Online Safety Policy

1. Purpose

SoloCogs operates as an online platform used by children and young people. This policy outlines how we design and maintain the platform to keep students safe online, and how we respond when online safety concerns arise.

This policy should be read alongside the Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy and the Acceptable Use Policy.

2. Online Risks We Address

We recognise that children face a range of online risks, including:

• Contact risks - inappropriate contact from adults or peers
• Content risks - exposure to harmful, violent, or sexually explicit material
• Conduct risks - cyberbullying, harassment, or self-generated harmful content
• Commercial risks - exploitation through advertising, data collection, or in-app purchases
• Radicalisation - exposure to extremist content or ideology online

3. Platform Design Safeguards

SoloCogs is designed with online safety built in from the start:

• No public-facing interaction: The platform does not include chat rooms, forums, or any space where students can contact each other
• Closed communications: All staff-to-student communication takes place through the platform only - no external social media, personal email, or phone contact
• Anonymous student accounts: Students use generated usernames and do not need to provide a real email address - protecting their identity on the platform
• No third-party advertising: The platform contains no adverts, sponsored content, or external links to commercial sites
• Authenticated access: All content behind the login is accessible only to registered, authenticated users
• No in-app purchases or pressure tactics: Subscription access is managed by parents/carers only; students cannot make purchases

4. Content Standards

All content on SoloCogs is created or reviewed by Jazz (a qualified teacher with SEND specialism). We ensure:

• Content is age-appropriate for KS3 and KS4 students (approximately ages 11–16)
• Real-world contexts used in resources are appropriate and sensitively handled
• No content links to external sites without review
• Safeguarding topics (e.g. health contexts in biology) are handled factually and with care

5. Monitoring and Detection

SoloCogs uses the following mechanisms to detect online safety concerns:

• Wellbeing check-in notes are scanned for safeguarding-relevant language, including terms associated with self-harm, abuse, and exploitation
• Persistent patterns of distress are flagged for DSL review across sessions
• All flagged entries are reviewed by a human (the DSL) - automated flags do not trigger automated action

6. Responding to Online Safety Incidents

Where an online safety incident is identified - for example, a student disclosing online grooming, cyberbullying, or exposure to harmful content - the DSL will:

1. Record the concern promptly and accurately
2. Assess the risk and determine the appropriate response
3. Refer to statutory services (police, social services, CEOP) where appropriate
4. Support the student and keep their parent/carer informed, unless doing so would increase risk

CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection): Reports of online child sexual abuse or exploitation can be made directly to CEOP at ceop.police.uk.

7. Safer Online Practice - Operator and Staff

Jazz, as sole operator and DSL, commits to:

• Never communicating with students outside the platform
• Never requesting personal contact details from students
• Never sharing personal contact details with students
• Maintaining current online safety training and awareness
• Reporting any concern about a student's online safety promptly and in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy

8. Helpful Resources for Families

• CEOP: ceop.police.uk - report online abuse
• Childline: 0800 1111 - free, confidential support for young people
• Internet Matters: internetmatters.org - online safety guides for parents
• NSPCC Online Safety: nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety
• UK Safer Internet Centre: saferinternet.org.uk

9. Policy Review

This policy is reviewed annually, and updated in response to changes in legislation, platform functionality, or emerging online risks.