at least 3 backup copies of important data, on at least 2 separate devices, at least 1 must be offsite'
- the need to analyse what your current backup plan looks like
- the need to plan and action how to backup and restore your data

7. 'Report cyber attacks'. This new standard addresses:

-  the previous standard titled 'Serious cyber attacks should be reported'
- reporting a cyber attack both internally within your school or college and to external bodies

In addition to the above changes, the DfE have also removed the below standards and have explained why.

'Your business continuity and disaster recovery plan should include a regularly tested contingency plan in response to a cyber attack'.

- This has been removed as it is now addressed in the DfE's new digital leadership and governance standards under the title 'Include digital technology within disaster recovery and business continuity plans'. It is also referenced throughout the new standards.

'You must conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) by statute for personal data you hold as required by General Data Protection Regulation'. This has been removed because:

- this is included in the existing 'servers and storage' and 'cloud solution' standards
- DPIA is now mentioned throughout the new cyber security standards

'Network devices should be known and recorded with their security enabled, correctly configured and kept up-to-date'.

- The important content from this is now within the relevant sections in the new standards.

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Updates - Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges - Guidance - GOV.UK

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List of updates to 'Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges - Guidance'.

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Department for Education releases Updated Filtering and Monitoring Standards - UK Safer Internet Centre

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The Department for Education (DfE) has updated its standards for how schools and colleges filter and monitor online content.

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Meet DfE obligations on monitoring provisions with proactive technical solutions from LGfL and SENSO give insights and highlight concerning behaviour, communication or access.

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The importance of meeting the standard

Properly configured firewalls prevent many attacks. They also make scanning for suitable hacking targets much harder.

How to meet the standard

Ask your IT service provider to set up your devices to meet the standards described in the technical requirements.

Agree with your IT service provider a system for monitoring logs and documenting decisions made on inbound traffic.

Your IT service provider may be a staff technician or an external service provider.

Remember that this standard may change over time with changing cyber threats.

You are free to choose any suitable firewall.

Technical requirements to meet the standard

To meet this standard you must:

protect every device with a correctly configured boundary, or software firewall, or a device that performs the same function

change the default administrator password, or disable remote access on each firewall

protect access to the firewall's administrative interface with multi-factor authentication (MFA), or a small specified IP-allow list combined with a managed password, or prevent access from the internet entirely

keep firewall firmware up to date

check monitoring logs as they can be useful in detecting suspicious activity

block inbound unauthenticated connections by default

document reasons why particular inbound traffic has been permitted through the firewall

review reasons why particular inbound traffic has been permitted through the firewall often, change the rules when access is no longer needed

enable a software firewall for devices used on untrusted networks, like public wi-fi

Dependencies to the standard

See our broadband internet standards.

When to meet the standard

You should already be meeting this standard for the security of your networks. If you are not already meeting this standard you should make it a priority to review each device in your network.

The importance of meeting the standard

Security systems are sometimes disabled to make very marginal improvements to user experience. This is an unjustifiable risk calculation in most circumstances.

Attackers scan for and exploit devices where the security features are not enabled. Using the security features that devices already have is the most basic form of cyber security.

Attackers who gain physical access to a network device can exploit a system much more easily, so this should be prevented.

Recording network devices helps schools keep networks up-to-date and speeds up recovery.

How to meet the standard

Network devices include routers, switches, access points, servers and similar items.

Ask your IT service provider to record and set up your devices and boot up systems to meet the technical requirements.

Agree with your IT service provider a system for recording and reviewing decisions made about network security features.

Your IT service provider may be a staff technician or an external service provider.

Remember that this standard may change over time with changing cyber threats.

The National Cyber Security Centre has published guidance on:

Technical requirements to meet the standard

To meet this standard you must:

keep a register, list, or diagram of all the network devices

avoid leaving network devices in unlocked or unattended locations

remove or disable unused user accounts, including guest and unused administrator accounts

change default device passwords

require authentication for users to access sensitive school data or network data

remove or disable all unnecessary software according to your organisational need

disable any auto-run features that allow file execution

set up filtering and monitoring services to work with the network's security features enabled

immediately change passwords which have been compromised or suspected of compromise

protect against a brute-force attack on all passwords by allowing no more than 10 guesses in 5 minutes, or locking devices after no more than 10 unsuccessful attempts

If network devices have conflicting security features, document the decisions you make on which security features have been enabled or disabled on your network. Review this document when you change these decisions.

To physically access switches and boot-up settings use a password or PIN of at least 6 characters. The password or PIN must only be used to access this device.

For all other devices, you must enforce password strength at the system level. If you use a deny list for automatic blocking of common passwords, use a password with at least 8 characters. If you do not use a deny list, use a password with at least 12 characters or a biometric test.

Password manager software is recommended.

The National Cyber Security Centre provides detailed guidance on:

Dependencies to the standard

See our standards on network switching.

When to meet the standard

You should already be meeting this standard.

The importance of meeting the standard

Successful cyber attacks target user accounts with the widest access and highest privileges on a network.

You must limit the numbers and access of network and global administrative accounts.

If you prevent and limit the compromise of these accounts you prevent and limit successful cyber attacks.

How to meet the standard

Ask your IT service provider or network manager to set up accounts to meet the technical requirements. If a single staff member controls account access, another senior school staff member or governor should approve that staff member's own account.

There must be a user account creation, approval and removal process. You should make this part of school joining and leaving protocols.

Your IT service provider may be a staff technician or an external service provider.

Remember that this standard may change over time with changing cyber threats.

Technical requirements to meet the standard

You must control user accounts and access privileges. Including accounts used by third parties, for example, support services or device management.

Only authorised people can have an account which allows them to access, alter, disclose or delete the held personal data. The data owner or controller, or the data protection officer, must identify and authorise these tasks.

Users should have a separate account for routine business, including internet access, if their main account:

is an administrative account

enables the execution of software that makes significant system or security changes

can make changes to the operating system

can create new accounts

can change the privileges of existing accounts

Users must be authenticated with unique credentials before they access devices or services. This can include using passwords.

You must enforce password strength at the system level.

If you use a deny list for automatic blocking of common passwords, use a password with at least 8 characters. If you do not use a deny list, use a password with at least 12 characters or a biometric test. The National Cyber Security Centre recommends using passwords made up of 3 random words. Enforce account lockouts after a number of failed attempts and require service provider or network manager permission to unlock.

The National Cyber Security Centre provides guidance on password administration for system owners.

You must immediately change any password that has been compromised or suspected of compromise.

You must remove unused accounts. This may include the accounts of users who have left their employment, or accounts that have not been used for a prolonged period of time. This is particularly important for accounts with administrator privileges. You should review this termly.

Unused role privileges must be removed or disabled.

No user's account should have more access to devices than required to carry out their role.

Use different accounts with specific rights for different purposes or have IT service providers and administrators enable just-in-time access, giving individual users time-limited privileges as required. The National Cyber Security Centre provides detailed guidance on privileged access management.

For younger children or users with special educational needs:

consider using authentication methods other than passwords

consider using a separate account accessed by the teacher rather than the student

segment the network so such accounts cannot reach sensitive data

consider if the data or service being accessed requires authentication

The NCSC offers this guidance on alternatives to passwords.

You should not use global administrator accounts for routine business.

You should only use accounts requiring administrator privileges to complete the tasks that need it.

You should use service accounts for running system services and not user accounts.

When to meet the standard

You should implement this standard as soon as you can and with the introduction of each new account.

The importance of meeting the standard

Multi-factor authentication only allows access to a service when you present 2 or more different forms of authentication. It reduces the possibility of an attacker compromising an account. This is especially important if an account has access to sensitive or personal data.

In this context, sensitive or personal data is all data that if lost or compromised, would have a serious impact on the establishment, staff or students.

The Information Commissioner's Office explains what personal data is.

How to meet the standard

Ask your IT service provider to set up the applicable users with the multi-factor authentication methods which meet the technical requirements.

You should provide training to users unfamiliar with multi-factor authentication.

The National Cyber Security Centre provides detailed guidance on:

Your IT service provider may be a staff technician or an external service provider.

Remember that this standard may change over time with changing cyber threats.

Technical requirements to meet the standard

Where practical, you must enable multi-factor authentication. This should always include cloud services for non-teaching staff. All staff are strongly encouraged to use multi-factor authentication.

Ask users for a second authentication factor when accessing sensitive data. For example, when moving from a lesson plan to financial or personal data.

Multi-factor authentication should include at least 2 of the following:

passwords constructed in the formats described earlier in standard 3

a managed device, that may belong to the organisation

an application on a trusted device

a device with a trusted network IP address, you should not use this in MFA for accounts with administrator rights or for accessing sensitive data

a physically separate token

a known/trusted account, where a second party authenticates another's credentials

a biometric test

When to meet the standard

You should implement this standard as soon as you can.

The importance of meeting the standard

Up-to-date anti-malware and anti-virus software reduces the risk from many forms of cyber attack.

Some applications protect against viruses and general malware, some against one only. You need to protect against both.

How to meet the standard

Ask your IT service provider to set up your devices to meet the technical requirements.

The National Cyber Security Centre publishes advice on antivirus and other security software.

Your IT service provider may be a staff technician or an external service provider.

Your school or college must organise the responsibilities and processes for risk-assessment, authorisation and documentation for any access to potentially malicious websites.

Remember that this standard may change over time with changing cyber threats.

Technical requirements to meet the standard

You must make sure anti-malware software and associated files and databases are kept up to date.

Make sure the anti-malware software:

is set up to scan files upon access, when downloaded, opened, or accessed from a network folder

scans web pages as they are accessed

prevents access to potentially malicious websites, unless risk-assessed, authorised and documented against a specific business requirement

Do not run applications or access data which has been identified as malware. Use the anti-malware software to eliminate the problem.

When to meet the standard

You should meet this standard as soon as you can.

The importance of meeting the standard

Applications can insert malware onto a network or have unintentional security weaknesses. This makes attacks easier to execute against a network.

Users should not download applications. The IT service provider should check them first.

How to meet the standard

Ask your IT service provider to set up your devices to meet the technical requirements. Agree how this will be done with your IT service provider and document how you have met the requirements.

The National Cyber Security Centre provides guidance on:

Your IT service provider may be a staff technician or an external service provider.

Remember that this standard may change over time with changing cyber threats.

Technical requirements to meet the standard

The IT service provider should approve all code and applications that are deployed and make sure they do not pose a security risk. They should do this in the best way possible given available resources.

Best practice is to maintain a current list of approved applications. Applications with invalid or no digital signatures should not be installed or used.

You could search the internet to check the reputation of the application and the hosting site, or run unknown applications or code within a sandbox environment.

Make sure the network's anti-malware service is scanning all downloaded applications.

When to meet the standard

You should meet this standard as soon as possible.

The importance of meeting the standard

Hackers try to identify and exploit the vulnerability that each new security update addresses. They try to do this before users are able to update their systems. In the last year, several attacks on educational establishments have taken advantage of this.

Unsupported software does not receive security updates and over time it becomes:

more vulnerable as methods of exploitation are discovered

less compatible with the security measures integrated into the network operating system

You must not use unlicensed hardware or software.

Unlicensed software may not be a legitimate copy, or it may not be updatable to the latest secure standards.

You must avoid or replace unpatched or unsupported hardware or software, including operating systems. These devices are the most popular targets for successful cyber attacks. If this is not possible, then these devices and software must not be accessible from the internet - so that scanning tools cannot find weaknesses.

How to meet the standard

Ask your IT service provider to make sure all devices and software are licensed, supported and set up to meet the technical requirements.

Subscribing to services rather than buying items can be a way to help achieve this. This is known as Software as a Service ( SaaS).

So that appropriate risk assessment and mitigation can take place, your IT service provider should tell leadership and governors at the school or college and alter the network accordingly when devices or software:

have become unsupported

are about to become unsupported

Your IT service provider may be a staff technician or an external service provider.

Remember that this standard may change over time with changing cyber threats.

The National Cyber Security Centre provides guidance on:

Technical requirements to meet the standard

All software must be currently licensed.

The licensing of most modern software can be checked through the software itself. Software which successfully updates can be presumed to be licensed. Older software may have to be researched.

You should remove unsupported software. If this is not possible then you must only use the software on parts of the network which prevent all traffic to and from the internet. Support does not have to come from the original manufacturer and can come from third parties as long as this does not invalidate a licence.

Unsupported devices must only access segmented areas of the network which do not grant access to sensitive data.

You must enable automatic updates.

You must complete manual updates to hardware or software, including configuration changes, within 14 days of the release of the patch where the vulnerability is:

described as high risk or worse

has a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSSv3) score of 7 or above

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is the security industry standard for measuring the danger of a vulnerability. The score is a number from 1 to 10 where 10 is the most dangerous. There is a more detailed explanation of CVSSv3 on the NVD website.

When notified by the Department for Education ( DfE), patches should be applied within 3 days of notification. This will only be done in instances of dangerous zero-day attacks where institutions are at immediate risk and there is a suitable patch available.

Dependencies to the standard

See our standards on network switching.

When to meet the standard

You should meet this standard as soon as possible.

The importance of meeting the standard

A backup is an additional copy of data, held in a different location, in case the original data is lost or damaged. If all copies were held in the same location, they would all be at risk from natural disasters and criminal damage.

Backups of important data are crucial for quick recovery in the event of disaster. The safest way to achieve this is to have a pattern of backing up on a rolling schedule. You should keep these backups off the network when not in use and check them regularly.

How to meet the standard

Ask your IT service provider to install and configure your devices to meet the standards described in the technical requirements. If your IT service provider is an external contractor, the scope of this should be included in your service agreement.

Be prepared to ask your service provider to explain what they are doing to help you achieve this standard. Including where the backups are located, how often they are done, how often they are checked and how long a restoration will take.

A school itself must determine which of its data is important to its operations but it is likely to include personal, financial, management and network data as a minimum.

The National Cyber Security Centre has published detailed guidance on:

Your IT service provider may be a staff technician or an external service provider.

Remember that this standard may change over time with changing cyber threats.

Technical requirements to meet the standard

You should have at least 3 backup copies of important data, on at least 2 separate devices. At least 1 of these copies must be off-site (on large sites, these copies should be far enough away to avoid dangers from fire, flood, theft and similar risks).

Remember, you need 3 backup copies, you do not need 3 storage locations or 3 storage devices. For example, 2 backups taken at different times on the same device (as long as they do not overwrite each other) will count as 2 of the 3 backup copies.

You should schedule backups regularly. How often you need to create backups depends on:

how often the data changes

how difficult the information would be to replace if the backups failed

At least 1 of the backups must be offline at all times. An offline backup is sometimes known as a cold backup.

A cloud backup is an off-site backup. Cloud data held in separated cloud services are held in separate devices.

If the offline backup is in the cloud, access must be:

by a secure account identity

impossible from any device unless an authorised user has logged on in person

Remember, off-site means in an alternative physical or digital location, offline means that is not connected to the network

The number of devices with these access permissions must be kept to an absolute minimum.

A secure account identity is defined as a specified account secured with a username and multi-factor authentication.

A device which cannot access the backup is defined as a device that has no valid credentials.

Where the cloud services allow it, set up the controls to:

only allow authorised devices to create new or appended backups

deny connection requests when backup is not in use

Regularly check that the backups work.

When to meet the standard

You should implement this standard as soon as you can.

The importance of meeting the standard

Being unprepared for a cyber attack can lead to poor decisions, slow recovery and expensive mistakes.

A good response plan made ahead of time will speed up your response, reduce stress levels and confusion.

Effective response will reduce the material, reputational and safeguarding damage from ransomware attacks.

How to meet the standard

Talk to your IT service provider and make sure you have a cyber attack contingency plan. The plan must be part of your business continuity and disaster recovery plan.

The school's governors should ensure the creation and testing of these plans. In multi-academy trusts, oversight might happen at trust level.

The National Cyber Security Centre provides advice on contingency planning:

To help with testing, they also provide an exercise kit.

As part of the Risk Protection Arrangement there is a template cyber response plan.

Your IT service provider may be a staff technician or an external service provider.

Remember that this standard may change over time with changing cyber threats.

Technical requirements to meet the standard

All schools and colleges must include a contingency plan for loss of some or all IT systems in their business continuity and disaster recovery plan. This is required by the schools financial value standard.

This plan must include:

staff responsibilities

out of hours contacts and procedures

internal and external reporting and communications plans

priorities for service restoration

the minimum operational IT requirements

where you can find additional help and resources

Keep hard copies of key information in case of total system failure.

Test and review these plans regularly.

When to meet the standard

You should meet this standard as soon as possible.

The importance of meeting the standard

Cyber attacks are crimes against a school that need to be investigated so perpetrators can be found and counter-measures identified.

A cyber attack is defined as an intentional and unauthorised attempt to access or compromise the data, hardware or software on a computer network or system. An attack could be made by a person outside or inside the school.

The National Cyber Security Centre define what a cyber incident is.

This compromise of data might include:

stealing the data

copying the data

tampering with the data

damaging or disrupting the data, or similar

unauthorised access

You should report any suspicious cyber incident to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or on the Action Fraud website.

Police investigations may find out if any compromised data has been published or sold and identify the perpetrator.

How to meet the standard

Ask your IT service provider to notify the school leadership team of all cyber attacks. Appropriate action and information-sharing must be carried out in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Where a data breach has or may have occurred, report to the Information Commissioner's Office ( ICO).

These incidents should also be reported to the DfE sector cyber team at Sector.Incidentreporting@education.gov.uk.

Academy trusts have to report these attacks to ESFA.

Exercise judgement in reporting. Incidents where any compromise may have taken place or other damage was caused should be reported. But receipt of a phishing email alone, for example, does not require reporting to DfE but can be reported to Action Fraud at report@phishing.gov.uk.

Where the incident causes long term school closure, the closure of more than 1 school or serious financial damage, you should also inform the National Cyber Security Centre.

Technical requirements to meet the standard

Schools and colleges must report cyber attacks to:

Where applicable schools and colleges must report cyber attacks to ICO.

You must act in accordance with:

When to meet the standard

You should implement this standard as soon as you can.

The importance of meeting the standard

The protection of sensitive and personal data is vital to:

the safety of staff and students

the reputation of schools and colleges

the confidence placed in schools and colleges

avoid the legal liabilities which security breaches expose schools and colleges to

How to meet the standard

You should control access to data in consultation with your IT service provider and the Data Protection Officer. This is to safeguard staff and students as required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

To meet the standard, you must:

understand the definition of personal data

assess the risk of compromise, and the degree of damage caused by a security compromise, to work out the resources required to protect the data

pseudonymise or encrypt any personal data while stored and in transit to a third party

ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the data and systems processing them

restore complete and accurate data after an incident in a timely fashion

design and apply processes for testing and assessing the effectiveness of all measures used to safeguard data and its use

There is DfE guidance on:

Technical requirements to meet the standard

Academy trusts should incorporate the risk assessment into the risk register.

If you rely upon encryption to protect data, this should be:

strong encryption

using encryption systems that are still supported

with a life appropriate to the sensitivity of the data being stored

The ICO provides advice on how data encryption should be used.

The ICO also provides a template for DPIA.

Additional protection or password protection should meet the technical requirements in the account access standard.

You should limit access to those staff with a specific need. Do this by specific content area, and not blanket permissions.

By achieving all the cyber standards you can meet the additional requirements for:

When to meet the standard

You should already be meeting this standard in accordance with GDPR.

The importance of meeting the standard

The most common forms of cyber attack rely on mistakes by staff members to be successful. Avoiding these mistakes prevents the attacks.

Basic cyber security knowledge amongst staff and governors is vital in promoting a more risk aware school culture.

How to meet the standard

Staff with access to your IT network must take basic cyber security training every year.

At least one member of the governing body should complete the training.

Remember that the training may change over time with changing cyber threats.

Technical requirements to meet the standard

Staff who require access to your IT network must take basic cyber security training every year. The training should be part of the induction training for new staff

This training should focus on:

phishing

password security

social engineering

the dangers of removable storage media

The National Cyber Security Centre has published suitable training materials:

At least one current governor must complete the same basic cyber security training. These governors should read the NCSC publication school cyber security questions for governors.

When to meet the standard

You should be looking to implement this standard as soon as you can but within 12 months as a minimum.

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Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges

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Find out what standards your school or college should meet on cyber security, user accounts and data protection.

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With regular headlines about schools falling victim to cybercrime, there is increasing pressure to ensure that governors and school leaders have appropriate controls in place to protect their school. With this in mind, LGfL has developed the Elevate Cybersecurity Toolkit for Schools.

The Elevate Cybersecurity Toolkit is a collection of key documents that schools can use to elevate their cybersecurity. It can be used as a foundation for schools that want to attain Cyber Essentials Certification.
We've now added a cybersecurity risk reporting template that you can use with governors/school leaders.

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With regular headlines about schools falling victim to cybercrime, there is increasing pressure to ensure that governors and school leaders have appropriate controls in place to protect their school. With this in mind, LGfL has developed the Elevate Cybersecurity Toolkit for Schools.

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Generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education

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The Department for Education (DfE) is committed to supporting the AI Opportunities Action Plan. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) presents exciting opportunities to improve people’s lives, including by making our public services better. AI will support with the delivery of the Plan for Change and our opportunity mission.

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Background

AI-enabled tools and products are now more widely available in schools and other providers. This means that these technologies are affecting children and learners and the people who care for, educate and support them.

The Department of Education's recent call for evidence about AI in education demonstrates that many education providers are using AI to augment how they work.

For many education and social care providers this new technology presents both new opportunities and risks. The use of these tools will in many cases affect children and learners.

Ofsted is also using AI, most notably in our risk assessment of good schools to help decide whether a school that was judged good at its last inspection will receive a graded or ungraded inspection. We are also exploring how AI can help us to make better decisions based on the information we hold, and to work more efficiently.

This document outlines how Ofsted will use AI responsibly and fairly. It also sets out our position on the use of AI by education and social care providers.

Notes

Throughout this document we use 'artificial intelligence' as an umbrella term for a range of algorithm-based technologies that solve complex tasks by carrying out functions that previously required human thinking alone.

Ofsted's position on the use of AI is consistent with the National AI Strategy. This aims to make sure that AI benefits all sectors and regions and that the UK gets the national and international governance of AI technologies right.

How we will use AI

Ofsted uses AI to make the best use of the information we hold. We are also exploring the potential for AI to further improve the way we inspect and regulate.

AI will help us work according to the values set out in our strategy: to put children and learners first while remaining independent, accountable, transparent and evidence-led.

The areas where AI could have the biggest benefits for our work include:

assessing risk

working more efficiently through automation

making best use of our data (particularly text) to generate new insights.

We also recognise the emerging risks of AI. We will follow the 5 principles set out by the AI regulation white paper. Table 1 describes some of the ways that we will comply with these principles.

Table 1: What we will do in relation to our use of AI

Safety, security and robustness

Make sure AI solutions are secure and safe for users and that they protect users' data

Continually test our AI solutions to identify and rectify bias and error

Appropriate transparency and explainability

Be transparent about our use of AI, and make sure we test solutions sufficiently to understand the decisions it makes

Fairness

Only use AI solutions that are ethically appropriate - in particular, we will fully consider any bias relating to small groups and protected characteristics at the development stage and then monitor it closely and correct it where appropriate

Accountability and governance

Provide clear guidance and rules for developers and users of AI within Ofsted about their responsibilities

Contestability and redress

Make sure that staff are empowered to correct and overrule AI suggestions - decisions will be made by the user, not the technology

Continue to manage concerns and complaints through our existing complaints procedure

We will also follow the Central Digital and Data Office and Office for Artificial Intelligence (OAI) guidance on using AI in the public sector. This guidance sets out how to use AI ethically, fairly and safely.

Critically, we will never allow AI to impede our ability to inspect fairly and impartially.

It is vital that AI does not undermine either our inspectors' judgements or our ability to respond flexibly and empathetically to the concerns of the public or providers.

Providers' use of AI

Ofsted aims to improve lives and raise standards in education and children's social care. We do this through inspection, regulation and our insights.

Our inspection frameworks set out how we inspect providers. They explain our inspection principles, the main judgements that inspectors make, and, along with regulations, explain the areas that we take into account when inspecting providers. Our registration guidance and enforcement policies set out how we regulate.

In this context, we will consider a provider's use of AI by the effect it has on the criteria set out in our existing frameworks.

Our inspection frameworks and regulations enable us to assess AI 's impact on children and learners as part of our wider inspection and regulatory processes.

Importantly, Ofsted will not directly inspect the quality of AI tools. It is through their application that they affect areas of provision and outcomes such as safeguarding and the quality of education. Leaders, therefore, are responsible for ensuring that the use of AI does not have a detrimental effect on those outcomes, the quality of their provision or decisions they take.

Ofsted supports the use of AI by providers where it improves the care and education of children and learners. We recognise that these tools can help providers make better-informed decisions, reduce workload and lead to innovative ways of working.

Table 2 describes some of the ways we expect providers to comply with the principles in the AI regulation white paper.

Table 2: What we expect from providers in relation to their use of AI

Regulatory principle

Providers are expected to...

Safety, security and robustness

Assure themselves that AI solutions are secure and safe for users and protect users' data

Ensure they can identify and rectify bias or error

Appropriate transparency and explainability

Be transparent about their use of AI, and make sure they understand the suggestions it makes

Fairness

Only use AI solutions that are ethically appropriate - in particular, we expect providers to consider bias relating to small groups and protected characteristics before using AI, monitor bias closely and correct problems where appropriate

Accountability and governance

Ensure that providers and their staff have clear roles and responsibilities in relation to the monitoring, evaluation, maintenance and use of AI

Contestability and redress

Make sure that staff are empowered to correct and overrule AI suggestions - decisions should be made by the user of AI, not the technology.

Allow and respond appropriately to concerns and complaints where AI may have caused error resulting in adverse consequences or unfair treatment.

Building our understanding

Given the pace of change, the effect these new technologies are having on the lives of children and learners is still poorly understood. Accordingly, we will seek to better understand the use of AI by providers and emerging research on its impact on the outcomes and experiences of children and learners. We will do this by keeping up to date with relevant published research and communicating with providers so that we can learn from their experience of AI in their settings.

By better understanding the effect of AI in these settings, we can consider providers' decisions more effectively as part of our inspection and regulatory activity.

Correspondingly, we will develop inspectors' knowledge about AI so that they have the knowledge and skills to consider AI and its different uses.

Working with other regulators

We recognise that we are part of a wider system of regulation. Ofsted will continue to work with other regulators and central government departments, including the Department for Education and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, to ensure that our approach remains consistent with the latest guidance.

Through the Institute of Regulation and regular communication with other regulators, we will also ensure that the approaches we take to regulating sectors that use AI complement each other.

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Ofsted's approach to artificial intelligence (AI)

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AI-enabled tools and products are now more widely available in schools and other providers. This means that these technologies are affecting children and learners and the people who care for, educate and support them. The Department of Education's recent call for evidence about AI in education demonstrates that many education providers are using AI to augment how they work.

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More micro:bit and AI resources

There's a huge community of people creating ways to teach AI and explore AI with micro:bits. If you're interested in finding out more, here's a selection to try.

The listings below are not officially supported by the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, so please contact each provider directly with any support questions.

Using micro:bit with AI

Support for teaching AI

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Empower your pupils to become eco-detectives with this exciting resource that combines scientific enquiry, secondary data and computer progr

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Aims and purpose

What are the aims and purpose of our curriculum?

This curriculum enables pupils to become confident and efficient users of technology. The curriculum establishes the important knowledge in computing to provide a foundation for the technical nature of the subject. We aim for pupils to understand how the technology they use every day has an impact on the world around them, giving pupils the knowledge to express themselves and develop their ideas in real-world contexts.

What overarching curriculum principles inform the design of our curriculum?

Knowledge and vocabulary rich

This principle recognises the important role that knowledge, and vocabulary as a particularly important type of knowledge, play in learning. In computing, knowledge and vocabulary are building blocks for developing confident users of technology. We identify and map vocabulary across the curriculum, both in terms of the introduction of new vocabulary and the necessary repetition of vocabulary that has gone before. New vocabulary, called keywords, are signalled in bold in our lesson materials to indicate their importance.

Being able to express themselves accurately and technically means pupils are better able to apply the knowledge they accumulate. Computing-specific vocabulary is introduced from the first lesson and definitions are developed throughout the curriculum in an age-appropriate manner. Explanations of terms are redefined as new knowledge is learnt, adding nuance and detail.

Sequenced and coherent

A careful and purposeful sequencing of our curriculum content underpins the design of our curriculum, ensuring that pupils are able to build on and make links with existing knowledge. The computing curriculum follows a spiral model where knowledge is revisited and expanded upon regularly. This approach ensures that as their technical understanding of computing develops, pupils can tackle more complex ideas with confidence, drawing upon previous learning.

Attention is paid to vertical coherence via threads, which map the developments of concepts over time, for example, the 'Artificial intelligence' thread sees the concept of AI first appear in key stage 1 where pupils explore how it is used alongside more traditional forms of processing. Pupils will learn about how to create digital artefacts first-hand and then compare this to computer-generated artefacts. As pupils develop their computing knowledge, they then explore the use of AI from a technical perspective to provide insight into the benefits and limitations of automated generation.

Evidence-informed

Our evidence-informed approach enables the rigorous application of research outcomes, science of learning and impactful best practice both in education in general and at a subject specific level. For example, the design of our resources reflects findings from Sweller's cognitive load theory and Mayer's principles of multimedia learning whilst our lesson design draws on Rosenshine's principles of instruction. We also draw on findings from research organisations such as the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). At the subject level, the design of the curriculum draws strongly on research carried out by the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) and Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre on current subject developments and best practice.

Flexible

Our flexible approach enables schools to use our resources in a way that fits their context and meets the varying needs of teachers and their pupils. Our curriculum can be used in its entirety or units can be selected to complement existing curricula. We prioritise commonly used and freely available software such as Scratch. Our resources are adaptable so that, for example, teachers can choose to use different software, can edit or add checks for understanding, or adapt practice tasks to better reflect the prior knowledge of their pupils. At key stage 4 teachers and pupils can select a pathway aligned to the most frequently used exam board specifications for GCSE computer science: AQA or OCR.

Diverse

Our commitment to breadth and diversity in content, language, texts and media can be seen throughout the curriculum, for example, in the group of diverse school-age characters that feature in our resources. Our curriculum draws on a range of contexts, to both demonstrate the breadth of application of computing and to help pupils see relevance in the curriculum. For instance, pupils learn how computing can be used to develop early warning systems that analyse big data and real-time analytics to predict natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis. In a different context, they learn how fashion designers use algorithms to generate new aesthetics or create collections based on consumer data and design principles. Pupils are taught how technology can be applied now and in the future. Pupils learn that the knowledge and skills of programming is relevant beyond the development of software, and can be transferred to other fields such as social science or art. Our curriculum acknowledges the importance of open-ended problem-solving through carefully designed project tasks that enable pupils to create their own solutions, reflecting both how they work, as well as what interests and motivates them.

Accessible

Our curriculum is intentionally designed to facilitate high-quality teaching as a powerful lever to support pupils with SEND. Aligned with EEF guidance, our resources have a focus on clear explanations, modelling and frequent checks for understanding, with guided and independent practice. Lessons are chunked into learning cycles and redundant images and information are minimised to manage cognitive load. We have removed reference to year groups in our resources so that they can be used when pupils are ready, regardless of their age. Our resources are purposefully created to be accessible, for example by using accessible fonts, colours with good contrast, captions in our videos, and when demonstrating software in our resources, using high-contrast colour options and enlarged fonts.

What subject specific principles inform the design of our curriculum?

How computer systems and networks function

We begin by introducing how IT is used in school and the wider world in key stage 1. We explore this further in key stage 2 when we establish that computers carry out tasks for humans. This is extended as pupils learn that computers are more useful when they communicate with other devices as part of a network. Exploring network communication enables pupils to appreciate and understand the usefulness of computers and how wide-ranging this can be in key stage 3 and 4.

The use of data to represent complex information and inform decision-making

Pupils understand how to use computers to process and present data as useful information for an audience in key stage 1, when numerical data is presented in pictograms. This is developed in key stage 2 when pupils learn how to structure data so that it can be efficiently processed for feedback to users. Pupils apply these fundamentals to more complex scenarios in key stages 3 and 4, analysing what needs to be presented and determining the data to collect and how to collect it.

The design and application of algorithms and data-driven models to create programs and AI solutions

In key stage 1 pupils learn that a computer can not intuitively complete tasks; humans program computers to carry out actions. There are repeated opportunities in key stage 1 and 2 to develop simple programs for a variety of scenarios, such as games and music, in order to reinforce understanding of key programming knowledge. In key stage 3 and 4 pupils explore complex scenarios extending their understanding. Pupils also learn the role that AI tools can play as a part of this process.

Enables pupils to use technology to present information and create solutions to real problems

Throughout the curriculum, computing is learnt in the context of creating solutions for the real world. In key stage 1 pupils learn about how to navigate a maze and digital artefacts that other people can view. Pupils continue to learn computing in context. For example in key stage 4 pupils make robot buggies that can respond to their environment and digital media products that are designed with an end client in mind.

Examines the impact of current and emerging technologies on individuals and wider society including the legal, ethical and moral implications

Pupils explore the use of IT in the world around us in key stage 1. This is developed in key stage 2 as pupils learn about the influence of networks on expanding our view of the world. This is revisited throughout key stage 3 and 4 by relating knowledge to its ethical, legal, cultural, and environmental impacts on wider society.

How does our curriculum reflect the aims & purpose of the national curriculum?

There are four aims of the national curriculum. The first aim is that all pupils should understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms, and data representation. This begins in key stage KS1, where pupils are introduced to the basics of algorithms by following step-by-step instructions to complete a task, such as directing a toy through a path. By key stage 2, pupils begin using block-based programming tools to create simple programs, reinforcing their understanding of abstraction and logic. As they progress to key stage 3 and key stage 4, they tackle more complex concepts like sorting algorithms and data structures in a text-based language. By the end of key stage 4, pupils should be able to independently select appropriate computer science concepts to solve real-world problems, such as creating efficient programs for a specified task.

The second aim is for pupils to analyse problems in computational terms and gain repeated practical experience in writing programs to solve them. In key stage 2 pupils are tasked with designing simple games in Scratch, which requires them to break down the game mechanics into manageable parts and use their programming knowledge to implement them. As they move into key stage 3 and key stage 4 pupils encounter problems like designing algorithms that use lists. This progression across year groups ensures that pupils have numerous opportunities to work with both block-based and text-based languages, from Scratch to Python, allowing them to practise and refine their problem-solving and coding skills.

The third aim is that pupils should evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems. In key stage 1 and key stage 2 pupils might explore familiar technologies like tablets or simple word processing software, understanding how they are used in everyday life and discussing their impact. By key stage 3, pupils engage with more advanced technology, such as exploring how AI tools work. This helps pupils learn how to apply technology to meet their needs and solve specific challenges. In key stage 4 pupils may analyse emerging technologies like virtual reality or machine learning, discussing their potential applications and evaluating how these technologies can be used responsibly and effectively.

The final aim is for pupils to become responsible, competent, confident, and creative users of information and communication technology. This is interwoven into all areas of the curriculum. For instance, when pupils in key stage 2 explore the nature of online resources, they are also taught about digital responsibility, such as verifying the reliability of sources and protecting personal data. In key stage 3, pupils discuss topics like cyberbullying and digital footprints, reflecting on the consequences of technology use. Throughout their schooling, pupils are regularly reminded of their responsibility to use technology safely and ethically, aligning these lessons with those from the RSHE curriculum to build a comprehensive understanding of digital citizenship.

What teaching time does our curriculum require?

Our curricula for key stages 1-3 are designed for 36 weeks of curriculum time across the school year, which leaves time for other activities both within and beyond the curriculum, such as assessments or school trips. At key stage 4, year 10 also has 36 weeks of curriculum time, but year 11 has only 24 weeks (approximately 2 terms) to recognise that schools will not be teaching new content in the run-up to the GCSE exams.

Our primary computing curriculum is designed for one lesson a fortnight at key stage 1 and one lesson every week at key stage 2. Our key stage 1 lessons are designed to last approximately 40 minutes, whilst our key stage 2 lessons are closer to an hour.

At key stage 3, the secondary computing curriculum is designed for one lesson per week. There are two pathways for the curriculum at key stage 4. For those taking GCSE computer science, the curriculum is designed for three lessons per week. If pupils are not taking this course, there is a core computing sequence designed to be taught once per week during years 10 and 11.

What are 'threads'?

We use threads to signpost groups of units that link to one another, which together build a common body of knowledge over time. We use the term thread, rather than vertical concepts, themes or big ideas because it helps to bring to mind the visual concept of a thread weaving through the curriculum.

Our computing threads that weave through both our primary and secondary curricula are:

Computing systems

Networks

Creating media

Algorithms and data structures

Programming

Data and information

Artificial intelligence

Effective use of tools

Impact of technology

Design and development

Safety and security

These threads have been selected to broadly categorise the subject content in the national curriculum. The threads are fundamental areas of learning for computing, applicable to a range of uses within computer science, information technology and day-to-day digital use.

The threads are first encountered in primary and are revisited and developed through the rest of the curriculum. For example, within the 'Programming' thread, pupils are introduced to programming control flow constructs in key stage 1 as part of simple animations and quizzes. These concepts are revisited and extended to include nesting of statements and extending the conditions that control them. By the end of key stage 4, pupils will select and adapt control flow structures that achieve a variety of goals. Consistent threads across our primary and secondary curricula can enable more effective transition, helping pupils to bridge their knowledge and understanding from primary to secondary.

How does our curriculum address and enact recommendations from subject specific reports (e.g. EEF guidance reports & Ofsted Research Review)?

Our curriculum encompasses three main content areas as described in the recent Ofsted research review for computer science, information technology and digital literacy. The review recognised that these areas "do not sit separately from each other". In our curriculum, the study of computing is interrelated and focuses on the application of technology. Our curriculum also considers recommendations from the SCARI computing project to address factors that have affected the low uptake of computing education, specifically the need to widen the key stage 3 computing curriculum. Our curriculum places greater emphasis on different areas of computing study including AI, data science and regular project work.

How does our curriculum deal with elements that arise from the specific needs of the subject?

How is e-safety taught in our computing curriculum and where does it link to our RHE and RSHE curricula?

Pupils are taught to use technology responsibly and safely throughout their education, from early primary to the end of secondary. To ensure pupils learn about this regularly it is integrated across the curriculum rather than taught in explicit e-safety lessons. Our computing curriculum revisits and reinforces key learning from our RHE and RSHE lessons within the context of computing topics. For instance, in RSHE, students learn about 'fake news' and how it can shape our worldview. In year 9 computing, this concept is revisited during lessons on cybersecurity, where students explore automated threats and bots. They also learn how such technologies have been used to influence elections, linking social impacts with technical knowledge.

What hardware is required to teach our curriculum?

All pupils require access to a PC, tablet, or laptop that is connected to the internet. Many lessons rely on web-based tools, so these devices need to be capable of running software through a browser. At times, additional hardware is required, for example, a programmable floor robot. In these cases, schools can use alternatives based on their existing equipment. Alongside each unit is a list of the required tools and equipment.

What software is featured in the curriculum?

Our curriculum is designed to make use of a common set of free, browser-based software listed below and is easily adaptable to accommodate suitable alternatives:

Word processing: Google Docs

Presentation: Google Slides

Spreadsheet: Google Sheets

Block-based programming: Scratch, MakeCode

Text-based programming: Raspberry Pi Code Editor

At times there is specific additional software required which is signposted alongside each unit.

How does the Oak computing curriculum build on the work of the NCCE Teach Computing Curriculum?

Our curriculum is built on the Teach Computing Curriculum (TCC), developed by the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE). We take the well-established and widely used NCCE resources a step further, developing the TCC to reflect changes in the subject, such as the growing role of AI in education and students' daily lives. The new Oak computing curriculum, created in partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, who also created the original TCC materials, continues to build on this project.

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KS1-2 Computing Curriculum Plans | Oak National Academy

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Looking for KS1-2 Computing curriculum? We have sequenced curriculum plans, select by key stage. Our free resources are easy to browse and explore.

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NARRATION:Algorithm, you've probably heard it been thrown about. Algorithm this, algorithm that. But what does it mean?

Actually, it's really quite simple and not as scary as it sounds... and breathe.

An algorithm is just a set of instructions to make something happen. Let me explain.

Say you wanted to make a cake - you couldn't just throw in any ingredients whenever you wanted. Otherwise, you'd end up with a giant messy looking pile of mush.

That's why you have to follow a recipe with a step by step method. This step by step method is just like an algorithm. If we follow it word for word in the correct order then, voila. You get the perfect cake.

This is what an algorithm is. It is a set of specific and detailed instructions that lead to an outcome, and it is the first step in writing a program to control a computer. Each of the steps needs to be followed just like the recipe, otherwise we end up with a scrambled mess, just like our cake.

Let's look at this - an electronic door lock. The idea is that we want the door only to unlock if someone uses a card with the correct door key code stored on it. So, what instructions will we need to give to the door lock device to solve this problem? An algorithm will help us decide on the steps we need and the order we need to put them in. Let's use a flow chart diagram to help us organise our instructions.

At the start, we want the door to be locked. When someone uses a card key in the door lock, we want the computer inside the lock to check the card key and see if it has the correct code. If the answer is yes then the light should flash green and the door will unlock. If the answer is no then the light should flash red and the door should stay locked.

By writing our instructions for the door lock down as an algorithm, we can make sure our instructions are correct and in the right order before we actually write the computer program to use in the door lock device.

People use algorithms everywhere you can think of when it comes to technology. Every click, every interaction, every button press, every swipe... an algorithm was used to help create the programs that make everything work.

Algorithms can even help to write computer programs that make decisions about what you see on social media, or what internet search results go to the top of the list.

What problem are you going to solve with an algorithm?

So you see they aren't so scary after all... they are a piece of cake!

Video summary
This short film for primary schools outlines how algorithms are sets of instructions to make something happen, before explaining further using a recipe analogy.
The film outlines how algorithms are the starting points for computer programs that solve problems.

It then looks at the example of using an electronic card key to open a door, using a flow diagram to organise the instructions and steps needed to make sure the door only unlocks when the correct card key is used.

The film finishes with more examples of how algorithms are used in computer-based tools and systems like social media feeds and search engine rankings.

This short film is from the BBC Teach series, Cracking Computing.

Teacher Notes

A good way to introduce the idea of algorithms is to focus on familiar lists of instructions that organise everyday life - for example, taking the register, getting ready for a school lesson, packing up at the end of the day - and turning them into flow charts.

The next step is to explore problems or dilemmas that include a question, and create a list of instructions or statements that solve the problem. Again, flow charts can be used to clarify the steps and sequence lists for pupils.

It is important that, before pupils start to write a program to solve a problem or achieve a specific outcome, they have a clear idea of what they want the program to achieve, in the form of an algorithm, either as a flow chart or list of instructions.For example, when programming a computer game character the algorithm might look like this:

When left arrow clicked character moves left 10 steps

When right arrow clicked character moves right 10 steps

When space bar clicked character jumps up

Other subjects
English: Understanding algorithms fits well with work on instruction writing, or explanation texts that explain a process or sequence of events. Similar vocabulary is used: for example, firstly, then, when, next, finally, etc.

Maths: In Maths the word algorithm is used to describe the series of steps carried out to complete a calculation or solve a problem. For example, to solve 3 x 7 we need to carry out the following steps:

Start with zero

Add 7

Add 7 to the new total

Add 7 to the new total

This short film is suitable for teaching:

KS2 computing curriculum in England

Technologies curriculum area at 2nd Level in Scotland

KS2 digital competence framework in Wales

KS2 using ICT cross-curricular skill in Northern Ireland

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This short film for primary schools outlines how algorithms are sets of instructions to make something happen, before explaining further using a recipe analogy.

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This resource contains ten posters which explain key words in the primary computing curriculum. ‘Al-the-gorilla’ explains what each key word means in a fun and informative way. The key words described are algorithm, debug, input, output, process, program, repetition, selection and sequence. The resource has been provided by Pete Dring.

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At school and at home

Teachers

Teachers who register with Digital Matters can download the free online safety resources, including lesson plans and slides, for each lesson. Learn more about the teacher's pack.

Parents

Parents can access the Digital Matters platform without registering. They can access the free Parent Companion Guide to learn a little more about Digital Matters and the topic. This helps them support their child's school in keeping children safe online. They can then follow the Take Home activity set by their child's teacher, or they can lead their child through both sections.

Take home activities

Parents can choose to complete Once Upon Online with their child a second time. The different possible outcomes can help consolidate what their child learned at school. Alternatively, they can complete the journey on their own and compare with their child's journey.

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Free online safety resources for schools & families | Digital Matters

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Designed for home and school to engage young people in online safety through free interactive activities & dynamic storytelling. Created by Internet Matters.

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WEB סקראץ ג’וניור גרסת

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Virtual assemblies are a great way for a whole class - or even a whole school - to join in to celebrate key dates in the school year. Live lessons are interactive, so are best suited to joining from a classroom, rather than an assembly.

Virtual Assemblies & Live Lessons

Our team of qualified teachers design and deliver minute virtual assemblies and live lessons that aim to spark curiosity and inspiration. Each one focuses on a different topic and explores exciting new technology, while also highlighting a range of career opportunities. By attending these live events, children discover different areas of tech and how it's used in our world.

Virtual Assemblies and Live Lessons are both hosted on Microsoft teams. Assemblies are great for classes, or even whole schools, to join and listen to our qualified teachers. Live Lessons include paper-based tasks and partner discussions, so are best suited to joining from a classroom, rather than an assembly.

You can find details of any upcoming events and register here. Or you can enjoy on-demand access to recordings of previous virtual assemblies below.

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Register for Tech We Can Live Lessons and Virtual Assemblies and watch pre-recorded assemblies on demand

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Free classroom resources for teachers. Join us for a series of live assemblies where we talk about now tech is used in a range of different areas and future career opportunities.