Online Safety

The school's online safety safeguarding lead is Catherine McLoughlin

Online Safety:

All pupils need to understand how they can help protect themselves online and how to report any incident which has caused them concern. Pupils in KS2 participate in Online-safety assemblies regularly where they are taught about safeguarding personal information, what a stranger is, that cyberbullying is unacceptable and to report anything that does not feel right to a trusted adult. During national internet safety week all classes take part in an assembly and participate in online safety lessons in PSHE. Online safety is taught at the beginning of every computing unit.

All access to the internet is protected by a number of different filters. These filters are designed to prevent accidental or deliberate access to unsuitable materials. In addition, the network administrators can manually add site addresses which are considered to be unacceptable. Pupils are taught that the Internet contains many websites that are useful but that there are also websites that are unpleasant, offensive, not child-friendly or can damage your computer. We expect pupils to make no attempt to access a website that they know to be unsuitable for children and/or containing offensive language, images, games or other media.
Should any inappropriate filtering get through the firewall, our children know that they must report this to the Online Safety Lead, Mrs McLoughlin immediately.

Pupils accessing the Internet at home are subject to the controls placed upon them by their parents. However, any home use of the Internet made in connection with the school or school activities by any of its staff, pupils, governors or any partnership organisation will be subject to this policy and any breach dealt with as if the event took place at school. We expect all members of our school community to behave as positive ambassadors of the school in all school related activities made through the Internet.

The school website contains school policies, newsletters and other information. We expect all persons accessing the school web site to treat the content with respect and make no attempt to reproduce, use or alter any part in any way with malicious intent.

Social Networking:

Social Networking sites are very popular and most users are genuine. However, because it is so easy to hide your real identity, it is possible to come into contact with people you would normally avoid.

Pupils are taught that social networking sites can be interesting and entertaining but not all users are genuine. They are taught that they should take great care if using social networking sites at home and never give out personal information, become ‘friends’ with people they don’t know or arrange to meet someone they have met online. We expect pupils and staff to make no attempt to access social networking sites at school.

Email Safety:

Children have a Google Apps account, however the email function is not available until email usage is being taught in class. We expect all users to communicate appropriately through email.

Some pupils will have their own webmail accounts at home. As these are independent of the school they do not necessarily come with the safeguards that we set for email usage. Therefore we do not permit the use of personalised email accounts by pupils at school or at home for school purposes. Pupils are taught that using a personalised webmail account in school or for school use is not permitted. We expect pupils to use school issued email accounts only in school and when sending messages and attachments to school.

Digital Images:

Digital still and video cameras are used for recording special events as well as being essential tools for everyday learning experiences across the curriculum. When children enter the school in Nursery and Reception, parents are asked to sign a form if they do not wish images of their children to be used for school purposes. Some images celebrating the work of pupils involved in everyday and special event activities may be selected to be shown on the school website. On the website we never state a child’s full name with their image. The school will happily remove any image of a child on the school website at their parent’s request.

Parents/Carers are allowed to take photographs and videos of their children at school events such as class assemblies but images or videos containing other children must not be shared on their own social media accounts.

Online-Bullying:

The school takes bullying very seriously and has robust procedures for dealing with it in any form. Online-bullying is the use of any communication medium to offend, threaten, exclude or deride another person or their friends, family, gender, race, culture, ability, disability, age or religion.

Pupils are taught about bullying as part of the IT and PSHE curriculum and in Online-Safety assemblies. We expect all members of our community to communicate with each other with respect and courtesy. Bullying of any type will not be tolerated by the school.

Mobile Phones:

Pupils are not permitted to have mobile phones in school. We recognise that our oldest pupils may walk on their own to and from school and parents may wish them to have a mobile phone for emergencies. Year 5 and 6 children are allowed to have a mobile phone for this purpose. This must not be a smart phone. Smart phones will be confiscated and kept until parents can collect. The phone must be handed to the teacher in the morning. It will be stored securely for the duration of the school day and then given back at home time.

Pupils are taught that the people who put their work on the Internet may not always want people to copy or use their work and that they should check whether they have permission. This is embedded in the Computing scheme we use. We expect all users to respect copyright laws.

Physical Safety:

All electrical equipment in the school undergoes PAT testing in accordance with HSE guidelines to ensure that it is safe to use.

Pupils are taught about the dangers of electricity as part of the science curriculum. We expect pupils to behave appropriately near electrical sockets and appliances.

Projectors can expose the eye to levels above the exposure limits by which the HSE takes its guidance. Pupils are taught that they should never look directly at strong light sources such as the sun, lasers or data projectors. We expect all users to not look directly into the light beam when working on the interactive whiteboards.

Computers and other ICT equipment can be easily damaged. Pupils are taught the correct way to use ICT equipment. We expect pupils to respect ICT equipment and take care when handling and using the ipads or using the chromebooks.

Network Safety:

Pupils are taught that they should only access the network using that particular log in. We expect all users to only logon using their username.

We expect all users to make no attempt to alter the way the computer is set up. Only the network administrators and the school’s head of ICT are permitted to install software on to computers. Other staff members are unable to do so. We expect all users to make no attempt to load or download any programme onto the network.

All users of the network can be monitored remotely by the network administrators. Pupils are taught that their use of the network can be monitored. We expect all users to understand that their use is subject to monitoring.

External Websites

NSPCC Net Aware: www.net-aware.org.uk

CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre): www.ceop.police.uk

Childline: www.childline.org.uk

Childnet: www.childnet.com

Digizen: www.digizen.org.uk

Think U Know website: www.thinkuknow.co.uk