Online safety
Computers are part of our everyday life and the use of technology is essential to us both at school and at home. In school, we aim to equip our children with the foundational skills, experience and knowledge that they will need for the rest of their lives.
To use these advancing technologies requires an understanding of their effectiveness, and an awareness of the benefits and risks in both the classroom and outside.
The Green Paper Every Child Matters and the provisions of the Children Act 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
It is the duty of the school to ensure that every child in their care is safe, and the same principles should apply to the ‘virtual’ or digital world as would be applied to the school’s physical buildings.
The school safe-guards children’s use of the internet through the use of our protected Learning Platforms: Espresso, DB Primary and the London Grid for Learning. At the beginning of each school year, each class has dedicated lessons on how to use the Internet Safely and the ICT Acceptable Use Agreement is reviewed and signed by every child under the guidance of their parents/guardian. Every February, the school also takes part in the annual Safer Internet Day which is a global event to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people. The school aims to keep parents informed with relevant updates regarding Internet Safety whenever possible. This can be via ParentMail, text, newsletter or a parents meeting. A link to the Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre – (CEOP) is below for both children and adults.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
Advice from the London Grid for Learning on Young People and Online Safety is available below.
LGFL - Young People & Online Safety
Please also see our Online Safety News for Parents page - Go to the 'News and Events' tab, then scroll down to 'Online Safety News for Parents'.
Advice to Parents on Digital Mobile and Online Safety from Childnet
Does your child have access to a mobile phone or another device with internet access? Visit the Safer Internet Centre website for advice on smartphones, gaming devices, tablets and other internet-connected devices:
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers/parents-guide-technology
NSPCC in partnership with O2: This is a guide to the social networks your children use and how to stay up to date and keep your child safe in today's digital world.
https://www.net-aware.org.uk
How to apply parental controls:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/parental-controls/
ParentZone Internet Safety Meeting
ParentZone recently presented an online safety meeting for parents at school. Amber-Rose delivered some very important messages in an engaging and informative way. The comments that you made following the meeting were very supportive, as was the reaction of the children to the workshops that followed.
The materials used at the meeting are available below.
Please also visit The 'Parent Zone' website where they provide parents with lots of information regarding online safety.