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Upperthong Junior and Infant School

Let's keep our children safe online.

Safer Surfers

On-line 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 quickly if we are made aware of any on-line safety issues within our school community.

However, this is not a task we can manage alone! Our curriculum lessons are planned with the support of the Local Authority and incorporate resources from a range of key providers, including CEOP. 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.

It is important to keep reviewing 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. Mrs Littlewood is the On-line Safety Leader and Mr Branston is the Computing lead, they work together to lead the way forward. The staff talk to children, giving regular reminders and about basic on-line safety and of course listen to any concerns the children may have. Each week at the teaching staff meeting any online safety concerns are shared and discussed.

If you have any worries or concerns then please contact Mrs Littlewood or Mr Branston.

Useful Websites

Have a look at some of the advice provided on these key websites to ensure your child is safe online.

Youtube Risks – Uploading Video

Many children spend a lot of time watching Youtube and children often wish to create their own Youtube films. In doing so, without careful thought, they can leave themselves open to bullying or online grooming by revealing personal details and making videos and comments available to anyone.

This is not illegal but the minimum age to create a Youtube account is 13. Having an account for a younger child breaks the terms and conditions of the site. It is not possible to upload videos without creating an account.

The following links provide additional information for parents and teachers :-

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2802272?hl=en-GB&ref_topic=2803240 and

http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safety-tools/youtube

Social Networking advice for Parents/Carers

Upperthong J&I School 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. Websites such as Facebook offer amazing communication and social connections, however they are created with their audience in mind and it is not possible to control or verify the content.

Facebook’s terms and conditions state that all users must be 13 years or older and as such we strongly recommend that parents do not allow their children to have their own personal profiles online.

Possible risks for children under 13 using Facebook may include:

Facebook use “age targeted” advertising and your child could be exposed to adverts of a sexual or other inappropriate nature
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, applications, 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 inappropriate behaviour
Facebook cannot and does not verify its members therefore it is important to remember that if your child can lie about who they are online, so can anyone else!

We feel it important to point out to parents 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 under aged profiles) if a problem comes to our attention that involves the safety or wellbeing of any of our children. We are however aware that many children do use such sites and it is possible that by banning access and removing children’s technology may mean that children do not feel able to raise any concerns or problems encountered with parents/carers or adults in school. It is also important that parents/carers are aware that whilst filtering tools or parental controls are very useful in keeping children safe online, they are not always effective and children may still access unsuitable content

However, if you should decide to allow your child to have a Facebook profile we strongly advise you to be aware of the potential risks posed to your child. You may want to consider the following points.

Check their profile is set to private and that only approved friends can see information that is posted
Closely monitor your child’s use and talk to them about safe and appropriate online behaviour such as not sharing personal information, clicking on unknown links, installing applications and not posting offensive messages or photos
Ask them to install the CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) application on www.facebook.com/clickceop on their profile.
Set up your own profile so you understand how the site works and ask them to have you as a friend on their profile so you know what they are posting online.

Make sure your child understands the following rules:

Always keep your profile private and never accept friends you don’t know in real life
Never post anything online which could reveal your identity or anything you wouldn’t want your parents to see
Only click on links that you trust and always ask an adult if first if you are not sure
Never agree to meet somebody you only know online without telling a trusted adult
Always tell an adult you trust if you feel threatened, see something that makes you feel worried or someone upsets you online

We recommend that all parents visit CEOPs Think U Know website for more information on keeping your child safe online www.thinkuknow.co.uk. Our Online Safety policy and Acceptable Use policies are available to read under the policies tab.

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