On-Line Safety Information for Parents and Children
Keeping your child safe on line- Information to help you...
From learning in class to playing games at home, children are doing more onthe internet than ever before. Just as in "real life," however it is important to make sure that your child is staying safe on line.The internet has changed all of our lives, particularly our children’s. For parents and carers this opens up a whole new world of things to be aware of. For many of us, this can all be a bit too much.
You might be struggling to keep up with the things your child is doing online, you might wonder whether what they are doing is safe, and you might also be thinking how can I be as good a parent online as I am offline?
The ‘www.thinkuknow.co.uk’ aims to make online parenting simple.
What is On-Line Safety?
On-Line Safety is about protecting young people in the digital world and ensuring they feel safe when accessing new technology.
On-Line Safetyy is important because it safeguards the concerns of children and young people. It also emphasizes the importance and use of new technologies in a positive way as well as encouraging young people to develop safer online behaviours.
Statement on On-Line Safety from our Chairman of Governors William Jennings
Technology offers unimaginable opportunities and is constantly evolving. Access is currently becoming universal and increasingly more mobile, and pupils are using technology at an ever earlier age, Technology use and e-safety issues go hand in hand. Many incidents happen beyond the physical geography of our school and yet can impact on pupils or staff.
Just because these environments are online make them no less susceptible to potential harm compared to the physical world. This makes it vitally important that pupils and staff are fully prepared and supported to use these technologies responsibly.
The school staff and governors are, therefore, entirely committed to ensuring that our curriculum, teaching and guidance to pupils ensures that all children are e-safe and have an excellent awareness of e-safety issues.
All units of study throughout our school make specific mention of the importance of E Safety and all children and staff follow our Acceptable Use Policy. As a school we are supported by the work of CEOP who offer the following Top Tips for Parents to promote E Safety at home. I hope you find the information helpful.
If you have any worries or concerns regarding E Safety either at home or in school please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s classteacher. If you need further help or guidance please contact our Subject Leader for Computing Karen Whelan.
Best Wishes
William Jennings
Chairman of Governors
Information shared at our On-Line Training Session for Parents and Carers March 2019
Training Overview
Conversation Starters
Fun Things To Do
Quick Activities
Internet Safety Plan
Top Tips (From CEOP)
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