DON'T DELETE IT
Westbridge Academy. Form period. Thursday, 20 November, 08:56.
Online evidence is not yours to manage. Know what to touch, what to leave, and who to call.
Based on Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 — Part 1, para 24–30 and Annex C
Estimated time: 25–30 minutes
YOUR ROLE
Rachel Webb
Form Tutor, Year 10 · Westbridge Academy
You are Rachel Webb, Form Tutor for 10R at Westbridge Academy. It is Thursday, 20 November, 8:55 AM. Form period finishes in five minutes. The rest of 10R has already filed out.
Jamie Norris is still in his seat. He's been quiet the whole ten minutes, which isn't like him. As the last student leaves, he gets up and closes the door.
SCHOOL CONTEXT
- → Westbridge's DSL is Mr Davies (Head of Year 11). He is available most days before 9:30 AM and after school.
- → The school uses CPOMS for safeguarding records. All concerns are logged there — not on paper, not by email.
- → Westbridge's online safety policy follows the UKCIS (UK Council for Internet Safety) framework.
- → CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) is the correct reporting body for online child sexual abuse material. Reports go through the DSL — not directly from individual staff.
- → Passing on, forwarding, or saving an explicit image of a child is a criminal offence, regardless of the reason it was forwarded.
Thursday Morning — Form Room
Jamie glances at the door, then at his phone.
He turns the screen towards you. It's a screenshot of a group chat. 30-odd members. There are images in it. Explicit images. A girl from the school — you can't see her face but you recognise the school uniform. Someone's written her name in the chat. There are 14 laughing emojis.
Jamie puts the phone face-down on the desk.
The Phone Is On the Desk
What do you do with the phone right now?
The Forward
WHAT WENT WRONG
Forwarding, saving, or copying an image that constitutes child sexual abuse material is a criminal offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 — regardless of the reason. 'I needed it for evidence' is not a legal defence.
The DSL has the training and authority to manage evidence correctly — including liaising with CEOP and police, who have forensic tools to preserve evidence without distributing it.
The victim's images are now in your school email inbox. That is the opposite of protecting her.
KCSiE 2025 — Part 1, para 24–30
The Deletion
WHAT WENT WRONG
Instructing a student to delete a screenshot can constitute destruction of evidence. More practically: that screenshot was the clearest proof of what was in the chat and who was named.
Jamie's phone should have been left untouched and handed to the DSL, who would have handled it through the correct forensic process.
The instinct to protect Jamie from having the image on his device is understandable. But the correct protection is: give it to the people who know how to handle it.
KCSiE 2025 — Part 1, para 24–30
You Do Exactly One Thing
CORRECT APPROACH
You reassured Jamie, preserved the evidence by not touching it, and went to the DSL immediately.
The key principle: online evidence is not yours to manage. You are not trained in digital forensics. The DSL — and through them, CEOP and police — is.
KCSiE 2025 — Part 1, para 24–30WHAT DO YOU DO WITH EACH ITEM?
Six things are in play right now. For each, pick the right action.
You're at Mr Davies's Door
You're outside Mr Davies's office. You've told him the basic facts. He's listening.
You have four options running through your head. Some feel urgent. Some feel obvious. Which do you do first?
WHAT'S YOUR NEXT STEP?
You have four options. Only one is the correct immediate action. Select the one you would do first — then see how all four rank.
Go to Mr Davies (DSL) and give a full account
1STTell him everything — who, what, when, what the chat showed, how Jamie came to you.
Correct. The DSL is the first and only call right now. They manage all subsequent actions — police liaison, parental contact, victim support, CEOP report. Every other option either bypasses the DSL or risks causing harm that the DSL's process is designed to prevent.
Call the police directly
2NDThis is serious enough for the police. You could call 101 right now.
Understandable, but not the correct first step. The DSL has a defined relationship with local police and CEOP. A direct call from a form tutor may create a parallel investigation that complicates the official one. The DSL will involve police when appropriate — often the same day.
Call the victim's parents
NOT YETHer parents should know. You could ring home before anyone else does.
Do not call the victim's parents without DSL authorisation. Parental contact before the DSL is consulted can tip off a family member involved in the abuse, or cause the victim to feel exposed before any support is in place. The DSL decides when and how parents are contacted.
Message the staff WhatsApp group to warn colleagues
NEVEROther teachers need to know this is happening. A quick message to help them be vigilant.
A staff WhatsApp message about an active safeguarding concern is a data breach. It discloses personal information about a student to people not part of the safeguarding process. Never discuss active concerns in informal channels.
WHICH PATHWAY?
Six online safety scenarios. Select the correct immediate response for each.
Three Hours Later — Your Personal Mobile
Mr Davies has the case. CEOP has been notified. The police school liaison officer is coming in at 2 PM. You're in the staffroom. You haven't told anyone else.
Your personal mobile rings. Unknown number. You answer. It's a woman's voice — panicked, not angry.
Jamie's Mum Wants Answers
How do you handle this call?
The Reassurance Call
WHAT WENT WRONG
Jamie is a witness in an active safeguarding case. Communications with his family about the case — even reassuring ones — are part of the DSL's case management.
You disclosed that Jamie was involved in a safeguarding matter. Even without details, this could affect his willingness to cooperate with police. His mum now knows something happened — which may cause her to speak to Jamie in ways that affect his account before the police interview.
KCSiE 2025 — Part 1, para 24–30
You Redirect
CORRECT APPROACH
The DSL manages communications with families in active cases. This protects Jamie, protects the victim, and ensures the family's concerns are handled by someone trained to answer them appropriately without compromising the investigation.
Redirecting was the right call — and informing Mr Davies immediately was equally important. He now knows Jamie has spoken to his mum about the incident, which is relevant to how the police liaison officer will speak to Jamie this afternoon.
KCSiE 2025 — Part 1, para 24–30
The Half-Answer
WHAT WENT WRONG
Half an answer created more alarm than no answer. 'Active school matter' told Jamie's mum enough to worry — but not enough to be reassured. The result: she's coming to collect Jamie before the police liaison officer arrives.
The correct move was simple: redirect to the school office, inform Mr Davies. No information is the right information when you are not the person managing the case.
KCSiE 2025 — Part 1, para 24–30DECISION 1 — THE PHONE
DECISION 2 — JAMIE'S MUM
END OF DAY
ONLINE EVIDENCE — FIVE RULES
What every member of staff needs to know
DO NOT FORWARD, SAVE, OR COPY ONLINE EVIDENCE
Forwarding an explicit image of a child — regardless of intent — constitutes distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This applies to school email accounts, personal phones, printouts, and screenshots. 'I needed it for the record' is not a legal defence. The DSL and CEOP have forensic tools to preserve evidence correctly.
DO NOT DELETE EVIDENCE
Instructing a student to delete a screenshot, a message, or a chat history can constitute destruction of evidence. Leave devices untouched. Direct the student to the DSL. If the student is reluctant, reassure them that they are not in trouble — and that the matter will be handled by the right people.
DSL FIRST — NOT POLICE, NOT PARENTS, NOT COLLEAGUES
For most online safety concerns, the DSL is the correct first call. The DSL manages the relationship with CEOP, police liaison, and parents. Direct calls to police are appropriate only in cases of imminent physical threat. Informing colleagues via WhatsApp or email is a data breach. Contacting parents without DSL authorisation can compromise the investigation.
REDIRECT PARENTAL CONTACT THROUGH THE SCHOOL OFFICE
If a parent contacts you directly about an active safeguarding case, do not discuss the case — even to reassure. Redirect them to the school office and immediately inform the DSL of the contact. The DSL manages family communications in active cases. What you say in a 90-second phone call can affect whether a student cooperates with a formal statement.
SCHOOL JURISDICTION EXTENDS TO ONLINE BEHAVIOUR
KCSiE is clear: the school's safeguarding duty applies to online behaviour affecting the school community, even if it occurred outside school hours and on personal devices. A group chat mocking, sharing images of, or threatening a student is a school safeguarding matter — regardless of when or where it was created.
Developed in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 (KCSiE)
Part 1, para 24–30 · Annex C — UKCIS Framework
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