E-Safety

We have an e-safety curriculum which has helped pupils to become safe and responsible users of new technologies. It is a flexible curriculum to ensure that it is current and relevant. We teach children how to stay safe, how to protect themselves from harm and how to take responsibility for their own and others safety. We have positive sanctions to reward positive and responsible use.

We aim to work with families to extend our e-safety curriculum at home through training to develop awareness and our Acceptable Usage Policy that is signed by pupils, parents and staff.

e-Safety for Parents and Carers

The Parents’ and Carers’ Guide to the Internet

‘The Parents’ and Carers’ Guide to the Internet’, has been created by CEOP to provide a light hearted and realistic look at what it takes to be a better online parent.

To find out more visit the Thinkuknow website.

Top Ten Tips to keep your child safe online

• Talk to your child about what they’re up to online. Be a part of their online life; involve the whole family and show an interest. Find out what sites they visit and what they love about them, if they know you understand they are more likely to come to you if they have any problems.
• Watch Thinkuknow films and cartoons with your child. The Thinkuknow site has films, games and advice for children from five all the way to 16.
• Encourage your child to go online and explore! There is a wealth of age-appropriate sites online for your children. Encourage them to use sites which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
• Keep up-to-date with your child’s development online. Children grow up fast and they will be growing in confidence and learning new skills daily. It’s important that as your child learns more, so do you.
• Set boundaries in the online world just as you would in the real world. Think about what they might see, what they share, who they talk to and how long they spend online. It is important to discuss boundaries at a young age to develop the tools and skills children need to enjoy their time online.
• Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a family space. For children of this age, it is important to keep internet use in family areas so you can see the sites your child is using and be there for them if they stumble across something they don’t want to see.
• Know what connects to the internet and how. Nowadays even the TV connects to the internet. Make sure you’re aware of which devices that your child uses connect to the internet, such as their phone or games console. Also, find out how they are accessing the internet – is it your connection, or a neighbour’s wifi? This will affect whether the safety setting you set are being applied.
• Use parental controls on devices that link to the internet, such as the TV, laptops, computers, games consoles and mobile phones. Parental controls are not just about locking and blocking, they are a tool to help you set appropriate boundaries as your child grows and develops. They are not the answer to your child’s online safety, but they are a good start and they are not as difficult to install as you might think. Service providers are working hard to make them simple, effective and user friendly.

How do I talk to my child about what they’re doing online?

Let them teach you

The people who know best about what your children are up to online, are your children! Get them to tell you about the sites they’re using. Ask them questions such as:

• Why do they like the site?
• What can they do on it?
• What’s so fun about it?
• Who uses it at school?
• Who you can talk to?
• Who are their friends on it?

This is a good way to develop a trusting relationship with your child about what they are up to online.

Reach an agreement

A good way to set boundaries with your child about what they can and can’t do online is to set an agreement with them.

Here are some examples of the areas you might want to discuss:

• Limits on the amount of time your child spends online, or playing computer games.
• Having regular screen breaks – at least five minutes every 45-60 minutes.
• Not sharing any pictures they wouldn’t be happy to share with you.
• Not giving out personal details, such as mobile phone number and address, to people they don’t know and trust.
• Coming to you if they are concerned. Or, if not, knowing where they can go for independent help and support.

Why not introduce an agreement after watching one of the Thinkuknow films?

Go to the movies

Your child may have watched one of our Thinkuknow cartoons or films at school; they are a great way to start conversations with your child about what can happen online and what they can do about it.

Ask your child if they have seen any of the films below and why not sit down and watch one together and discuss the topics. We would recommend that you watch the film on your own beforehand so that you’re aware of the topics it covers.

What tools are there to help me keep my child safe?

As well as being involved in your child’s life online, there are a number of tools that you can use to help keep them safe.

Parental controls

As a parent or carer it can be difficult to monitor what your child is up to online. Most parents and carers trust their children online, but it can be easy for a child to stumble across things that might upset or disturb them.

Filtering and moderation packages are a good way to stop the majority of inappropriate and harmful content coming into your home. They are a tool to help you set and change online boundaries in line with your child’s development.

The 4 big internet providers in the UK – BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media – provide their customers with free parental controls which can be activated at any time. They have come together to produce these helpful video guides to help you to download and set-up the controls offered by your provider.

If you would like to find out how to set up filters on your home internet to help prevent age inappropriate content being accessed on devices in your home, click here.

Reporting a concern

When should I report to Child Exploitation & Online Protection (CEOP)?

We help children stay safe online. Has someone acted inappropriately towards your child online, or to a child or young person you know? It may be inappropriate chat, being asked to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable or someone being insistent on meeting up. You can report it to CEOP.

Education tools

Use the Thinkuknow films programme with your child.

• Online Gaming an Introduction for Parents and Carers