ySafe | How Schools Are Structuring Their Cyber Safety Days (and Why It Works)

Schools often ask us what a full cyber safety day actually looks like. The truth is, there’s no single template.

Every school has its own challenges, priorities, and community needs. That’s why ySafe offers the Build-A-Day program, so you can co-design a day with an expert that will work for your school, for you and for the issues and outcomes you're hoping for. 

Here’s how we work through it with our partner schools: 

Start with your community’s needs

Some schools begin with a specific cyber safety issue, like risky apps, deepfakes, or online bullying, that’s affecting students right now. Others focus on a year group that’s struggling with digital challenges, or on parents who want more tools to manage conversations at home. Wherever you start, your day should be designed around the issues that matter most in your community.

Pick the right mix of sessions

A single assembly can raise awareness, but a day allows for depth, variety, and conversation. Schools often combine:

• Foundation sessions to cover core concepts.
• Interactive workshops where students can get hands-on, like sleuthing a photo or reviewing app privacy settings.
• Parent sessions that open up dialogue at home.
• Staff sessions to give teachers practical tools and consistent language.
  

Go deeper with interactive sessions

This is where a full day really comes alive. Schools often add:

• Q&A sessions where students can ask the questions they’d never ask in class.
• Roundtable discussions with students, staff, and wellbeing teams.
• Parent–child evenings that break down barriers and spark new conversations.
• Case studies and deep dives into issues like toxic behaviour, fake news, or online influence.
• App risk analysis sessions where students unpack the safety features (and pitfalls) of their favourite apps.

These activities turn awareness into connection. They help students, staff, and parents see how online safety plays out in real life.

See how other schools have structured their cybersafety days

Every school’s reality looks different. Some have more time, more year groups to engage, or larger communities to reach. Others have tighter timetables, smaller wellbeing teams, or unique challenges that demand focus.
Some are tackling social media conflicts or deepfakes, while others are seeing digital coercion, gaming addiction, or friendship breakdowns playing out online.

That’s why every ySafe day is co-designed. We work with all kinds of schools; all-girls and boys’ colleges, co-ed and K–12 campuses, boarding schools, government and Catholic systems. You might have 200 students or 2,000; what matters is designing something that fits your community.

Here are just a few ways schools are making it work:

• A whole-school event: Student sessions during the day, followed by an evening parent session and a staff workshop.

• A year-group focus: A deep dive into Year 9 challenges, with small group workshops and a parent evening.

• A two-day intensive: Multiple year levels, app deep dives, and an expert panel where students submit anonymous questions.

• A primary school model: Younger years build early awareness, while Year 5–6 explore privacy and wellbeing, finishing with a parent session.

You know your students. We know the digital space. Together, we shape a day that works, whether it’s focused, whole-school, or multi-day.

When the structure reflects your school’s needs, the conversations are richer, the sessions more relevant, and the impact lasts long after the day itself.