“Learning about online safety is a vital life skill. Empowering children at an early age with the knowledge to safeguard themselves and their personal information is something that needs to be nurtured throughout school to see them into adult life.” (Alan McKenzie, e-safety advisor, 2012).
All staff and pupils at St Joseph’s are responsible for using the school computing systems and equipment safely. All members and visitors to the school are expected to sign and return the appropriate Acceptable Usage Policy before being given access to the school system. These policies are reviewed annually.
All staff at St Joseph’s are trained to recognise online safety issues and it is embedded within our teaching curriculum and we continuously plan accordingly to ensure the online safety of our children in and out of school at all times. Online safety is an important issue which as a school we’re committed to teaching our pupils about.
We can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work with parents to ensure the online safety message is consistent. It is important that parents speak to their children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online.
You can email [email protected] if you have any concerns or wish to discuss any issues regarding online safety.
At St Joseph’s we follow the Smart Rules:
Please note that no search engine is ever 100% safe. Below are links to guidance regarding search engines and also two of the “safer” children friendly search engines that you can you set up on home devices. In school all devices are defaulted to Swiggle.
What Parents Need to Know About Search Engines
Children regularly use different websites and apps from their parents, and it can be hard to keep up in this ever-changing digital world. But the things that help keep children safe online are often similar to the things that keep them safe offline.
Encourage your child to think critically and question what they see online. Talk to them about where they go to get information they trust, talk about fake news, fake followers and scams. Help them develop a healthy suspicion of whether people are who they say they are. It’s important to remember that the legal age to have an account on most social media; Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat – is 13 years old!
Share your knowledge and experience of good and unhealthy relationships.
Show them how to report any worrying behaviour they see online – for example through Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command or the Internet Watch Foundation.
We can help prepare children for their futures if we help them go online safely and responsibly.
“WAKE UP WEDNESDAY” click on the PDF below for this week’s guide.
Spotting Ads On Social Media 28th Feb 2024: This week’s free online safety guide focuses on spotting ads on social media. It highlights a number of tips such as paying attention to the account name, studying the hashtags for clues and being savvy with high numbers of likes and shares.
Previous weekly guides:
Stronger Passwords 7th Feb 2024
Persuasive Design Online 31st Jan 2024
Smartphone Safety Tips 17th Jan 2024:
Parental Controls on New Devices 20th Dec 2023
12 Top Tips for children and Young People at Christmas 13th Dec 2023
What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Disney 6th Dec 23
Online Safety Act 29th November 23
Black Friday Cyber Monday 22nd Nov 23
Upsetting Content 8th November 2023
Combat Online Bullying 25th October 23
12 Top Tips For Building Cyber Resilience At Home 18th October 23
Ai Virtual Friends 11th October 23
Data Backups And Storage 27th September 23
Online Financial Scams Exploitation 20th September 23
Setting Boundaries Around Gaming 13th September 23
Sharing Photos Online 6th September 2023
What Parents and Carers Need to Know about W App
Stay Safe Online This Summer 12th July 2023
12 Social Media Online Safety Tips
St Joseph’s Guidance to Children Owning a Mobile Phone Oct 2022
Before a pupil can bring a mobile phone into school parents need to read and sign: Use of Mobile Phones and Other Electronic Devices in School this needs to be forwarded to the school office.
This button links directly to the CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) agency reporting abuse website. Wherever you see this sign, you are able to report any online abuse.
Kidsmart gives you lots of advice on how to stay safe online.
Thinkuknow – for advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online