eSafety

Introduction

We live in interesting times where the internet is concerned, our children and our students have never known a time without the internet, the majority of them will never visit the library to find out information when they can Google it in the privacy of their own home. Facebook, Youtube, Myspace and Twitter have always been there and they’ve grown up with them all, and while as adults we’ve seen the dangers appear slowly with ever growing news reports of grooming, cyber bullying  and people being prosecuted for comments they’ve made on social networks they’ve been ever present for our children.

We want our children to be safe while they are online, we want them to use it responsibly and the best way to do this is to educate them about the good and the bad side of it. So educating our students about the internet is a major part of our eSafety policy. When the students sign their planner they agree to the acceptable use policy for the school.  Whether accessed by a computer or a mobile device it pays to be educated in safe practices, if we can ingrain those good practices early on it will stand them in good stead for later years.

Moreton’s Internet Agreement With Students

1. Students agree to use the Internet for constructive educational purposes.
2. Students will not visit sites which are offensive, illegal, defamatory or pornographic. Proxy sites will not be used.
3. Students will observe rules and laws of copyright and plagiarism.
4. Students will be fair with the network, refraining from time consuming downloads of large files.
5. Students will not give out personal details about home, school, addresses or telephone numbers.
6. Students must report to a member of staff any information they come across that makes them feel uncomfortable.

Moreton e-Safety section from students plannerAs a result of our research into safe use of the internet we’ve built a portfolio of sites that have a wealth of information for parents and students, on these sites you’ll be able to find out more than we could possibly write about here and they are constantly updated so if you wanted to know how to set the privacy settings on facebook or what tools are available to keep your child safe on the internet then you’ll be able to find that information in these sites.

CEOP

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the exploitation of children. The first stop for parents or children wanting to know more about staying safe online.

 

Thinkuknow

Find the latest information on the sites you like to visit, mobiles and new technology. Find out what’s good, what’s not and what you can do about it. If you look after young people there’s an area for you too – with resources you can use in the classroom, at home or just to get with it. Most importantly, there’s also a place which anyone can use to report if they feel uncomfortable or worried about someone they are chatting to online.

 

BBC Webwise

The BBC Webwise eSafety page aims to make it simple to find information to keep you safe on the internet with guides on email, social networks and general web use.

 

Knowitall

The team at Knowitall work with children, parents and teachers and share their online experiences as well as distribute safety advice, by doing this they keep ahead of what is happening on the internet and update their site so you can benefit from their knowledge.

 

Childnet

Childnet International is a non-profit organisation working to make the internet a safer place for children, they offer advice and guides for young people, parents and teachers, the resources page is full of information, from social networks to online gaming guides and there is an e-Safety newsletter you can sign up to.

e-Safety Adviser for Parents

This online safety site brings advice and resources to parents with clear advice and guides about dangers to young people on the internet, you can also sign up to the free monthly newsletter