Keeping pupils safe online is very much a partnership between us in school and yourselves at home. Therefore we would like to share the rules with you so you can embed them at home as well. The internet is forever growing and changing, it is paramount that we educate our children to be safe and respectful when online.
We take e-Safety very seriously. You must make sure you are using it in a responsible way:
- Only talk to people you know
- Communicate in the same way you would in person
- Remember to follow guidelines given to you by adults
- Check the recommended age of any sites you are using
Worried about keeping your children safe online at home?
With the internet becoming an integral part of every day life, it is vital that parents and children are aware of how to keep themselves safe online. Computing advice screen time
At J H Godwin Primary School we are committed to educating children and the school community on how this can be achieved and we have fantastic partnerships with numerous agencies who help us with this.
Please do not hesitate to contact school for support. You can also visit the THINK U KNOW website which offers advice on how to keep your child safe online at home, if you are worried about your child and how to report an incident.
Read on to find out how you can keep your child safer online:
Do you want to know how to set up controls on your devices?
E-safety advice for the use of mobile devices at home e.g filtering, parental controls etc can be found here.
Please see below for additional information:
Advice to set up parental controls.
Helpful Booklets
Two helpful resources to support your children in their online use:
e-Safety Information
Websites that offer help and support about online safety:
Child safety on YouTube: parent factsheet
How to report abuse – Think You Know – Reporting an Incident
Find out what the issues are of our children being online – Safer Internet: What are Issues
Parents guide to technology – Safer Internet: Guides to Technology
Resources for parents – Safer Internet: Resources
E-Safety Resources for Pupils
There are a number of resources below that parents may find useful to support the e-safety curriculum that is delivered in school to help keep our children safe online.
Here are some links that you may find useful:
NSPCC
Online Safety Resources
Please find below a range of leaflets produced by the NSPCC that will support parents in helping keep children safe online.
Other things to be aware of when your child is online:
Momo Guidance
Momo is an online “game” that encourages young people to harm themselves and in some cases even take their own lives. If you need more information and guidance about this please click here.
Sexting (Youth Produced Sexual Imagery)
Sexting is when someone shares sexual, naked or semi-naked images or videos of themselves or others, or sends sexually explicit messages.
They can be sent using mobiles, tablets, smartphones, laptops – any device that allows you to share media and messages.
The NSPCC provide a wealth of information for parents/carers to understand the risks of sexting so you can talk to your child about how to stay safe online and what to do if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable. For help and advice visit www.nspcc.org.uk/sexting
You could also take a look at either of these videos:
Live Streaming – Who is Sam?
The NSPCC have started a new campaign: Who is Sam? – to encourage parents to talk to their child about the behaviours that could put them at risk on live streaming platforms. The campaign features a short animation showing how offenders are able to build relationships with young people online.
Facing Online Challenges – BBC Own It website
The BBC has launched Own It, a website for 9 to 12 year olds, to help them maximise opportunities in the digital world as well as helping them to develop the confidence and resilience to tackle the everyday challenges they face online. Have a look at what is on the website by clicking on the link below:
Staying Safe Online
Internet Matters have a free tablet based app to help parents have conversations with their children about staying safe while online. The App is an interactive game, where parents and children work together to answer multiple choice questions on a number of topics, e.g. cyberbullying, privacy & identity, inappropriate content. The app has been developed to target parents with children aged 8-11. Each answers a number of questions in order to earn points towards a ‘tilting’ game which can be played together. Download the tablet-only app for free from Appstore or Googleplay
If you would like more information about top tips to keep your child safe online, including the best free extensions for parental control, then please click here.
Website, App and Games Suitability
The NSPCC have recently contacted school to promote their new website which provides parents, teachers and other adults with information about websites, apps or games to see if it is suitable for your child to be using. All you have to do is go to https://www.net-aware.org.uk/ by clicking on the link, then enter the name of the website, app or game into the search engine at the top. You will be provided with a wealth of information from recent research and surveys. This ensures you are able to make informed decisions on whether your child should be using the website, app or game. Remember you are the parent at home, who is should follow the age guidelines on apps, videos and games to protect your child and keep them safe.
Online Gaming
The UK Safer Internet Centre has produced a very informative leaflet to support parents and carers with Online Gaming. The leaflet covers how and where to play, the risks associated with Online Gaming, some Top Tips, the SMART rules we recommend the children follow, FAQs and places to look for Support and Further Guidance: Online gaming an introduction for parents and carers 2017
New Technology
A good website to regularly view is Connect Safely which provides an up to date forum of the safety implications associated with new technology. If you can keep up to speed on eSafety and technology then there is more chance your child will be following good practice.
Vodafone have produced a Digital Parenting Magazine which informs parents about the various technologies children are accessing today. There is information on:
Facebook settings,
XBox360 settings,
Blackberry controls,
Jargon busting
and many more ‘How to Guides’. Well worth a read!
You Tube Safety
Click here for a parent factsheet about your child’s safety when using YouTube (produced by The Key Support Services).
A quick warning from Virtual College Safeguarding News:
Internet users are targeting the children’s animation Peppa Pig by twisting the storylines and producing unsafe content for the age group by hiding them under the guise of official episodes. Creators have designed the episodes to closely resemble the art of the TV show, with some legitimate clips of the show placed in between the harmful clips, so that it is difficult for parents or children to distinguish between episodes that are fake.
Some of the videos show Peppa Pig involved in knife attacks and abductions where the characters are taken by ‘gangster’ pigs, by being captured in a net and dragged into a forest while the characters are distressed. There are also other videos showing extremist behaviour and explicit images. Please be vigilent in monitoring what your children are doing and watching online.
If you would like to find out more about this concern this factsheet will give you further information and some useful links.
If you are a parent wanting some more advice on up-to-date eSafety news and information please take a look at the widget to the right hand side. This will be updated regularly by E-safety Support with articles from the news, tips for parents and statistics on children using technology.
Click on this link to find out more about the risks and dangers of being online and top tips to help keep children safe on the Internet and social networks courtesy of the NSPCC.
E-safety News & Information
Snapchat: Snap AI chatbot ‘may risk children’s privacy’
Snapchat has been accused of a “worrying failure” to assess the potential privacy risks its AI chatbot poses to users…
Story from: BBC 07 Oct 2023
ChatGPT creater Sam Altman expresses concern about ‘under-regulation’
Speaking at an AI event in Taipei, the CEO of the startup OpenAI said in the tech industry there is a “reflexive…
Story from: Sky News 25 Sep 2023
Meta plans to develop chatbot with ‘sassy robot’ persona for young users,…
Facebook parent company Meta is reportedly planning to internally release an artificial intelligence chatbot called…
Story from: The Independent 25 Sep 2023
Help & Advice for Parents/Carers
Reporting Online Concerns – CEOP
The NCA’s CEOP Command is here to help children and young people. They are here to help if you are a young person and you or your friend (up to age 18) has been forced or tricked into taking part in activity which makes you uncomfortable with anyone online, or in the real world. They also have advice and links to support for other online problems young people might face, such as cyberbullying and hacking. Visit their Safety Centre for advice and to report directly to CEOP, by clicking on the Click CEOP button.
Internet Watch Foundation
The Internet Watch Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that works towards the global elimination of child sexual abuse imagery online. They often bring out new up to date information to help support parents to support their children. Here is a link to their website and TALK checklist: Internet Watch Foundation