More and more children are accessing the internet both at home and at school; it is therefore important that parents, carers and staff are vigilant to what children are able to access, particularly with the increased use of social networking sites.
Within schools we operate our internet through a filtering system. We have an e-safety policy that staff follow when allowing children to access the internet. All staff and children sign an appropriate acceptable use agreement. The children engage in safe e-safety procedures that they follow and refer to when using the Internet.
Below, you will find some useful websites that have resources to raise awareness of e-safety and how to use the Internet safely and responsibly. As a school, we use the materials from Project Evolve so that the children are encouraged to question and reflect on what they use the Internet for as well as their online profile. This is so that the useful information that they get from class discussions is able to shape their thinking and challenge misconceptions. The Project Evolve toolkit is progressive and therefore age-specific and appropriate.
We understand that the internet is a fantastic tool which can support children's learning. We also believe that we have a responsibility to ensure that staff, children and parents understand how to keep safe while online. In order to do this, we look for regular opportunities to teach children how to use technology safely and responsibly, throughout our day-to-day learning.
Further information and resources about keeping safe online can be found by visiting:
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/professionals/
Useful Guides to Help Stay Safe Online
As children are using a variety of devices to access the online world, it is important to consider setting controls on the these devices. That is why Internetmatters.org have put together a number of guides to give you simple steps to set controls on a range of smartphones, mobile devices and more to manage everything from location tracking to social media use and parental controls:
https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/smartphones-and-other-devices/
They have also done one for search engines and entertainment platforms:
https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/entertainment-search-engines/
Mobile networks and broadband suppliers:
https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/broadband-mobile/
Social networking sites:
https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/social-media/
Video gaming, consoles and platforms:
https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/gaming-consoles/