E-Safety
E-safety is an integral part of your child’s education in today’s digital world and is embedded in their learning both in school and at home. We want to help our pupils and parents improve their own understanding of e-safety issues so they can learn to use the internet and all digital media in a safe and secure way. The internet is an incredible, powerful tool which the majority of people use on a daily basis but it is important to remember that there are also many potential pitfalls to be aware of in order to remain safe online.
At Home
As a parent, you'll know how important the internet is to children - they use it to learn, play, socialise and express themselves. It is a highly creative place of amazing opportunities. However, the technology which is used by children every day can seem a bit daunting and you might worry about the risks your child can face online - such as bullying, contact from strangers or the possibility of them seeing illegal or inappropriate content.
Please remember that the legal age to have an account on most social media (such as Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Snapchat) is 13 years old. Children should also ensure they are not playing games online that are inappropriate for their age.
At School
As part of your child’s curriculum and the development of computer skills, we provide access to the internet only in teacher-supervised lessons. We strongly believe that the use of the web and collaborative working online is hugely worthwhile and an essential tool for children as they grow up in the modern world. However, as there are always concerns about children having access to undesirable materials, we have taken positive steps to deal with this risk in school: we operate a filtering system that restricts access to inappropriate materials.
As part of the Computing and RHE curriculum areas, each class discusses how we can all stay safe online and the dangers we may face on the internet. All pupils are expected to follow the rules of our Acceptable Use Agreement which can be found below; these rules will help to ensure that our pupils stay safe online.
Remote/ Home Learning
Every child in school has been provided with a Google Classroom account. This enables them to access a range of resources and work to complete at home to aid with their learning. We use this platform in school and occasionally use it to set homework activities. On this, your child has the opportunity to communicate with other people in their class but we have taken the safe approach of removing access to email accounts.
Google Classroom is managed by the members of staff in school and children are encouraged to share any technology concerns with their teachers. This way we can ensure that we are doing our utmost to keep our children safe online.
Websites for Support at Home
Here are some useful links to help you keep your children protected online.
https://parentinfo.org/ This is a great website made by the Department for Education. It has advice on everything from keeping children safe from online trolls to WhatsApp - a guide for parents.
https://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers Offers ideas, information and resources for you to support your child’s safety online.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents Provides information on a range of topics such as gaming, stranger danger and you can search for different age ranges of children.
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/ This is the website for safer internet. Each Year, Safer Internet Day is held in February.
