The report of the Byron Review, "Safer Children in a Digital World" has generally been well-received, and rightly so. It offers a balanced view which takes account of both the dangers and the benefits of children using the internet, and it makes a number of useful and practical suggestions which could be implemented to reduce the dangers.



However, the report suffers from one glaring omission - it completely fails to mention that a certificated Internet Safety course has been available from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) since 2006 and is widely taught in Scottish schools. It is believed to be the only course of its type developed by a national awarding body in the EU.

The course isn't restricted to schools - it's also offered to adults, including parents, teachers and youth workers via evening classes in further education colleges. It has been used for training police cadets by the Strathclyde Police Force and has been delivered to about 4000 pupils in Manchester schools. The course is supported by a complete online package of teaching and assessment materials and a purpose-written textbook entitled "Internet Safety Skills", published by Leckie and Leckie.

The omission of the course from the report is baffling, to say the least, particularly as mention is given to various other examples of good practice, including one from Ireland. Throughout the report Dr. Byron emphasises the importance of improved education for both children and parents, yet she somehow overlooks the fact that a suitable course, complete with all the required materials, is already available.

Every Education Authority in the UK could adopt this course immediately, rather than waiting, perhaps for years, until alternative courses are developed. This could reduce the exposure of millions of children to online dangers and to increase their parents' knowledge of Internet hazards and how to avoid them.

The SQA course is interesting and engaging, while remaining highly practical. It provides information about the safety precautions which should be taken when using the Internet, and gives students practical experience in taking these. It is suitable for a variety of individuals, especially young people, parents and mature Internet users.

The first part of the course examines a range of Internet threats including malicious programs (such as viruses, trojans, worms, adware, spyware and rogue diallers), hackers, spam, phishing, identity theft and emerging threats such as ransomware. It also looks at threats to user safety including grooming, inappropriate behaviour and cyberbullying, and highlights the fact that these threats can appear in a variety of contexts, eg: social networking sites, chat rooms, e-mail and instant messaging.

The second section covers safety precautions which should be taken including firewalls, anti-virus and e-mail filtering software and Internet security suites. Precautions for maintaining user safety include content filtering, proxy servers, monitoring and reporting user behaviour and withholding personal information.

The third section covers the legal aspects of using the Internet, including copyright, data protection, digital rights management and software licensing (such as freeware and shareware), legal constraints on the construction of websites, including disability discrimination legislation, and legislation relating to illegal content such as terrorist, pornographic and racist material. It also discusses child protection legislation which prohibits grooming and inappropriate behaviour towards minors.

The last part focuses on giving students practical experience of taking relevant safety precautions. They are expected to install and configure anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, firewalls, spam filters and internet security suites and to show that they can take precautions for maintaining user safety, including content filtering, proxy servers, monitoring and reporting user behaviour and withholding personal information.

Many people will be content to simply follow the content of the course, but if they wish they can also be assessed and, if successful, be awarded a certificate by SQA. The assessment comprises a short multiple choice test, taken online, and a log recording the practical task carried out during the course, which can optionally be submitted in electronic format, eg: as a blog or an online portfolio.