E-Safety

E-Safety Information and Advice                                    
The Internet is a very useful tool to support learning. It is a great place to connect with people, be creative and discover new things. Digital and Information Communication Technologies have an important role to play in the lives of young people. As these technologies are being used more frequently, it is important to raise the issue of E-safety and promote safe and responsible usage of technologies in schools and at home; the school has a Policy on E-Safety as well. E-Safety is a national issue and we all must aim to ensure that the Internet is used in a safe manner. In addition to this, being aware of privacy settings, filters and safe usage of social networking sites will enable young people to feel protected online.

 

The range of potential issues that can arise within E-safety can be extensive, but how we look to support students can be categorised into three areas of considerations:

 

Content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful material
Contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users
Conduct: personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm.

 

Top Tips for Parents and Carers

 

• Ensure the computer is kept in an area of the house, where it is easier to monitor what young people are accessing online.
• Make the most of Internet filtering software and use your web browser’s controls to enable security on different websites.
• Inform children not to share their personal information online.
• Create a “code of conduct” policy where young people are involved in creating rules which must be abided by when using the Internet at home.
• Be online together! Browsing the Internet with your child and being involved in their ‘online world’ will promote online safety.

 

Pupils

• Make sure you are old enough to join any sites including Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter
• Do not post any personal information online including your phone number, address, passwords or your school.
• Use a made up name or nickname on your profile. – Do not make friends you don’t already know personally.
• Use an email address that does not include your name.
• Always use a ‘strong’ password. That is, don’t use any names or words that someone might guess, like the name of your dog or your favourite singer. Use random letters or numbers and change your password regularly.
• Use the strongest privacy setting when you set up your profile. This means that only your friends will be able to view your information.
• Pictures and videos can be shared very easily across the internet, so make sure you are very careful when uploading – even if you only share it with friends, it can easily be spread much further than that.
• Be very careful about sharing content online – especially if it isn’t yours to share. Illegal downloads are definitely best avoided.
• Never meet up with anyone you have met online.
• Make sure you know about the safety features on any networking site. Some, for example, have a ‘report abuse button’ which you can press if you see something that shouldn’t be there.
• If anything happens online that you don’t like, tell someone you can trust like a parent or a teacher.
• Think carefully when “posting” or “sharing” a photo online. Remember, once a photo is posted online, people will be able to share or download the photo.
• SPEAK UP! If you viewed something online that made you anxious, unsafe or uncomfortable, please speak to an adult that you trust.
• If you do not know someone, why are they “your online friend” or “follower”?
• Privacy settings should always be kept to a maximum. If unsure about this, use the search engines on social networking websites to find out how to do this.

 

Useful Websites for Students and Parents

• Select your age range and off you go, cool games and sound advice from “thinkuknow“
• CBBC internet safety pages – Test your internet safety knowledge with Hacker, listen to some Stay Safe songs with Helen Skelton, News Kids on the Block and Bobby Lockwood and get some tips from the Horrible Histories gang.
• What’s your favourite thing to do online? Learn more about the internet and being a SMART and safer here!   www.kidsmart.org.uk
• GetNetWise is a public service brought to you by Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations to help ensure that Internet users have safe, constructive, and educational or entertaining online experiences.
• http://www.getsafeonline.org/  provides free up-to-date security advice including using complex passwords and managing hacked accounts
• The Digizen website provides information to strengthen awareness and understanding of what digital citizenship is and encourages users of technology to be and become responsible DIGITAL CITIZENS.

 

More Useful Websites for Students and Parents

• The Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe) tracks global trends and issues surrounding digitally connected products and their effect on children
• The internet provides lots of opportunities for chatting with friends, playing games and creating your own content. To help you get the most out of the internet, UK Safer Internet Centre have brought together the latest information on staying safe online.    Select your age group to find the information that you need!!   
• Childnet International is a non-profit organisation working with others to help make the internet a great and safe place for children.
• The national crime agency. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) works across the UK tackling children’s online issues and providing advice for parents, young people and children about internet safety and online safety.
• London Grid For Learnings E-Safety resources    

 

 

DFE Guidance keeping children safe online

 

Click for Government information on keeping children safe online