Online Safety For Parents

Today there will be approximately 141m tweets sent, 1000m Facebook updates and 864000 videos uploaded to Youtube!

Online Safety, the new term used by the government for e-safety, is an integral part of the school curriculum in all schools. From Reception to Year 6, this is vital to help children enjoy the wonderful opportunities that our increasingly technological world can offer. Through our curriculum and other aspects of school life, we encourage children to celebrate what technology can offer us in a safe and responsible manner. In addition to the curriculum (lessons), we take the opportunity to raise awareness of On-line Safety through assemblies and it is high profile during National awareness events such as Anti-Bullying Week and Safer Internet Day. We also intervene swiftly if we are made aware of any On-line Safety issues within our school community.

However, this is not a task we can manage single handedly! Our curriculum lessons are planned with the support of the Local Authority Advisors and incorporate resources from a range of key providers, including CEOP. We also work closely with the local police support team who share any local issues across schools and provide advice in classes and assemblies. We aim to work in partnership with parents to provide a support network for children as they explore, communicate, play and learn on-line. We endeavour to provide as much information as possible for parents, through newsletters and our school website. We recently held a parent information session where we raised awareness of the risks that children currently face and gave some fantastic advice on ways in which parents can help, including parental settings and where to seek help. Keep look out for our next session.

It is important to keep reviewing our practice, as a school, as a family and as a pupil – in response to the way technology changes – almost daily. We regularly seek advice from the Local Authority support team and use some key websites to keep us updated. We also listen carefully to what the children have to say. We are currently appointing an On-line Safety Council to lead the way forward. They will visit classes to talk to children, giving regular reminders and about basic on-line safety and of course listen to any concerns the children may have. The On-line Safety team will then meet with Miss Marsden monthly, to discuss any new concerns and practical ways in which we can help.

We have copies of a range of useful leaflets and magazines available in school - these were provided at the parents' evening. If you would like copies of any of the available magazines/leaflets, please ask at Reception.

If you have any worries or concerns then please contact Rhian Marsden, Deputy Head Teacher.

Where can I go to get support to help keep my child safe online?

There is a lot of support available to keep your child safe online. Below are some useful links to help parents and carers:

Thinkyouknow (advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online)
Internet matters (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
Parent info (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
LGfL (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
Net-aware (support for parents and careers from the NSPCC)

Why not celebrate Safer Internet Day and take this quiz as a family to work out which websites/information is true:

http://bit.ly/FindTheFake3

Key Responsibilities for Parents and Carers

Reading the school's Acceptable Use Policies, encouraging your child to adhere to them and adhering to them yourself where appropriate.
Discussing online safety issues with your child, supporting the school in the online safety approaches and reinforcing safe online behaviours at home.
Role modelling safe and appropriate uses of technology and social media.
Identifying changes in behaviour that could indicate that your child is at risk of harm online.
Seek help and support from the school, or other appropriate agencies if your child encounters online problems or concerns.
Contributing to the development of the school online safety policies.
Using school systems, such as learning platforms, and other network resources, safely and appropriately.
Taking responsibility for your own awareness and learning in relation to the opportunities and risks posed by new and emerging technologies.

Fantastic opportunity!

Online safety training for parents

We are delighted to announce that we have shown our commitment to protecting our pupils online and have worked with National Online Safety to deliver an interactive inline worksop for all of our parents and carers

The course can be taken at your own convenience in your own home and covers:

• Information about online dangers and the newest platforms

• What online risks to look out for and how to protect your child

This is a course for parents with children of all ages and therefore we ask that you complete this without your child(ren) present. Please also understand that some of the topics covered are not appropriate to discuss with children of all ages, therefore we advise you to assess the suitability of the topic before starting a conversation with your child. If you are unsure whether a topic is appropriate, please see your child's teacher.

Please find below the URL you need to visit to register your account You will need to complete your details and select “I am a: Parent/Carer” from the dropdown:

https://lms.nationalonlinesafety.com/school/Coxhoe

Once you have registered, you will be able to access the “Online Safety for Parents and Carers’ course and National Online Safety’s Resources (which includes 50+ online platform guides on the latest social media channels and games).

Any questions, please see Miss Marsden

Online Safety Parent Workshop

If you couldn't make the online safety workshop, you can watch a recording of it below.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding online safety, please do not hesitate to contact Miss Marsden.

Wellbeing - How much screen time is too much?

There are a range of tools available to help you manage screen time:

Remember to model taking regular breaks from your screens.

Video Games – advice for parents

Children love to play video games, but there are some risks involved. The two main areas of concern are

Children experiencing violent or sexual content beyond their age.
Children playing online with strangers and either experiencing inappropriate language, or being groomed.

The PEGI ratings should help you decide what is appropriate for your child

PEGI 18
The adult classification is applied when the level of violence reaches a stage where it becomes a depiction of gross violence and/or includes elements of specific types of violence. Gross violence is the most difficult to define since it can be very subjective in many cases, but in general terms it can be classed as the depictions of violence that would make the viewer feel a sense of revulsion

PEGI 16
This rating is applied once the depiction of violence (or sexual activity) reaches a stage that looks the same as would be expected in real life. More extreme bad language, the concept of the use of tobacco and drugs and the depiction of criminal activities can be content of games that are rated 16.

PEGI 12
Videogames that show violence of a slightly more graphic nature towards fantasy character and/or non graphic violence towards human-looking characters or recognisable animals, as well as videogames that show nudity of a slightly more graphic nature would fall in this age category. Any bad language in this category must be mild and fall short of sexual expletives.

Further advice is available from www.askaboutgames.com which will also provide advice on setting parental controls on games consoles to help ensure that play is safe for children.

Letter for Parents- Video Games and keeping your child safe