Abbeymead Primary School
E-Safety
Please note we have stopped creating our E-safety Newsletter and instead we upload regular advice for our families via Class Dojo.
“Children and young people need to be empowered to keep them-selves safe. Children will be children – pushing boundaries and taking risks. At a public swimming pool we have gates, put up signs, have lifeguards and shallow ends, but we also teach children how to swim.”
Dr Tanya Byron Safer children in a digital world: The report of the Byron Review.
What is E Safety?
The Internet has become part of our everyday lives and is now easier to access than ever before. Use of the Internet can also have risks. Young people are more at risk of exposure to inappropriate or criminal behaviour if they are unaware of the dangers.
These dangers include:
- Viewing unsuitable content e.g. hate material, adult content, sites that endorse unhealthy behaviour.
- giving out personal information
- arranging to meet an online 'friend'
- becoming involved in, or the victim of, bullying, identity theft, or making and sending indecent or illegal images
- spending too much time online (internet addiction), which can effect concentration, sleep and health
- Copying information from the Internet or buying work from other people to use as their own.
E-safety Course for parents/ carers - https://www.childprotectioncompany.com/CPC/p/esafety-for-parents/
E Safety Newsletters
All E-safety newsletters are shared via Class Dojo
Children at Abbeymead Primary use the Internet on a regular basis as part of their learning. Technology enhances learning, and we at Abbeymead want to ensure pupils get the most from it, by encouraging responsible online behaviour.
In school, we use a filtering system to prevent children accessing inappropriate sites. We also have regular 'e-safety' activities to remind children of the importance of keeping themselves safe online. At home, sometimes children can be given unsupervised access to the Internet. This, potentially, allows them to access all kinds of society (both good and bad) and bring them virtually into their homes. Below are the SMART rules which we encourage out children to use in and out of school
Useful Links
Internet Safety Resources
There is a great new online safety tool designed for parents launched by the Department for Education called Parent Info. It's has advice on everything from keeping children safe from online trolls to WhatsApp - a guide for parents.
Childnet is a great website resource for parents and children on online safety. Click here to watch an interactive video on how to keep your child safer online.
Think U Know has a great section for parents and covers topics such as gaming and talking to strangers. You can also search by topic or age range to find information that is relevant for your family. You can find the site here
Internet Matters is another great site to use - it has advice on cyberbullying, how to talk to your children about internet safety and quick guides to different types of social media such as Instagram and Snapchat. You can visit their pages here Internet Matters.
You can download the DofE advice for parents on cyberbullying here
You can access the DofE online parents support website called Parent Info here
Reporting Abuse
The CEOP (Child Exploitation and On line Protection) website is the site which families and children can use to report any concerns they have regarding unwanted online behaviour or abuse.
Staying safe online when broadcasting to an audience
Livestreaming is when an individual or a group of people broadcast themselves or others to an audience online in real-time. Many social media platforms offer a livestreaming feature that is available to anyone but often used by gamers, celebrities or influencers to communicate with a chosen audience. Livestreaming can be an enjoyable way to share content with followers but can also present risks around privacy and coercion as well as potential harm towards those watching.
Technology Assisted Abuse
Most parents say they would like their children to be able to talk to them, especially about online harm, but it can prove daunting to have the difficult conversation. For this reason, The Marie Collins Foundation have produced a guide for parents and carers on starting conversations and practical tips for talking about this issue.
NSPCC Guidance on Social Media and Online Gaming
Online safety is one of the predominant safeguarding risks to pupils in our setting. Social media constitutes a large part of this risk. With platforms changing rapidly, and their popularity increasing and declining over time, it is crucial that all professionals and families are up-to-date on what children are using. The NSPCC has a dedicated page for exactly this purpose.
Another key risk factor is online gaming and online gaming communities whereby children interact with people they do not know from all over the world. Games themselves, updates and “mods” for games are subject to an even greater pace of change than socil media apps. More information about online gaming can be found here.
Childline- Self Harm and Suicidal Feelings
There are websites, blogs and forums online promoting self harm, suicide and eating disorders (pro-mia and pro-ana). Childline has a wealth of useful pages to support young people and families who have been affected by this.
Internet Watch Foundation
If you are concerned about images shared online you can report these directly to the Internet Watch Foundation at www.iwf.org.uk
ParentINFO
Parent Info is collaboration between CEOP and Parent Zone and provides information to parents and carers about their children’s wellbeing and resilience, internet safety and a wide range of other topic matters like sex, relationship and body image.
Child Net
Childnet International is a non-profit organisation working with others to help make the internet a great and safe place for children.
Think U Know Website
The Think U Know website will help you go on the internet in a safe way and tell who to talk to if you are worried. You can also find out about Lee & Kim’s adventures or watch Hector and his friends learning to use computers safely!
Thnkuknow also offers a range of help, support and advice for parents, professional and children and young people on sex and relatioships.
You can phone them on: 0800 1111.
KidSMART Website
Be Smart be cool – Be smart online.
What’s your favourite thing to do online. Visit the KidSMART website and learn more about the internet and being a SMART surfer. Learn the SMART Rules with Kara Winston and the SMART Crew. If anything goes wrong online or upsets you make sure you tell someone about it. Download a poster of the SMART Rules by clicking the link below.
If you find something on the internet or someone has made you sad or scared you should tell your mum, dad or the person who looks after you at home or a teacher at school. If you would like to talk to someone else we have added some links to the Advice Help and Report Centre on the Think U Know website. You can contact people who are friendly and helpful by following the link for your age group.