At St Mary’s we have a whole school approach to e-safety. All staff have responsibility to contributing to assemblies, class discussion and PSHE lessons.
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
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:
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:
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.