New
Ofsted inspection framework
How NetSupport’s education solutions will support the new inspection areas.
Ofsted inspectors will now consider these main measures of effectiveness in schools when they make their judgements:
How NetSupport’s education solutions support
This is not an exhaustive list, but, giving selected examples from the new Ofsted inspection evaluation areas, we’ll set out how NetSupport’s solutions (NetSupport School, classroom.cloud and NetSupport DNA) can support your school – helping you to discover where each one can be of benefit in your context.
If you have any questions about other ways NetSupport’s solutions can support your school, contact [email protected] and our knowledgeable team will be happy to help.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is critical in terms of your school’s Ofsted inspection, as the new gradings are simply Met or Not met, without any graduated levels as in other areas.
Inspectors will consider whether:
- “the school establishes an open and positive safeguarding culture that puts pupils’ interests first” and
- “leaders take an effective, whole-school approach to safeguarding”.
Here are some of the areas (Ofsted framework, page 4) that inspectors will focus on and where NetSupport products can help support your school:
- protecting pupils from maltreatment and harm, whether within or outside the home or online
- working with safeguarding partners and other relevant agencies
- being open and transparent, sharing information appropriately with others, actively seeking expert advice when required, making sure all safeguarding decisions are accessible for scrutiny, and accepting challenge so that the right decisions are made
- recognising that safeguarding issues might occur in any provision at any time
- ensuring that all those who work with pupils are trained well in supporting them to be safer, and are empowered to speak out and act when there are concerns.
Safeguarding word cloud – classroom.cloud
Putting students’ interests first
- Keyword and Phrase Monitoring combined with Report a concern ensures that pupils can seek help discreetly and that staff are alerted to risk early – plus, leaders review trend data to cultivate an open safeguarding culture. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport DNA)
- Live monitoring and safe filtering through approved and restricted website lists help staff maintain a positive culture where pupils feel safe and know that adults are looking out for them. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport DNA)
Monitor thumbnails – NetSupport School
Whole-school approach to safeguarding
- 24-7 security settings help to protect the school network. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport DNA)
- Full safeguarding toolkit, including alerting, monitoring, user profile creation, internet/application metering and in-class USB endpoint security. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport DNA)
- Set authorised connection times in term time to protect against unauthorised access out of hours. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport DNA)
- Word cloud provides an overview of trending topics – and can identify any students engaged in concerning activity. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport DNA)
Protecting from maltreatment and harm
- Contextual intelligence technology records the screen, keystrokes and active window when a safeguarding keyword triggers, giving DSLs the information they need to act proportionately and protect pupils from harm. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport DNA)
- SafeSearch and approved websites lists prevent pupils accessing inappropriate material, and teachers can use show student screen to model safe online behaviour. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Built-in safe browsing controls block inappropriate websites and apps; teachers see each screen in real time and intervene if they spot something concerning.
- Monitor all application usage via a real-time thumbnail view of the class. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport School)
- Monitor AI platforms and sites such as Copilot, ChatGPT and others. (classroom.cloud)
Working with safeguarding partners
- classroom.cloud integrates with CPOMS and Tes MyConcern. This means that when you’re reviewing a triggered event, you can link it to a student either of these accounts – and you can continue to view the event in both classroom.cloud and Tes MyConcern/CPOMS.
- classroom.cloud offer Assisted Monitoring. We’ve partnered with SWGfL to offer Assisted Monitoring, providing an extra pair of hands for UK school safeguarding teams. The team at SWGfL can monitor safeguarding alerts within your classroom.cloud account, helping to assess and prioritise concerns so your team can respond swiftly and effectively.
Open and transparent, sharing information
- DSLs can manage concerns through a clear workflow, with escalation and signposting; audit trails record who has seen each case and what actions were taken, supporting transparent reporting and external scrutiny. Reports can also easily be sent to your central record in CPOMS or Tes MyConcern. (classroom.cloud)
- For safeguarding cases that arise during lessons, teachers can quickly raise a concern to the safeguarding team, attaching contextual details from the session; this fosters transparent communication and appropriate intervention. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport DNA)
Supporting staff to be safer
- Role-based permissions ensure that staff see only the safeguarding data they need, accompanied by clear guidance and signposting; training materials within the system help them understand signs of risk and how to report concerns. (NetSupport DNA and classroom.cloud)
- Clear on-screen alerts and accessible controls, such as lock screens and messages, support teachers to respond confidently when they identify a risk. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Simple interfaces and integrated help requests empower staff and pupils to report concerns quickly, and because teachers can see every screen, they are more likely to notice issues early. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport DNA)
Inclusion
This evaluation area considers how leaders and staff identify and support students eligible for the Pupil Premium, those with SEND, children in need/looked-after children, and students who share a protected characteristic.
Inspectors will focus on gathering evidence in areas including (but not limited to):
- “setting high expectations for all”
- prioritising “early and accurate assessment of pupils’ needs”
- implement a “continuous cycle of planning, actions and review to reduce barriers to learning and/or wellbeing”
- working with “pupils, parents, professionals and staff” to ensure their “views and aspirations are included in decision-making about support”.
Inspectors will “take account of how they apply to different ages and stages of learning” and groups with specific needs.
Chat and message – classroom.cloud
Inclusion: how NetSupport products help
High expectations for all
- Student journal for scaffolding learning. (NetSupport School)
- Chat/help request tools for extra support or to encourage participation. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Quick surveys for instant formative assessment to spot emerging needs. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Real-time task monitoring to reveal which students need extra help. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Random select and Q&A mode to engage every student. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
Prioritising early and accurate assessment of needs
- Live monitoring shows the students who may be struggling in real time. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport School)
- Help requests enable pupils to self-identify when they need extra help. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport School)
- Set age-appropriate internet controls/profiles to shield students from unsuitable content. (NetSupport DNA and classroom.cloud)
- Group vulnerable students on the system for dedicated safeguarding. (NetSupport DNA and classroom.cloud)
Continuous cycle of planning, actions and review
- Teachers adjust access to apps or websites based on ongoing assessment and review progress through repeated quick polls, modifying plans as pupils’ needs change. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport School)
- Assessment reports and Student Journal entries feed into planning, actions and review teachers can adapt resources and teaching strategies, then record the impact in the journal. (NetSupport School)
Including everyone in decision-making
- Teachers use surveys to gather pupil views anonymously, share Student Journal entries with parents, or use Chat to discuss progress during lessons. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Messages and scheduled surveys enable teachers to collect feedback from pupils and parents and to adapt support accordingly. (classroom.cloud and NetSupport School)
Curriculum and teaching
This evaluation area considers how leaders design a high-quality and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, how leaders and staff deliver the curriculum effectively across all subjects and how leaders make sure pupils build strong foundations for accessing the curriculum to support later success.
Inspectors focus on gathering evidence in areas including (but not limited to):
- “planning and sequencing the curriculum clearly so that all pupils can access it and gain knowledge and skills”
- “teachers teach the subject curriculum effectively” […] “presenting information clearly, checking pupils’ understanding systematically and adapting their teaching appropriately”
- “using assessment effectively to inform teaching and learning”.
Question and answer mode – NetSupport School
Curriculum and teaching: how NetSupport products help
Planning and sequencing the curriculum clearly
- Student journal for sharing learning intentions and curriculum content. (NetSupport School)
- Sharing teacher’s screen to model complex concepts clearly, with relevant apps and websites made available to each specific lesson to keep learners on track and focused. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Live monitoring in real time shows student progress and supports teacher interventions to ensure the curriculum is being followed as planned. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
Teachers teach the subject curriculum effectively
- Live monitoring through view student thumbnails shows who is on task and making progress in the right way and enables the teacher to provide support when needed. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Teachers set focused access to specific apps or sites, helping pupils self-regulate and focus on learning. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Teachers can present information clearly on pupils’ devices using the Show mode and keep them focused in the moment, supporting Direct Instruction. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Teachers can adjust the access to apps and websites for students in the moment to specific groups, individuals or the whole class, depending on their need – and giving resources as and when they are needed. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
Effective assessment to inform teaching and learning
- Quick polls and surveys help to reveal understanding instantly, allowing teachers to support adaptive teaching strategies without losing momentum. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Teachers set focused access to specific apps or sites, helping pupils self-regulate and focus on learning. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Multiple forms of quick assessments enable teachers to support a variety of different assessment activities, from ‘think, pair, share’ to retrieval and more. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Teachers can use the Chat feature to support students when needed, and students can use it to ask for help as required. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
Achievement
This evaluation area considers how a school provides a high-quality education for all, especially disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND or those who face other barriers to their learning and/or well-being. It also considers pupils’ attainment over time in national tests and examinations, where relevant, and the progress pupils make across the curriculum from their starting points.
Inspectors focus on gathering evidence in areas including (but not limited to):
- “securing the knowledge and skills pupils need before undertaking more complex tasks”
- Ensuring that pupils “know more, remember more and can do more”
- Preparing pupils “for the next stage of education, training or employment”.
Survey mode – classroom.cloud
Achievement: how NetSupport products help
Securing the knowledge and skills pupils need
- The Testing Module supports practice for national tests; results are stored and can be exported for review, helping teachers track attainment over time. (NetSupport School)
- Surveys and quick polls can be reused over time, giving teachers insight into progress between formal assessments. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Teachers use the well-being check-in feature to take the temperature of pupils’ well-being in the class. (NetSupport School)
Pupils know more, remember more and can do more
- Using the random selection tool and retrieval quizzes allows teachers to revisit prior learning at regular intervals. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- The Student Journal stores notes and exemplars so pupils can review and see how their capabilities develop. (NetSupport School)
- Frequent quick polls and the help requests feature help teachers track progress in real time and provide additional guidance where needed. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
Preparing pupils for the next stage of education, training or employment
- Multiple features that help keep learners on track with their learning, reducing distractions, keeping them focused, support their development of self-regulation, helping them become successful, independent and focused when using technology. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
Attendance and behaviour
This evaluation area considers how those within a school, such as teachers and leaders, create a calm, orderly, respectful and positive environment in which pupils can thrive.
Inspectors focus on gathering evidence in areas including (but not limited to):
- Develop “pupils’ motivation and positive attitudes to learning”
- “creating an environment in which pupils feel safe, and in which bullying […] are dealt with quickly, consistently and effectively”.
Student register – NetSupport School
Attendance and behaviour: how NetSupport products help
Positive behaviour and attitudes to learning
- By restricting access to distracting websites and applications during the first minutes of a lesson and using quick polls to engage pupils straight away, teachers help everyone settle quickly and value punctuality. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- A single click locks all screens at the start of a session; teachers then greet pupils and set expectations, establishing a routine that values punctuality and focus. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Teachers use live monitoring to spot off-task behaviour early, send a supportive message or chat to redirect a pupil, and issue rewards to reinforce positive conduct. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
Creating an environment in which pupils feel safe
- ‘Report a concern’ feature allows pupils to seek help for well-being issues discreetly; DSLs act quickly to provide the right support. (classroom.cloud).
- By monitoring safeguarding keywords using our safeguarding tools and analysing on-screen activity (and images they see) in real time, schools can identify emerging risks and respond swiftly to protect pupils and maintain a safe, supportive environment. (classroom.cloud)
- By viewing pupils’ screens in real time, teachers can monitor engagement, address off-task behaviour promptly and keep learning focused and purposeful. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- By limiting access to websites and applications, teachers can guide pupils towards trusted learning resources and minimise digital distractions. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
Personal development and well-being
This evaluation area focuses on the personal development and well-being of students.
Inspectors focus on gathering evidence in areas including (but not limited to):
- Supporting “pupils to become responsible, respectful and active citizens”
- “enabling pupils to recognise the danger of using technology…inappropriately
- “enabling pupils to recognise online and offline risks to their well-being”.
Feedback and well-being – NetSupport School
Personal development and well-being: how NetSupport products help
Supporting digital citizenship
- Our many resources for teachers, parents and students on active and responsible digital citizenship, including curriculum resources, help support pupils learning how to become responsible, respectful and active (digital) citizens. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- ‘Report a concern’ feature allows pupils to seek help for well-being issues discreetly; DSLs act quickly to provide the right support. (classroom.cloud).
- A single click locks all screens at the start of a session; teachers then greet pupils and set expectations, establishing a routine that values punctuality and focus. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- Teachers use live monitoring to spot off-task behaviour early, send a supportive message or chat to redirect a pupil, and issue rewards to reinforce positive conduct. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
Supporting pupils to use technology appropriately
- By viewing pupils’ screens in real time, teachers can monitor engagement, address off-task behaviour promptly and keep learning focused and purposeful. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- By limiting access to websites and applications, teachers can guide pupils towards trusted learning resources and minimise digital distractions. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
Supporting pupils with risks to their well-being
- The well-being check-in feature helps to take the temperature of pupils’ well-being in the class. (NetSupport School)
- The safeguarding features which monitor pupils’ devices keep track of risks presented on their devices from a range of safeguarding topics. (NetSupport DNA and classroom.cloud).
- Resources via the ‘Report a concern’ feature help pupils to find support when they need it, both within the school and beyond, from trusted sources such as CEOP. (NetSupport DNA and classroom.cloud).
Report a concern – NetSupport DNA
Leadership and governance
This evaluation area considers the extent to which leadership and responsible for governance collectively ensure the school enables pupils to thrive whilst gathering assurance that there is a collective commitment to raise standards of education and care for all.
Inspectors focus on gathering evidence in areas including (but not limited to):
- How leaders “promote effective use of resources, including digital technologies, to support positive outcomes for pupils”
- How governance helps “ensure that systems for monitoring […] provide leaders and staff with high-quality feedback to inform continuous improvement”
Inspectors will gather evidence relating to “professional standards, research and inspection evidence”.
Contextual Intelligence-based Risk Index alert – NetSupport DNA
Leadership and governance: how NetSupport products help
Promote effective use of digital technologies
- By providing central oversight of device usage and software deployment, leaders can make informed and strategic decisions about digital provision. (NetSupport DNA)
- By tracking application and website use across the network, schools can ensure that technology aligns with curriculum priorities and supports teaching and learning. (NetSupport DNA and classroom.cloud)
- By viewing live classroom activity and supporting digital behaviour management, teachers can model purposeful technology use and maintain focused learning. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- By managing access to approved websites and applications, staff can ensure that digital tools are used safely and effectively to enhance learning. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- By generating detailed reports on devices, software and online activity, leaders can demonstrate the effective and responsible use of digital technologies across the school. (NetSupport DNA and classroom.cloud)
Ensure systems for monitoring give high-quality feedback to inform improvement
- By capturing detailed data on device, application, and internet use, leaders gain clear insights into how technology supports learning and operations. (NetSupport DNA and classroom.cloud)
- By enabling real-time visibility of classroom activity, teachers and leaders can identify where digital tools are enhancing engagement or where support is needed. (NetSupport School and classroom.cloud)
- By producing comprehensive usage and safeguarding reports, systems provide actionable feedback that informs professional development and policy refinement. (NetSupport DNA and classroom.cloud)
- By integrating with existing safeguarding and reporting platforms, schools can track interventions and measure the impact of digital strategies on pupil well-being. (NetSupport DNA and classroom.cloud)
- By tracking software licence usage and utilisation, leaders can evaluate value for money, ensuring investments in digital tools are efficient and aligned with educational priorities. (NetSupport DNA)
- By analysing trends over time, leaders can evaluate the effectiveness of technology investments and drive continuous improvement across the school. (NetSupport DNA, NetSupport School, classroom.cloud)
Early years and Post-16 provision
In general, NetSupport’s education solutions are aimed at secondary school level, although they are used in other areas. If you are using them in early years/post-16 provision, please talk to our team about how our products can help in your context.
Find out more about NetSupport’s education solutions today!
