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

The Prompt (Issue 3): Statutory Safeguarding Updates, KCSIE Compliance, and AI Primary Lesson Builders

by Steve Robert – ICT in Schools Team

Welcome to Issue 3 of The Prompt, your educational briefing on AI technology integration across local settings. As generative AI establishes a massive footprint in administrative tasks, our priority shifts toward aligning classroom tools with emergent statutory compliance.

๐Ÿ“ข Setting Action: Please share this weekly tech brief with colleagues in your educational setting!

๐Ÿ“… AI Champions Working Group

There is still time to join our tech lead workgroup and guide safe technology deployments in your cluster.

To lock in a workshop seat, please contact Julia Small at [email protected].

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Item 1: ๐Ÿšจ KCSIE and AI โ€“ The “4 Cs” Safeguarding Survival Guide

AI is no longer just an admin time-saverโ€”it is an explicit statutory safeguarding priority under current Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) frameworks. Settings must actively monitor tool access and incorporate AI safety into student digital citizenship blocks.

Here is how the statutory “4 Cs” risk matrix applies directly to artificial intelligence in your school:

1. Content (What pupils see)

Generative engines suffer from “hallucinations”โ€”convincingly framed, completely fabricated facts. Under KCSIE, these fall under critical online misinformation and verification hazards.

  • Setting Action: Remind all instructional staff that public tools like Gemini require a minimum age of 13+ and must never be accessed via student-facing logins.

2. Contact (Who/What pupils interact with)

National guidance explicitly highlights the emotional risk of children forming parasocial relationships with open-ended AI companion apps or receiving unvetted guidance from automated virtual “friends”.

  • Setting Action: While blocked on managed network filters, these tools remain highly accessible at home. Settings must proactively provide home safety toolkits for parents and carers.

3. Conduct (How pupils behave)

KCSIE explicitly categorizes unconsented AI face-swapping, deepfakes, and synthetic media alteration under self-generated intimate image harms.

  • The Rule: If a student uses an AI app to alter a peerโ€™s photo for harassment or humiliation, the incident is treated with the exact same disciplinary severity as physical child-on-child abuse.

4. Commerce (Financial and Data risks)

Free-to-use generative platforms frequently leverage aggressive “freemium” monetization designs to trap children into costly premium micro-transactions. Furthermore, bad actors use hyper-realistic voice clones and phishing text generators to target school administrative offices.

๐Ÿ“‹ Your Immediate 3-Step AI Health Check:

  1. The Data Shield: Double-check that staff never input identifiable pupil information (such as real names, tracking tables, or EHCP details) into public engines like Gemini or NotebookLM.
  2. AUP Update: Ensure your schoolโ€™s Acceptable Use Policy explicitly outlines bans on creating unconsented deepfakes or altered media.
  3. The Approved Log: Maintain a central register of approved staff AI utilities, ensuring a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is finalized for each platform.

๐ŸŽต Item 2: Prompt of the Week โ€“ The Dual-Objective Lesson Builder

Leverage the high processing speeds of Gemini 3 Flash to effortlessly map out targeted, cross-curricular primary structures. This structure features a “role-reversal” configuration technique to align the output context perfectly with the UK national curriculum.

Copy and paste this template prompt into Gemini, modifying the brackets with your specific objective parameters:

“Act as an expert UK Primary School teacher. I need a lesson plan for Year [Insert Year Group, e.g., 4] that links our History topic on [Insert Topic, e.g., Anglo-Saxons] with a [Insert Other Subject, e.g., Computing] objective. The lesson needs to include: A 5-minute engaging hook. Three levels of differentiated activities (Working towards, expecting, and greater depth). A quick formative assessment idea at the end. Please frame the formatting using clear headings and bullet points so it is easy to read.”

๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ We Value Your Insights!

Please share your local feedback! Submit your deployment successes, anonymous tech questions, or classroom anecdotes to our community AI Newsletter Feedback Form.

For technical queries or topic requests, reach out directly to Steve Robert at [email protected].