Rothbury First School - Online Safeguarding

Online Safeguarding

ONLINE SAFETY

Computing is seen as an essential area of learning. It plays an important role in the everyday lives of children, young people and adults. Consequently, schools need to build in the use of new technologies in order to equip young people with the skills they will need to access life-long learning and employment.

At Rothbury First School, we are delighted to provide children with the opportunity to use a wide range of resources to deliver our curriculum. Whilst exciting and beneficial both in and out of the context of education. IT, particularly web-based resources, are not consistently policed and users need to be aware of the range of risks associated with the use of these Internet technologies. We understand the responsibility and importance of ensuring that the children are aware of and understand a range of online safety issues.

At Rothbury First School we have a whole-school approach to E-Safety. Children feel safe to report concerns to any member of staff and we are lucky to have Mrs Auld who is trained as a CEOP Ambassador. Incidents concerning e-safety are dealt with in school and parents are informed as soon as any issues arise.

It is important to realise that e-safety issues are not issues that only happen elsewhere. Any community that has online access can fall victim to criminals, whether for financial or other gain. Children in rural communities can be targeted simply because the predator may think they may not be as online-aware as other children.

Children access online services in a variety of ways. It is vital that we teach children to use these services in a responsible way to ensure that they stay safe. Please talk to your children about online safety - they will surprise you with what they know and you may learn new ways to keep yourself safe online!

We will hold regular parent meetings to update you with any information we get, this could be about new online threats or apps that children could be using that could cause problems. However, if you have any issues or worries that you would like to bring to the school's attention then please do not hesitate to get in touch with Mrs Auld.

USING THE INTERNET AT HOME

Whilst many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer filtering systems to help you safeguard your child at home, it remains surprisingly easy for children to access inappropriate material including unsuitable texts, pictures and movies. Parents are advised to set the security levels within Internet browsers with this in mind. Locating the computer or tablet in a family area, not a bedroom, will enable you to supervise children as they use the Internet. However, don’t deny your child the opportunity to learn from the wide variety of material and games available on the Internet. Instead, set some simple rules for keeping them safe and make sure they understand the importance of these rules.

SIMPLE RULES FOR KEEPING YOUR CHILD SAFE