e-Safety
CEOPS- Help your children get the most out of the Internet
e-Safety is an important part of keeping children safe at Tylers Green Middle School . We have extensive security measures in place in school, which are monitored both internally and externally, to help safeguard pupils from potential dangers or unsuitable material. Any e-Safety incidents are recorded and managed in accordance with our e-Safety policy. e-Safety is taught to all pupils explaining and demonstrating how to stay safe and behave appropriately online.
We can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work with parents to ensure the e-Safety message is consistent. It is important that parents speak to their children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online.
It is essential to be realistic - banning the internet or technology will not work and it often makes a child less likely to report a problem. Education around safe use is essential.
Search Engines
Please note that no search engine is ever 100% safe but below provides some links to some “safer” search engines:
Research Searching
Gaming
When children are accessing games via Xbox LIVE, privacy settings can be set up. To read more, click here.
https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/community/for-everyone/responsible-gaming?xr=shellnav
Social Media
At Tylers Green, we are aware and acknowledge that many children now use social networking sites. Our school does not advocate our pupils having social media accounts and is committed to promoting the safe and responsible use of the Internet and as such we feel it is our responsibility to raise this particular issue as a concern. Whilst children cannot social networking sites at school, they could have access to it on any other computer or mobile technology. Websites such as Facebook offer amazing communication and social connections, however they are created with their audience in mind and this is specifically 13 years old and above. Possible risks for children under 13 using the site may include:
- Facebook use ‘age targeted’ advertising and therefore your child could be exposed to adverts of a sexual or other inappropriate nature, depending on the age they stated they were when they registered;
- Children may accept ‘friend requests’ from people they don’t know in real life which could increase the risk of inappropriate contact or behaviour;
- Language, games, groups and content posted or shared on Facebook is not moderated, and therefore can be offensive, illegal or unsuitable for children;
- Photographs shared by users are not moderated and therefore children could be exposed to inappropriate images or even post their own;
- Underage users might be less likely to keep their identities private and lying about their age can expose them to further risks regarding privacy settings and other options;
- Sites could be exploited by bullies and for other inappropriate contact;
- Some sites cannot and does not verify its members therefore it important to remember that if your child can lie about who they are online, so can anyone else!
We feel that it is important to point out to parents/carers the risks of underage use of such sites, so you can make an informed decision as to whether to allow your child to have a profile or not. These profiles will have been created away from school and sometimes by a child, their friends, siblings or even parents. We will take action (such as reporting aged profiles) if a problem comes to our attention that involves the safety or wellbeing of any of our children.
Should you decide to allow your children to use a social networking site, we strongly advise you to:
- Check their profile is set to private and that only ‘friends’ can see information that is posted;
- Monitor your child’s use and talk to them about safe and appropriate online behaviour such as not sharing personal information and not posting offensive messages or photos;
- Ask them to install the CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) application from www.facebook.com/clickceop on their profile. This places a bookmark on their profile to CEOP and the ‘Report Abuse’ button which has been known to deter offenders;
- Have a look at the advice for parents/carers from Facebook www.facebook.com/help/?safety=parents;
- Set up your own profile so you understand how the site works and ask them to add you as a friend on their profile so you can keep track of what they are posting online;
- Make sure your child understands the following rules:
- Always keep your profile private;
- Never accept friends you don’t know in real life;
- Never post anything which could reveal your identity;
- Never post anything you wouldn’t want your parents to see;
- Never agree to meet someone you only know online without telling a trusted adult;
- Always tell someone if you feel threatened or someone upsets you.
Please click on the icons below for more information:
https://www.net-
The NSPCC haver introduced a website – www.net-aware.org.uk. This has many no-nonsense guides on social media, apps and games that children use.
CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the abuse and exploitation of children in the real and ‘e’ world. Often it is referred to as an online 999. By clicking on the button, young people and parents can get advice on a range of issues such as viruses, hacking and dealing with bullying online.
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!
The “Thinkuknow” website is brought to you by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre.
Kidsmart gives you lots of advice on how to stay safe online.
New e-Safety Portal for Parents and Schools – Internet Matters
Internet Matters is a new online portal designed for parents to access simple, easy and practical advice about online safety for their children, right through from pre-school to teens. It provides tips on protecting children from online grooming, cyberbullying, privacy and identity theft and inappropriate content. Internet Matters is a not-for profit organisation set up by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media.
1 E-safety: Facebook Privacy Settings
2 E-Safety: Information for Parents
4 E-safety: Set up safe Google searches