Education Minister Has Today Officially Launched a
New Online Digital Proficiency Course Aimed at Educating Pupils
and Wider School Communities on Keeping Safe Online.
Provided Through the Safer Schools Ni Platform, the Digital
Proficiency Course Has Been Designed to Provide the Practical
Tools and Knowledge to Empower Children and Young People to Stay
Safe Online.
The Course Has Been Made Freely Available to All Education
Settings, Pupils and Parents Across Northern Ireland.
Said: Our Children and
Young People Are Engaging Daily with Technology, Social Media,
and Digital Platforms at Increasingly Younger Ages, and While
some of These Technologies Offer Benefits and Create
Opportunities, They Also Contain Potentially Harmful
Risks.
It Is Vital That We Provide Our Schools with the
Resources That Can Support Teachers and Education Staff to Equip
Children and Young People with the Skills to Navigate the Digital
and Online World. Educating and Empowering School Communities Is
Key to Ensure Pupils Know How to Access Support from Trusted
Adults or to Report Content When It Makes Them Feel
Unsafe.
The Safer Schools Digital Proficiency Course Has Been
Developed and Designed to Address This Need.”
The Minister Continued: This New Course Is Part of the
Wider Response to Keeping Our Children Safe Online and
Compliments Existing Advice, Guidance and Information on a Range
of Safeguarding Issues Available on the Safer Schools
Platform. I Am Delighted to Launch the Digital
Proficiency Course, and I Would Encourage All Schools to Register
and Sign up for This Free Initiative.”
Stitt, Head of Safer Schools, Ineqe
Safeguarding Group Said: Decades Ago, Cycling Proficiency' Taught
Us to Navigate the Physical World Safely; Today, That 'road' Has
Become Digital. The Digital Proficiency course Is an
Age-appropriate, Episodic Video-based Programme Based on the Five
'five Cs' of Online Risk - Content, Contact, Conduct, Commerce,
and Cyber Security. This Certified Course Is Free to Access for
Parents, Carers, Pupils and School Staff on the Safer Schools Ni
Web and Mobile App. The Digital 'road' May Have Changed, but Our
Collective Commitment to Safeguarding Our Children Should Always
Remain Paramount. I Urge All Schools and Families to Use These
Resources to Educate, Empower and Protect Our Children and Young
People in the Digital World.”
The Course Was Launched During a Visit to Braniel Primary School,
One of the 400 Schools Already Pre-registered to Take Part in the
Initiative, Which Will Go Live on Safer Internet Day, Marked on
10 February 2026.
Niall Manogue, Principal of Braniel Primary School Said: We're
Delighted to Be Commencing the Digital Proficiency Course in Our
School. We Expect That It Will Help Us Identify What Our Children
Know and Don't Know About Staying Safe Online and Provide a
Structured, Age-appropriate Resource to Help Them Navigate the
Online World.”
To Register Your School or Learn More About the Digital
Proficiency Course, Visit: Https://saferschoolsni.Co.Uk/digitalproficiency/
Notes to Editors:
The Safer Schools Ni Platform Is Funded by the Department of
Education and Provides a Range of Resources, Advice and Guidance
for Schools, Pupils and Parents with Particular Attention Paid to
Risks in the Online World, Emerging Social Media Platforms and
Online Harms.
