The Internet is an essential element in 21st century life for education, business and social interaction. The school has a duty to provide students with quality Internet access as part of their learning experience. This is a rapidly fast paced part of the curriculum.

Children at Pirehill First School use the Internet on a regular basis as part of their learning. As part of our ICT teaching, we have regular online safety lessons to remind children of the importance of keeping themselves safe online. All staff, pupils, 3rd party users must also sign the school’s acceptable use policy before they can use the school network to access the Internet.

We are accredited with the 360 degree Safe Mark.   The 'report an issue' button on the Home page of the website is to be used if you or your child see something online that you/they are not happy about.

On this page you can find more information about how to help your child to stay safe online when using computers and other mobile devices that access the internet at home. There is a range of key information and links to sites where you can find out more.　

If you have any questions or concerns about online safety you can speak to Mrs Walmsley or Miss Johnson who are the school’s ICT and online safety co-ordinators.

Online Safety Top Tips

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2020/safer-internet-day-2020-top-tips/safer-internet-day-https://www.premierchoiceinternet.com/online-privacy/

Keep your computer in a shared area. If possible, set up your computer in a shared area at home so that you monitor your child’s access to the Internet.

Talk to your child about what they’re up to online. Be a part of their online life and show an interest. Find out what sites they visit and what they like about them. By taking an interest in what they do online they are more likely to come to you if they have any issues.

Set boundaries in the online world just as you would in the real world. Think about what they might see, what they share, who they talk to and how long they spend online. Discuss boundaries at a young age to develop the tools and skills children need to enjoy their time online.

Know what connects to the Internet. Today many household devices can connect to the Internet. Make sure that you are aware of all the devices that your child uses connect to the Internet, such as their phone or games console.

Use parental controls on all devices that link to the Internet. Parental controls are tools to help you set appropriate boundaries as your child grows and develops. Service providers are working to make them simple, effective and user friendly. You should speak to your provider to find out further details (see the links below). Make sure that you know how your children are accessing the Internet – is it your connection, or someone else’s wifi? This will affect whether the parental controls that you set are being applied.

Social Networking Sites.　Many of these sites have a minimum age limit of 13, so our pupils should not be accessing them.

Visit online safety websites. There are lots of useful online safety sites for parents, carers and children online. They are great fun to explore, and many contain videos and games designed to educate children about how to stay safe. Links to a few key sites are listed below.

Parental Controls

We know that children, particularly younger children, can be bothered by things that they see online, and filters can be a helpful tool in reducing the chances of coming across something upsetting.　We use filtering in school to help prevent your child from accessing age inappropriate material.

The 4 big Internet providers in the UK – BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media - provide their customers with free parental controls, which can be activated at any time to help prevent access to age inappropriate material on your computers at home. The link below will take you to the Safer Internet website where helpful video guides show you how to download and set-up the controls offered by your provider.　You can also find out about parental controls and safety features of many other popular Internet services.

Remember that filtering is only part of the solution. No filter or parental controls tool is 100% effective, and many of the risks that young people face online are because of their own and other’s behaviour. It is therefore important to talk to your children about staying safe online with your child and make sure they know that they can turn to you or speak to their teachers if they get into any difficulty.　

Links

You can find further information about online safety and staying safe online at the following websites: