Staying safe online (eSafety)
Dear parent/carer
I hope your child/children has settled in well to the full reopening of school.
The children have been very settled in school and it is so good to have us all back on site for lessons in the real world.
All staff have worked incredibly hard to sustain face-to-face learning and remote learning at the same time and it will be such a benefit for the children to interact with each other in real life. While we have all made massive strides in online learning and there are many benefits, nothing replaces seeing people in the real world.
Technology such as Google Classroom and Tapestry have been hugely useful for us all throughout the recent lockdown restrictions and we will continue to use these tools to support learning.
BUT … we also need to ensure technology is used safely.
We ensure that as part of the teaching and learning in school that online safety, or eSafety, is part of our curriculum.
To support this at home we also have a range of information and links on our website that parents/carers will find useful in supporting you and your family. Online safety is everyone’s responsibility and we hope the web pages we have are a help.
Click here to visit our main page about eSafety. This includes guides about Facebook, links to the Think U Know website for parent/carer information, links to the anti-bullying alliance for information about online bullying support for your child and an agreement that the whole family can use to discuss how to stay safe online.
Click here to visit our advice for parents/carers on issues such as WhatsApp and other social media companies. This also includes a number of website links to various organisations that offer support and guidance for you as parents/carers.
Click here to see our simple lists of tips for our children on staying safe online.
Click here to access a number of safety sheets with useful information about TikTok, Instagram, SnapChat, and WhatsApp.
The most important messages are:
- Encourage and ensure that your child shares with a trusted adult if they feel unsafe, if they feel that something isn’t right or if they are unsure about a situation. Make sure that they know not to keep secrets.
- None of our children are old enough to have social media accounts. Most are 13 years plus and some are 16 years plus in their terms of use.
- Should you allow your child to have a social media account, e.g. WhatsApp, then please ensure their device and accounts are monitored regularly by you.
- Be a positive role model in the use of electronic devices and social media for your child.
Please make sure that technology is used to support your child and doesn’t become a tool that makes your child unhappy.
Many thanks for taking the time to read my message. I hope it helps you to keep your family safe and well.
Mr Hanley