Five minutes on Friday – 4th September 2026

Welcome to this week’s Five Minutes on Friday digest! As the new academic year gets underway, staying ahead of statutory safeguarding expectations, updated recruitment guidelines, and parental digital safety tools is essential.Grab a quick coffee and take five minutes to get fully up to speed with what you need to know for Friday, 4th September 2026.

๐Ÿ“‘ 1. Statutory Guidance: KCSIE 2026 Now In Effect

As of 1st September 2026, the Department for Education’s updated statutory guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026, has officially come into force across all schools and colleges in England.

Leadership teams and Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) must ensure their school policies, staff briefing materials, and induction workflows reflect the new requirements:

  • Removal of Annex A: Schools can no longer rely on shortened safeguarding summaries for non-teaching or support staff. All members of staff, regardless of their role, are now required to read Part One: Safeguarding Information for All Staff in full.
  • Generative AI & Deepfakes: The guidance explicitly expands online safety definitions to address emerging generative AI risks, including deepfakes, AI-generated nude or semi-nude imagery, and interactive AI chatbots.
  • Annual Filtering & Monitoring Review: Schools must conduct and formally record an annual review of their digital filtering and monitoring effectiveness, led by the SLT and supported by IT leads.

๐Ÿ›๏ธ 2. Martyn’s Law: What Schools Need to Know

Under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (widely known as Martyn’s Law), all UK schools and colleges fall into the Standard Tier. This requires education settings to have clear, practical, and documented public protection procedures in place:

  • Core Response Plans: Schools must maintain documented procedures for Lockdown, Evacuation, Invacuation, and Communication during critical incidents.
  • No Costly Infrastructure Required: Standard Tier obligations focus strictly on staff preparedness and response workflowsโ€”not expensive hardware or physical alterations.

How ICT in Schools Can Help

Navigating digital emergency procedures, mass alert systems, and communication channels shouldn’t be overwhelming.

The ICT in Schools Team can support your school in auditing current communication channels, configuring rapid-response alert systems on staff devices, and ensuring your technical infrastructure supports fast, reliable lockdown and invacuation procedures.

๐Ÿ“ž Get in Touch: If you would like guidance or a review of your tech solutions for Martyn’s Law compliance, please contact the ICT in Schools helpdesk or speak directly to your designated technician!

๐Ÿ“ฑ 3. Online Safety Hub Weekly Highlight: Creating a Family Tech Agreement

In this week’s feature from the South Tyneside Online Safety Hub, we are highlighting the benefits of creating a family tech agreement.

A family tech agreement is a set of rules and expectations regarding online behavior and device use for all family members.

  • Digital Wellness: Digital wellness experts recommend tech agreements as a way to plan and outline expectations, fostering communication between parents and children about the risks and responsibilities of online activities.
  • Positive Boundaries: When rules are broken, the family tech agreement serves as a clear reference for consequences, fostering learning opportunities for children and encouraging positive online behaviors.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Access the Resource: Creating a family tech agreement on South Tyneside Online Safety Hub

๐Ÿ‚ Save the Date: AppleRTC Autumn Conference 2026

We are thrilled to announce that the AppleRTC Autumn Conference will be hosted live at The Word, South Shields on Wednesday, 22nd October 2026!

This whole-day event will focus on two of the most critical topics in EdTech today: AI & Accessibility.

Event Schedule:

  • Morning Session (9:30 โ€“ 12:30): Designed specifically for the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
  • Lunch (12:30 โ€“ 13:00): Lunch is included for all attendees!
  • Afternoon Session (13:00 โ€“ 15:30): Open to Teaching Staff and SLT.

Location: The Word, Market Place, South Shields

Date & Time: Wednesday, 22nd October 2026 | 9:30 โ€“ 15:30

Keep an eye on your inboxโ€”booking details and full workshop agendas will be released soon!

Thank you for reading this week’s edition of Five Minutes on Friday! Stay tuned for more EdTech news, practical classroom tools, and leadership advice in next week’s issue.

Have a great start to the term and a restful weekend!

Phillippa Chippendale

ICT in Schools Team

Five Minutes on Friday #11 10th July 2026

Welcome to this week’s Five Minutes on Friday digest! As we approach the final stretch of the academic year, we’ve compiled your weekly round-up of critical safeguarding updates, essential professional development opportunities, and invaluable parental resources to support your school community.

Grab a quick coffee and take five minutes to get up to speed with what you need to know for Friday, 10th July 2026.

๐Ÿ“‘ 1. Statutory Guidance: Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026

The Department for Education has officially released the updated ‘Keeping children safe in education 2026’ document.

  • For Information Only: Please note that this new edition is currently published for information only and does not come into force until 1st September 2026.
  • Current Requirements: Schools and colleges must continue to adhere strictly to the guidelines outlined in ‘Keeping children safe in education 2025’ until 31st August 2026.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Stay Prepared: Click here to review a comprehensive summary of the key upcoming changes

๐ŸŸ๏ธ 2. Professional Development: ICT for Education Conference

The highly anticipated ICT for Education Conference program is coming to St James’ Park, Newcastle on September 18th, 2026. This promises to be an incredibly practical morning for computing teachers, school leaders, and IT professionals looking to shape technology use inside the classroom.

The morning will feature leading sector specialists covering curriculum change, safeguarding, AI in education, and classroom technology. Key speakers include:

  • Martin Bailey โ€“ Computing subject leader at Ellington Primary School.
  • Miles Berry โ€“ Professor of Computing Education at the University of Roehampton.
  • Dr Steve Bunce โ€“ Robotics Partnerships Teacher and STEM Ambassador at RGS Newcastle.
  • Tig Williams โ€“ CAS Master Teacher, Curriculum Specialist, and Trainer.
  • Sarah Zaman โ€“ CAS Primary Specialist and NCCE Primary Computing Specialist.

Event Details:

  • Cost: Completely free to attend, with refreshments provided.
  • Timings: Registration opens at 07:30, sessions run from 08:30 to 12:40. Delegates are welcome to arrive or leave as schedules permit.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Secure Your Space: Register for the Newcastle Conference Here

๐Ÿ“ฑ 3. Online Safety Hub Highlight: Should I Get My Child a Phone?

Deciding when to give a child their first smartphone is one of the most common dilemmas faced by modern parents and carers. In this week’s spotlight from the South Tyneside Online Safety Hub, we share a comprehensive guide designed to help families navigate this major digital milestone.

The resource provides practical milestones and advice, focusing on three core areas:

  • Assessing Readiness: How to evaluate a child’s maturity, responsibility, and overall trustworthiness alongside the pros and cons of device ownership.
  • Setting Boundaries: The importance of establishing clear rules right from the start, including time limits, designated no-phone zones, and a structured nighttime plan.
  • Utilizing Technical Guardrails: How to confidently deploy parental controls to monitor usage and maximize online safety without having to constantly police every moment.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Read and Share the Full Guide: Should I Get My Child a Phone? The Complete Guide

Thank you for reading this week’s edition of Five Minutes on Friday! Stay tuned for more EdTech insights, digital tools, and leadership advice in next week’s update.

If you have a specific topic or tool you’d like us to cover in a future issue, please reach out to the team with your feedback.

Have a brilliant and relaxing weekend!

Phillippa Chippendale

ICT in Schools Team

Five Minutes on Friday ย #10 3rd July

Welcome to this week’s Five Minutes on Friday digest! As we step into the new month, we have put together a quick round-up of critical digital safety alerts, shifting online risks, and essential guidance to keep your school community safe and informed.

Grab a quick coffee and take five minutes to review what you need to know for Friday, 3rd July 2026.

๐Ÿค– 1. The Rise of AI Companion Apps & Dynamic Chatbots

While schools have focused heavily on web-based generative AI tools, children are increasingly downloading dedicated AI Companion and Chatbot apps onto their personal devices.

The updated June 2026 guidance from the UK Safer Internet Centre highlights a massive shift in digital risk. Traditional web filtering relies on blocking static URLs or specific web categories. However, AI companion apps generate real-time, highly personalized, and completely dynamic content directly within an app environment.

The Safeguarding Risks:

  • Filter Bypassing: Because the text or images are generated on the fly, standard school and home filters struggle to recognize or block harmful, manipulative, or toxic AI-generated outputs.
  • Emotional Dependency: Vulnerable pupils are at risk of developing unhealthy emotional attachments to realistic AI personas. This can isolate them further from real-world support networks or expose them to subtle forms of manipulation and misinformation.

๐ŸŽฎ 2. Evaluating “High-Risk Functionalities” Inside Popular Apps

Safeguarding leads are moving away from evaluating an app simply by its name (e.g., “Is Roblox safe? Is Snapchat safe?”). Instead, the focus is shifting toward the hidden, high-risk functionalities embedded within themโ€”a change that reflects the core focus of the newly outlined Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026.

The primary threats don’t always stem from the app’s main purpose, but rather from specific features running in the background:

  • Stranger Communication in Gaming: Platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, and Discord host open, unmonitored chat channels that allow malicious actors to initiate contact with young players.
  • Live Streaming Risks: Apps featuring built-in live streaming (like TikTok Live or Twitch) expose children to real-time interactions with strangers, pressure to overshare, and immediate exposure to unmoderated explicit content.
  • Location-Sharing Features: Features like Snapchat’s “Snap Map” or geolocation settings on photo-sharing apps can inadvertently broadcast a child’s exact location, school uniform, and daily routines, risking real-world stalking or privacy breaches.

Action for Schools:

When communicating with parents, advise them to move past blanket app bans and focus on feature-level management. Provide clear guidance on how to explicitly switch off live location tracking, restrict direct messages from unknown accounts, and disable real-time stranger voice/text chats within gaming settings.

๐Ÿ”’ 3. Online Safety Hub Highlight: The VPN Vanishing Act

In this week’s spotlight from the South Tyneside Online Safety Hub, we explore how tech-savvy teens are tricking parental controls using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

Key Insights for Families:

  • Bypassing Restrictions: Young people are increasingly using VPNs to overcome restrictions and bypass parental controls on the internet.
  • How It Works: A VPN enhances privacy and anonymity by concealing a device’s IP address and encrypting internet data.
  • Detection & Prevention: There are a number of methods parents can use to detect a active VPN, but open communication and education remain key to deterring young people from using them to hide their traffic.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Read the full guide: The VPN Vanishing Act: How Tech-Savvy Teens Trick Parental Controls

Thank you for reading this week’s edition! Stay tuned for more EdTech news, practical classroom ideas, and leadership tips in next week’s update.

Have a specific topic or safety trend you would like us to cover? Feel free to reach out to the team with your suggestions or feedback.

Have a great weekend!

Phillippa Chippendale

ICT in Schools Team

Dangerous Viral “Life Hack”: The NeeDoh Squishy Toy Trend

Schools and parents are being urged to speak with children regarding a hazardous viral trend circulating on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube involving popular gel-filled sensory toys like NeeDoh (“Nice Cubes” and “Jelly Cubes”). Online videos are falsely marketing a “life hack” that claims microwaving the silicone toys makes them softer and more pliable. In reality, the silicone insulation traps intense heat while remaining cool to the touch on the outside; when children later squeeze the toy, it bursts and sprays boiling gel. This trend has already resulted in severe, second- and third-degree facial and hand burns in both the UK and the US, with some cases requiring specialised burn unit care. Because these toys are safe when used as intended at room temperature, it is vital to educate pupils that online challenges modifying everyday items can carry catastrophic physical risks.