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30Mar

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E-Safety Information and Advice | Websites and Phone Numbers

The Internet is a great place to connect with people, be creative and discover new things. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has an important role to play in the lives of young people and as ICT is being used more frequently, it is important to raise the issue of E-safety and promote safe and responsible usage of ICT in schools and at home. E-Safety is a national issue and we all must aim to ensure that the Internet is used in a safe manner. In addition to this, being aware of privacy settings, filters and safe usage of social networking sites will enable young people to feel protected online.

E-Safety in School

As part of the ICT curriculum, pupils in Key Stage 3 learn about what information should not be shared in a public domain. As well as this, pupils are educated about the Internet etiquette and guidelines that should be adhered to on social networking sites. Our RSHE and personal development currciulum in conjuction with our computing lessons ensure that throughout their time at Toot Hill, our students have a comprehensive curriculum on Online safety and how to handle the challenges of the virtual world.

Advice for Parents on Keeping Safe Online

There is a wide range of information available to you as parents and carers, regarding online safety. We would like to recommend the following as great sources of information to both you and your child/children.

Keeping children safe online | NSPCC

NSPCC advice on sexting and nudes

NSPCC advice on explicit content

NSPCC advice on reporting concerns

Parents and Carers - UK Safer Internet Centre

Safer Internet guide for parents

Keep Children Safe Online: Information, Advice, Support - Internet Matters

Internetmatters

CEOP Education

CEOP advice parents and support to report images

Many young people are very anxious regarding how their parents may react if they are made aware of their child’s activity online. In many instances this prevents children/young people from speaking out when something is happening to them online. It is important that, whilst children are made aware of boundaries to their behaviour and advised how to keep themselves safe, they are also made aware that it is never too late to tell somebody if something goes wrong.
Encourage child/ren to think of an adult that they can trust to tell if somebody is frightening, upsetting or hurting them. This could be a parent, teacher, youth club worker or an agency like CEOP. Please emphasise to them that the main aim of that person will be try to keep them safe and to stop the behaviour that is causing them to be frightened or upset.

If possible, remove or disable any webcam facility on the computer being used by the child/ren. Only reinstall this at times when a trusted adult is able to supervise their use of it.

Parents should have access to all of their child’s online accounts and control the passwords. This includes email, Facebook, Skype and MSN etc. In addition, we encourage parents to routinely review children’s internet accounts to ensure that they are not placing them at risk or are not being exploited by way of their activities online.

When children are considering using a new game, website or application, we encourage parents to check the terms of service for that game, etc. to ensure they are fully informed of the nature of the provision (i.e. are there live chat facilities/webcam etc provided) and so they are sure their child meets the minimum age requirements. Children must be aged 13 years and above to hold a Facebook account and other websites used by children will also have minimum age restrictions.

Remember that internet connection is included within smartphones, tablets, iPods, laptops and games consoles, not just computers, so the same precautions should be taken with them.

We would also suggest parents link all of their child’s accounts, including emails, to their own. This means any emails their child gets, they will also get, which should warn them if their child registers for inappropriate websites or is in receipt of any suspicious contact.

We advise children not to talk to anyone online that they do not personally know offline. This is sometimes made difficult due to the nature of games such as MMOs or other online communities, so we encourage children not to move people across platforms (i.e. from games to facebook or from facebook to skype) unless they are known to them in real life.

Parents should discuss the online identities that their child uses when online. Advise them of the risks in which they may place themselves if they portrays themselves as being older or if they create online personas that include suggestive nicknames, their own name and or age i.e. joe.bloggs13@hotmail.com or sexiikate14@gmail.com. CEOP are often able to identify young people who come to notice, solely by the information they share within chats and their user names/online identities.

We also recommend that parents and children have a look at www.thinkuknow.co.uk. This is a CEOP website that has separate sections for parents and young people and has some great tips on how to stay safe online.

Social Networking

Social networking sites such as Tik Tok, Whattsapp and Snapchat continue to grow in terms of its popularity especially with children, some as young as 7 or 8 years old. Please click on the links below which aim to provide support regarding a range of key topics in relation to social networking.

Leaflet giving advice about the safe use of Social Networking sites [PDF]

Facebook Checklist to promote online safety [PDF]

Facebook Guide for Parents [PDF]

Privacy settings on Social Networking sites [PDF]

Video chats and webcams [PDF]

Website promoting safety on most used sites (Facebook, Skype, Twitter, Youtube, Xbox 360): http://www.childnet.com/young-people/secondary/need-help

In the News

What 'Apps' does your child use? Latest article highlights the danger of an app called 'Oovoo' which young people sometimes download. For further details, please follow this link: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/oovoo-parents-claim-paedophiles-using-5261559
Cyberbully: A chilling real-time thriller starring Maisie Williams - from Game of Thrones - as a teenager battling with an anonymous cyber-stalker. The plot of Cyberbully is inspired by dozens of real-life cases.
NSPCC Share Aware Campaign Launch
BBC News - Breck Bednar murder: Lewis Daynes sentenced to life in prison: A computer engineer is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a 14-year-old boy he met through online gaming.
BBC News - Twenty-four hour social media 'link to teenage anxiety': A proven link between social media use and anxiety.

Spotting signs of radicalistion

We're here to protect children from harm. It can be hard to know when extreme views become something dangerous. And the signs of radicalisation aren't always obvious.

It might be nothing, it might be something. But whatever you're worried about, there is help available. Please contact school by emailing safeguarding@toothillschool.co.uk or you can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk.

Spotting the signs of radicalisation

Radicalisation can be really difficult to spot. Signs that may indicate a child is being radicalised include:

isolating themselves from family and friends
talking as if from a scripted speech
unwillingness or inability to discuss their views
a sudden disrespectful attitude towards others
increased levels of anger
increased secretiveness, especially around internet use

Children who are at risk of radicalisation may have low self-esteem, or be victims of bullying or discrimination. Extremists might target them and tell them they can be part of something special, later brainwashing them into cutting themselves off from their friends and family.

However, these signs don't necessarily mean a child is being radicalised – it may be normal teenage behaviour or a sign that something else is wrong.