Click on the links below to access free e-safety activities during the school closures;
E-Safety encompasses Internet technologies and electronic communications such as mobile phones as well as collaboration tools and personal publishing. It highlights the need to educate pupils about the benefits and risks of using technology and provides safeguards and awareness for users to enable them to control their online experience.
The potential that technology has to impact on the lives of all citizens increases year on year. This is probably even more true for children, who are generally much more open to developing technologies than many adults. In many areas technology is transforming the way that schools teach and that children learn. At home, technology is changing the way children live and the activities in which they choose to partake; these trends are set to continue.
Our e-Safety Policy (which can be located below) has been written by the school, building on government guidance. The school’s e-safety policy operates in conjunction with other policies including those for ICT, Student Behaviour, Bullying (including cyber bullying) Cross Curriculum, Child Protection, Data Protection and Security.
Click on the link below to have a look at the NSPCC website for further advice and guidance on how to keep children safe online;
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/partners/nspcc-o2-online-safety-partnership/
It is important to be realistic- banning the internet or technology will not work and it often makes a child less likely to report a problem. Education around safe use is essential.
Search Engines
No search engine is 100% safe but if you click on the link below and follow the instructions, you can ensure that your google search engine at home is as safe as can be;
http://www.woodlands.kent.sch.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=7&type=pdf
Image Searching
The links below are for 'safer' alternatives to online image searches;
http://www.picsearch.co.uk/
http://www.pics4learning.com/
Websites for more information
Click on the icons below to find further information and to visit each website;
CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the abuse and exploitation of children in the real and 'e' world. Often it is referred to as an online 999. By clicking on the button, young people and parents can get advice on a range of issues such as viruses, hacking and dealing with online bullying.
The "Thinkuknow" website is brought to you by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre.
"Kidsmart" provides a wealth of tips and advice about how to stay safe online.
New e-Safety Portal for Parents and Schools – Internet Matters
Internet Matters is a new online portal designed for parents to access simple, easy and practical advice about online safety for their children, right through from pre-school to teens. It provides tips on protecting children from online grooming, cyberbullying, privacy and identity theft and inappropriate content. Internet Matters is a not-for profit organisation set up by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media.
ParentINFO is a collaboration between ParentZone and CEOP. There are useful guides and articles on helping your child stay safe online.
Click on the links below for some additional handy guides on how to help keep your children safe online:
Safer Internet Day: managing online identity
This year's Safer Internet Day on 11 February encourages young people to explore how they manage their online identity, and how the internet shapes how they think of themselves and others.
If you're interested in getting involved or finding out anymore, you can download parent and carers packs from UK Safer Internet Centre's website.
5 useful resources you can use this Safer Internet Day:
Jessie & Friends - our 4-7s resource (episode 3) explores personal information and why it's important not to share this with people you don't know
Band Runner - our fun game for 8-10s puts children’s knowledge to the test by asking them to help characters make safe choices online
Thinkuknow Toolkit - use our toolkit with 11-18s to explore the concept of online identity and relationships
Parents and carers presentations - Use our presentation for parents to help them understand the behaviour of children and young people online, and the resources they can use to support their child
Having a positive digital footprint (Parent Info) - share top tips with parents and carers on how they can help their child create a positive digital footprint and make their online presence work for them
Please look at our recent newsletters for Online Safety
NSPCC Websites:
ICT & Computing
Philosophy & Overview
At St Mary’s we value the contribution that technology can make for the benefit of all pupils, staff, parents and governors. We strive to provide safe opportunities in all subjects to motivate and inspire pupils and raise standards across the curriculum. Everyone in our school community will become lifelong learners equipped to meet developing technology with confidence, enthusiasm and the skills that will prepare them for a future in an ever-changing world.
Aims
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To enable our staff and pupils to become competent, confident and independent users of technology
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To provide pupils with the computational skills necessary to become independent learners
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To develop a creative and cross-curricular approach to the teaching and learning of Computing
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To promote safe and sensible use of technology through a dedicated e-safety curriculum.
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To use new technologies to enable good quality teaching and learning to take place
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To ensure appropriate and equal access to technology for all children regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or ability
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To commit to the Continuous Professional Development of Computing
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To ensure our pupils take advantage of the ever quickening pace of technological change
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To provide pupils with an understanding of the role technology plays in everyday life at present and its importance in the future
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To give children opportunities to access the Computing Curriculum through home-school links.
Have a look at our policies and how we keep safe on the internet: