E-Safety

 

 

 

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In the event of any e-safety concerns the school’s designated person to contact is Mrs J Cousins or Ms J Gray

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What is E-Safety?

 

In practice, e-safety is as much about online behaviour as it is electronic security. E-safety in this context is classified into three areas of prevention and risk:

• 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.

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Schools have a dual responsibility when it comes to e-safety: to ensure the school’s online procedures keep children and young people safe, and to teach pupils about online safety, in and outside of school.

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E-Safety at Wath Central

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It is our experience that this is best achieved by embedding e safety across the curriculum through a framework of effective policies and routes for reporting concerns such as cyber bullying. As well as supporting young people to stay safe on-line, we also educate our

staff to protect their own on-line reputation, particularly when using social networking sites.

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Here at Wath Central we use a range of resources to help bring internet safety into the classroom and to develop a progressive digital literacy curriculum. We invite other professionals into school to help support the delivery of on-line safety including NSPCC, Barnados and Anti-bullying ambassador -Ann Foxley-Johnson.  Our Y6 children also attend Crucial Crew on a yearly basis to learn more about keeping safe.

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Find out more about how e-safety contributes towards a significant part of our Computing curriculum here.

Find out more about our Internet safety code here.

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How can Parents and Carers best support their children? 

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It is really important to chat with your children on an ongoing basis about staying safe on-line.

 

1. Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing on-line.

2. Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?

3. Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use.

4. Encourage them to help someone! Perhaps they can show you how to do something better on-line or they might have a friend who would benefit from their help and support.

5. Think about how you each use the internet. What more could you do to use the internet together? Are there activities that you could enjoy as a family?

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Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying happens when someone uses technology to deliberately upset someone else. It is likely to involve mobile phones (calls or text messages) or devices connected to the internet (Smartphones, Tablets, Laptop and Desktop Computers). Cyberbullying can take

place across a range of services, including Social Media, Chatrooms, Skype and other messaging software, apps and services.

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It can happen any time of day and occur on a large scale and speed, due to the nature of the technology.

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Bullies often feel anonymous and 'distanced' from the incident when it takes place online and 'bystanders' can easily become perpetrators by forwarding or not reporting cyberbullying.

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There is not a specific law which makes cyberbullying illegal but it can be considered a criminal offence under several different acts including Protection from Harassment Act (1997), Malicious Communications Act (1988), Communications Act (2003) Obscene Publications Act (1959) and Computer Misuse Act (1990)

If you're being bullied online or by text: 

• Save the messages/material

• Tell an adult or report it online

• Do not retaliate or reply. If possible, block the person

Advice for Parents and carers: 

• Your child is just as likely to be a bully as they are to be a target. Watch out for uncharacteristic behaviour (your child being upset or secretive, using the phone/internet more than usual, changing friendship group.)

• Remind your child not to retaliate and keep any evidence

• Report the bullying – contact the school if the bullying involves another pupil and contact your service provider to report the user and remove the content. If the bullying is more serious and a potential criminal offence, consider contacting South Yorkshire Police on 101.

 

Social Media Safety

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It is important to be aware, that although Facebook, Instagram, and other social media profiles can be something our children want to be a part of,  the permitted minimum age to use these sites is 13 years old, according to their terms and conditions.

 

The risk of exposure to inappropriate material, contact and dangers far outweighs any considered benefit to social media usage. As a school we would rather our children didn't use social media, but we recognise the need to be educated in the safety aspects of these issues. So if your child does have an account, please monitor usage and remain vigilant.

 

Any social media account should:

• be properly secured with high privacy settings

• not include pictures of them (and other children) in their school uniform, which could them easily identifiable and means people can work out where they will be in real life.

• have content which is appropriate in terms of the language and/or images on them, and if your child’s profile is appropriate, be aware of the profiles of friends. 

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Please be aware that, as a duty of care, social media usage will be reported accordingly and parents/carers made aware of any use of a platform that is being used by a child under the permitted age.

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Social Media and Online Advice

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https://bsjs.co.uk/_file/media/461/tiktok_parent_factsheet_safeguarding_training_centre_the_key.pdf - TikTok Fact Sheet

Childnet’s Family Agreement –link to web address below

http://www.digizen.org/digicentral/family-agreement.aspx

Internet Matters – Information, advice and support on Internet safety - link to web address below

https://www.internetmatters.org/

Get Safe on-line (Security Advice) - link to web address below

https://www.getsafeonline.org/

Think you know – Advice from CEOP - link to web address below

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

Childnet’s Parent and Carer Zone - link to web address below

https://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers

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Additional information and Useful Links

There are various online resources available to inform you and your child about the importance of e-safety at home and at school. Click on the links below to find out more.
 

• CEOP Resources - This website has lots of information and resources for teaching online safety.

• Professor Garfield - This is an excellent app starring Garfield that teaches children about cyberbullying through a comic and games. It is free to download from the app store for Apple devices. It is not currently available for other devices (e.g. Android).

• Hector's World - This is an excellent resource full of online safety information. Aimed at Key Stage 1. Hector's World Episode 1 - Internet Safety and Cyberbullying

•  KidSmart - This is a very comprehensive website for learning all aspects of looking after yourself online, such as digital footprints, how to use the internet safely, recommended safe search sites and 'smart rules' for using the internet. Aimed at Key Stage 2.

• Zip It, Block It, Flag It - This code has been developed by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS). It's also known as the 'Click Clever, Click Safe' code. The site sets out the aspects for each part of the code and the important of following each step to help use the internet safely and understand the risks of being online. Aimed at everyone.

• ThinkUKnow - Clear information about how to use the internet, set out in a very user-friendly way. Aimed at Key Stage 1.

• ParentInfo - Launched alongside The Parent Zone, this website provides information for parents on lots of different issues that may be concerning you about your child's welfare. Aimed at parents of children of all ages.

• Childnet - A really useful website with lots of important and easy-to-use resources for making the internet safe for children

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