COMPUTING & IT RESOURCES
projects with classmates. They build digital skills that matter for their futures. Confining technology to school hours throws away most of its value.
Why the technology conversation is really about trust
The root of parent anxiety isn’t so much about the devices themselves. Parents want to know their children are safe and that technology serves a genuine educational purpose – when schools can’t articulate that purpose clearly, trust breaks down.
Part of the challenge is structural. In most schools, the IT team manages devices with teachers focusing on curriculum delivery. These groups rarely collaborate on deployment strategy, let alone on communication with parents. IT staff understand the technical specifications but may lack insight into educational goals, while teachers know what they want to achieve in lessons but may not grasp the security and management requirements.
Then there’s the parent liaison role, which typically sits with pastoral care staff who aren’t equipped to field detailed questions about content filtering or screen time controls. So, when parents raise concerns, the conversation gets bounced between departments. Nobody owns the issue.
I know schools that excel at this, and the difference is striking. They bring IT and teaching teams together from the start, developing a shared vision for how technology will enhance learning. They invite parents into the conversation early and explain both the opportunities and the safeguards.
Holding termly forums where parents can ask questions about technology use is a good place to start. IT staff can attend alongside teachers, so technical and teaching concerns get addressed in the same room. Parents can then leave with confidence that the school has thought through their worries and put proper measures in place.
Building positive digital habits instead of blanket blocking
Screen time limits are popular, and I understand
why parents worry about excessive use. However, restricting access doesn’t teach children how to handle digital environments safely. A primary school I worked with in Kent built something clever. They created a training programme that started in reception and built up through primary school, where children completed age-appropriate lessons about responsible use before they could access certain apps.
Reception children learned basics: don’t take photos of people without asking, be kind online, tell an adult if something bothers you. By Year 6, the same students were evaluating online sources for reliability, understanding how social media algorithms work, and discussing data privacy. Teachers didn’t treat this as a separate ‘digital citizenship’ course. They wove it into normal lessons using apps the children would use. Want to try stop-motion animation? First, complete the unit on image rights and digital consent. Need research tools? Learn to spot reliable sources first. Parents loved it. The school acknowledged their concerns while giving children practical skills for handling technology across all their devices, whether school-issued or their own. Devices went home with everyone confident that students understood the responsibilities involved. This is what happens when you think about purpose first and technology second.
Breaking down silos for successful deployment
The schools that get this right treat technology investment as a whole-school priority rather than an IT department concern. They pool budgets so that decisions about devices, security, training and curriculum integration happen together rather than in isolation.
When IT and teaching departments work separately, you get mismatched priorities. IT might prioritise robust security controls that make devices difficult to use in lessons. Teachers might request apps that create data privacy headaches. Neither group understands the constraints the other faces.
Shared planning sessions solve this. IT staff learn what teachers need to achieve in lessons
and teachers understand why certain security measures matter. Together, they can identify solutions that meet both sets of requirements. Budget integration matters too. When technology spending comes from separate pots, schools end up with short-term fixes instead of sustainable strategies. A joint budget allows for proper device refresh cycles, ongoing staff training, and the parent support tools that make home use successful.
Parents, meanwhile, need practical help when devices come home. That might mean access to apps that let them set time limits or restrict certain functions during homework hours. It definitely means clear communication about what controls the school has implemented and which ones parents control.
The most successful deployments involve parents from the beginning. Schools explain their long-term vision for technology in education, detail the safeguards they’re putting in place, and give parents genuine agency over device use outside school hours.
Making devices work for everyone Schools and parents are right to be cautious because the risks are real, but being careful is different from being paralysed. Fear is the wrong response to devices. Thoughtful deployment, proper support and genuine integration into teaching is what’s needed. In practice, that means bringing IT and teaching teams together, treating parents as partners who deserve honest communication, and teaching digital literacy rather than blocking websites.
Schools that communicate clear purposes, involve all stakeholders from the start, and build security training into everyday lessons get positive responses from parents and students alike. Getting this right create environments where technology enhances learning without triggering anxiety. Parents trust that devices serve clear purposes with appropriate safeguards and, most importantly, students gain skills they need for navigating digital environments safely.
February 2026
www.education-today.co.uk 41
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