E-Safety
The use of computers and digital technology is now an every day part of all of our lives. This has many benefits for us all, but also brings with it dangers that we all need to be aware of. As a safeguarding school Online E-Safety is a priority both in and out of school.
SAFER INTERNET DAY
SAFER INTERNET DAY: Tuesday 8 February 2022
This year in the UK, Safer Internet Day explores reliability online. The internet has an amazing range of information and opportunities online, but how do we separate fact from fiction?
Safer Internet Day will be celebrated globally with the slogan: Together for a better internet.
Please click here for more information.
What can parents/carers do?
Everyone has their part to play in making the internet a better place. An open and honest dialogue is a good starting point. Talk regularly with your child about how they use technology and find out what their digital life is like such as, favourite sites, services and how being online makes them feel. It is natural to feel worried about the risks posed by your child being online, but for young people the online world is exciting and fun with lots of opportunities. Ask you child to share with you their favourite things to do online, as well as discussing the risks they might come across.
For more information on how to keep your child safe online and top tips for SID 2021 click here
COMPUTER/CONSOLE GAMES
As a school we have very grave concerns when we hear that children and teenagers have had access to play violent computer games such as Grand Theft Auto (GTA) or Call of Duty (CoD). Please can parents closely monitor what your children are playing on games consoles or accessing online and take action to safeguard children against watching material which is unsuitable. Under child safeguarding rules, allowing your child to play games which are not age suitable is deemed as neglect. This may lead to a referral to social care or other agencies which we want to avoid. Entertainment content such as films, DVDs, PC or console games carry a PEGI (Pan European Game Information) rating which clearly identifies the age group for which they are most suitable. For more information about PEGI please click here
Thank you for your support.
The resources/links below are intended to help parents and carers fully understand the nature of the online world, the benefits and the risks.
Some essential viewing for parents/carers, the "Purely For Parents" webcast from CEOP Command is available by following this link.
CEOP Command is part of the National Crime Agency (NCA) that works with child protection partners across the UK and overseas to identify the main threats to children and coordinates activity against these threats to bring offenders to account.
They aim to protect children from harm online and offline, directly through NCA led operations and in partnership with local and international agencies. For more information visit the CEOP Command website by clicking here
Think U Know is an education programme from CEOP Command and has been keeping children and young people safe since 2006. A new parents and carers website is now live which offers a suite of articles and guidance on all aspects of child internet safety. This site can be found here
Parents can also find out more information and facts about young people being online from the Parent Info website. Click here to vist the page.
Southend-on-sea Local Safeguarding Children Board also have a section on their website about E-Safety for parents. Click here to vist the page.
Childnet International have created a document that gives links to a wide range of information and online resources regarding e-safety and protecting young people online. This can be found by clicking on the fact sheet below.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND MESSAGING
Social media is now a part of our every day lives and while there are many benefits to this online social interaction there are areas that parents need to be aware of. CEOP Command have created several parents' guides to help address concerns and give parents the facts about online social media. Please click on one of the links to find out more: Instagram Parents' Guide; Kik Messenger Parents' Guide; Omegle Parents' Guide; ooVoo Parents' Guide; Snapchat Parents' Guide; Tinder for Teens
A selection of esafety videos can be found here
Further information about e-safety and a guide for parents about keeping children safe online can be found below which details the steps that parents can take to help ensure that children have a positive online experience.