The Digital Strategy Series - The Think, Connect, Secure Framework

Reflecting on the First Edition

In the first edition of this series, we explored why creating a Digital Strategy is an essential step for schools to navigate the challenges of modern education and to feel inspection ready in the future. I also highlighted the importance of planning and foresight to avoid being reactive to technology trends.

By introducing the concept of my Digital Strategy Framework, the first newsletter laid the foundation for understanding how structured approaches can enhance learning, safeguarding, and overall school efficiency. I’ve sought to create straightforward templates so that schools can implement Digital Strategy in any environment and, ultimately, can then be better prepared for inspection. For example, tools such as my Digital Strategy Plan template (DSP), the Audit template, and the Digital Oversight Model simplify managing and deploying a Digital Strategy.

Introducing Think, Connect, Secure

As technology continues to evolve and integrate into every aspect of education, schools face a growing challenge: how to ensure students remain safe and responsible digital citizens. This is a key part of Digital Strategy and as such, I define it as its own framework, which then hooks into a wide range of different parts of school life. It’s no longer enough to simply block harmful content or monitor activity (although all schools should implement effective Filtering and Monitoring - more on that later) schools must actively teach students how to navigate the digital world safely and effectively.

As a result, I created the?Think, Connect, Secure framework to address this need, offering a practical, actionable model for schools to build a culture of digital safety and citizenship. This sits within a Digital Strategy Plan; we'll explore how to create one in more detail later in the series. What we cover in this edition won’t be exhaustive, but it will give you a strong sense of what the framework is designed to do, with some concrete examples.

So - let's begin to explore Think, Connect, Secure.

Think: Building Critical Thinking Skills

The foundation of digital citizenship lies in critical thinking. Students need the skills to:

• Evaluate online content for accuracy and bias.
• Recognise and avoid phishing attempts and misinformation.
• Understand the ethical implications of their online actions.

Ideally, wherever possible, we need to weave digital citizenship into day-to-day moments in school life; it should not be relegated solely to the computing curriculum - that's a suboptimal solution. Arguably, in order to fulfil the Prevent duty thoroughly, given that we know a huge amount of radicalisation happens online, we should always strive to present citizenship as being relevant across the physical and digital spheres.

Let's talk about practical initiatives.

Curriculum Integration and Stories: Embed digital literacy across subjects such as Science (e.g., evaluating misinformation in health trends), History (e.g., analysing propaganda), and English (e.g., assessing online content critically). Additionally, incorporate child-friendly storybooks about digital citizenship around your school, so that they can be read in class or as a choice by readers.?Wherever possible, we want to bake in critical thinking skills that can be used across the physical and digital spheres.

Real-World Scenarios: Use class discussions and school-wide debates to explore algorithms, biases, and digital hygiene. For example, hold debates on the ethical use of AI in education or organise activities where students analyse the role of algorithms in shaping social media feeds. Encourage practical applications, such as workshops where students create visualisations of biased algorithms to better understand their impact on decision-making and society.

Student-Led Initiatives:?This is a fabulous opportunity to heighten pupil voice in your school. Strengthen your Student Council's input by having them create flyers and posters that outline how to be a positive digital citizen. Have them lead a digital debate, using Teams or a similar platform, where they can argue reasonably, rationally and politely about a topic they care deeply about, helping them to practice positive digital citizenship in the environment they will actually encounter it in. With their input, create a Digital Citizenship Accreditation programs where students earn recognition, certificates and even badges for promoting safe, responsible online behavior.?

Big Events: Participate in Safer Internet Day or Media Literacy Week to highlight critical digital skills. Consider developing your own inter-school event; again, seek to have your School Council and other student leaders have a driving role in this. Ultimately, we want students to have a sense of ownership in everything that they participate in.

Connect: Fostering Open Communication

Safe digital behavior begins with trust and communication. Some areas that the Connect pillar focuses on:

• Strengthening relationships between students and trusted adults, such as teachers and parents.
• Encouraging students to report online concerns, including cyberbullying or inappropriate content.
• Promoting healthy, respectful interactions in digital spaces and championing key values, such as British Values.

Examples of some practical initiatives:

Worry Boxes: Create anonymous, accessible tools for students to share concerns discreetly, both physically and digitally. Having digital Worry Boxes is another example of that parity across digital and physical spaces that we want to create.?

Parent Workshops and Materials: Equip families with strategies for managing screen time, setting parental controls, and fostering empathy online. I regularly run workshops for parents as part of the Think, Connect, Secure framework.

Alongside this, I provide them with a range of templates to complete (like Family Digital Agreements that they can complete with their children, or Digital Diaries that they can use to discuss online sessions), which are then explored further in the workshops. Furthermore, giving parents to quick, easy to understand guides on key digital areas (I do this as "5 Minute Briefings" are invaluable.

Pastoral Support: Use data-driven systems (e.g., CPOMS, or a well crafted House Point system/reward system) to identify patterns and intervene proactively when their are clear pastoral flags. These systems can track behaviors, attendance, and other relevant metrics, allowing staff to identify trends and address potential concerns early. For example, if patterns of notable behaviours are clear as part of your regular reviews, pastoral teams can initiate conversations with students and families to provide targeted support.

Additionally, integrating CPOMS with monitoring tools ensures a seamless connection between digital incidents (e.g., inappropriate online interactions) and real-world interventions. This proactive approach helps create a supportive environment where students feel seen and supported.

Secure: Creating a Safe Digital Environment

While teaching students to think critically and connect openly is vital, schools also need robust systems to protect them. Some areas that the Secure pillar focuses on:

• Implementing effective filtering and monitoring systems to block harmful content and identify risky behavior.
• Ensuring data privacy and compliance with regulations such as GDPR.
• Educating staff on best practices for managing digital tools and platforms securely.

Examples of some practical initiatives:

Filtering & Monitoring:?Whilst this could be covered extensively in its own section, in summary; regularly review and update filtering tools while maintaining daily alert systems to flag risks. Build bi-weekly monitoring reviews into your Digital Oversight Model to look for patterns in your daily alerts. Hold regular meetings with the safeguarding team to attempt to bypass the filter whilst logged in as a student to stress-test the system.?

Staff Training and Ambassador Programme:?As part of your CPD model (and once again baked into your Digital Oversight Model) ensure that there is regular training on phishing, digital hygiene, citizenship, Prevent and more. Find and elevate individuals on your staff team into a Digital Ambassador Programme, to further embed standards and best practices through your school/s. I have found this to be particularly effective and an excellent opportunity to learn more from my colleagues in open discussion about digital strategy throughout the school.

Tech-Free and Smartphone-Free Initiatives: Establish areas where technology use is prohibited, such as dining halls or playgrounds, to encourage face-to-face interactions, and consider promoting safer habits by restricting smartphone use among younger students. These initiatives should be developed in consultation with parents and actively incorporate pupil voice via the School Council. For example, engage students in designing "Tech-Free Zone" posters or organising campaigns around the benefits of unplugged interactions. Additionally, parental input can ensure these policies align with family expectations, creating a unified approach to promoting healthy technology habits both at home and at school.

Digital Audits: Conduct regular audits to evaluate the effectiveness of digital systems and ensure alignment with safeguarding goals. As a cornerstone of the Digital Strategy Plan, audits provide valuable insights into the functionality and utilisation of digital tools across the school. They help identify gaps in filtering and monitoring systems, ensure compliance with data privacy regulations like GDPR, and assess the effectiveness of digital safeguarding measures. By incorporating these audits into the Digital Oversight Model, schools can establish a cycle of continuous improvement, ensuring their digital environments are both safe and efficient, as well as inspection ready.

Why Having a Framework Like Think, Connect, Secure is Essential

The digital world is complex and ever-changing. Without a structured approach to digital citizenship, schools risk leaving students unprepared for the challenges they will face online. The Think, Connect, Secure Framework provides a clear, comprehensive model that not only protects students but also equips them with the skills they need to thrive in a digital society. By embedding this framework into your school’s culture, you can create an environment where students feel empowered and supported both online and offline; and ensure you feel inspection-ready on digital.

Stay tuned for the next edition in this series: The Power of Digital Audits.

If you’re interested in collaborating further and want to consult on your school’s digital strategy or want to discuss how to make your own Think, Connect, Secure framework, reach out to me via LinkedIn to start the conversation.?