It is essential that schools and families are confident that their children know how to be safe and responsible users of the Internet. The OSA Certificate of Online Safety provides valid and tangible evidence that your pupils have received and understood how to stay safe online, what to do if things go wrong, and what the possible consequences of bad choices could be.
Pupils complete the OSA Certificate of Online Safety online, working through a range of interactive presentations and videos. Motivation is maintained through these activities as pupils earn badges and work through levels by completing tasks.
Assessments are based on the preceding learning materials and include a range of short-answer and multiple choice questions. Pupils can attempt each test as many times as needed if they fail to reach the pass mark and will receive guidance on where they went wrong to develop their online safety knowledge. We provide a teacher account to allow you to monitor the progress of your pupils.
What is covered?
Units in the 2024-25 Certificate include online bullying, grooming (including radicalisation), sexting, safe use of smartphones, digital footprints, live streaming, gaming, reporting of concerns and more. New units this year include cyber-security and an ‘online relationships’ module to address many of the issues raised by the Everyone’s Invited website and the subsequent guidance from the DfE and Ofsted. The new courses include enhanced levels of interactivity, updates to online safety issues covered and a greater focus on helping children to deal with mental health issues.
To ensure age-appropriate content there are three levels of the Certificate available; Key Stage 3 (11-14), Key Stage 4 (14-16) and KS5 (16+).
How long does it take to complete?
This depends on the method of delivery. Some schools opt to allow their pupils to work independently through the Certificate in lessons and home learning. In such cases more able pupils will complete the Certificate in 1-2 hours and all pupils should be able to complete it within 3.
Some schools prefer to use a more teacher-led approach to delivering the Certificate. Although this results in the Certificate taking longer to complete (usually around 5 hours), this method provides opportunities for class discussion and development of deeper understanding.
What are existing users saying?
The feedback we have received from both students and parents has been extremely positive and as a school we now have clear evidence that students have completed this additional online safety learning.
Assistant Headteacher, Weald of Kent Grammar School
We have been very successful in delivering the OSA to our two year groups of years 7 and 8. I found the delivery clear to follow with good resources to help explain each topic.
Head of Computing, Kingsbury High School
96% of students who completed our KS3 course stated they felt their knowledge of how to stay safe online had improved as a result of the course.
Can I get trial access?
We would be happy to provide access to a trial account to allow you to take a closer look at the Certificate and how the system works. Simply send us a message using the contact form below. Please also contact us if you have any further questions.
Sign up today
If you are ready to join the increasing numbers of schools safeguarding pupils through use of the OSA Certificate of Online Safety, please use the following PayPal button to pay by card or complete the contact form below to request an invoice.
The setup cost for each school is normally just £399 and this provides:
- Access to the current version of the OSA Certificate of Online Safety for all pupils within your establishment;
- Access to the current version of the OSA’s popular ‘Certified AI User’ course for all pupils within your establishment;
- Access to the CPD-accredited course ‘Online Safety for School Staff’.
- Access to the CPD-accredited course ‘Cyber Security for School Leaders’.
- Access to the OSA’s online safety training for parents.
- for the current annual version of the OSA certificate. There are no hidden additional costs. Please contact us if you are planning only provide access to our courses to a limited section of your school community as we may be able to arrange a price reduction.