E Safety

Here you’ll find lots of information about how to stay safe when using the Internet.

The internet is a fantastic resource which allows children connect, communicate and be creative in many different ways. However, the internet is always changing, and being able to keep up to date with your children’s use of technology can be a challenge.  Many parents feel that their child has better technical skills than they do. Children still need advice and protection when it comes to managing their lives online.

At Hoyle Court, we follow the Digital Literacy scheme of work by the South West Grid for Learning. This covers various aspects of staying safe online, the reliability of information we find online and copyright. An overview of the lessons covered can be found here.

Below are some online resources to support with talking about issues relating to online safety at home:

Child Exploitation & Online Protection (CEOP)

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre work to protect children online.  They have a reporting button for children and parents to use if necessary.  It is important that we all know how to report something online; our KS2 children have been made aware of this button. Click on the button to learn more about CEOP and find out how to report someone online.

View CEOP Guide

Age Ratings
Fortnite
Grand Theft Auto
Instagram
7 Questions
Anti Bullying
Roblox
Snapchat
Youtube

Childnet has grouped potential online risks into the following 4 categories:

Conduct

Children need to be aware of the impact that their online activity can have on both themselves and other people, and the digital footprint that they create on the internet. It’s easy to feel anonymous online and it’s important that children are aware of who is able to view, and potentially share, the information that they may have posted. When using the internet, it’s important to keep personal information safe and not share it with strangers. Encourage your child to be respectful and responsible when communicating with others online, and to consider how what they share may reflect on them.

Content

Some online content is not suitable for children and may be hurtful or harmful. This is true for content accessed and viewed via social networks, online games, blogs and websites. It’s important for children to consider the reliability of online material and be aware that it might not be true or written with a bias. Children may need your help as they begin to assess content in this way. There can be legal consequences for using or downloading copyrighted content, without seeking the author’s permission.

Contact

It is important for children to realise that new friends made online may not be who they say they are and that once a friend is added to an online account, you may be sharing your personal information with them. Regularly reviewing friends lists and removing unwanted contacts is a useful step. Privacy settings online may also allow you to customise the information that each friend is able to access. If you have concerns that your child is, or has been, the subject of inappropriate sexual contact or approach by another person, it’s vital that you report it to the police via the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (www.ceop.police.uk).  This can be done through the link above. If your child is bullied online, this can also be reported online and offline. Reinforce with your child the importance of telling a trusted adult straight away if someone is bullying them or making them feel uncomfortable, or if one of their friends is being bullied online.

Commercialism

Young people’s privacy and enjoyment online can sometimes be affected by advertising and marketing schemes, which can also mean inadvertently spending money online, for example within apps. Encourage your child to keep their personal information private, learn how to block both pop ups and spam emails, turn off in-app purchasing on devices where possible, and use a family email address when filling in online forms. Make your child aware of scams that may seek to gain access to their accounts, and advise them to be wary in following links or opening attachments in emails that appear to be from organisations such as banks and service providers.

Social Media Commitment

All staff and governors at Hoyle Court Primary School would never use any form of social media to discuss our pupils or their parents in any way.

We ask all of our parents and carers to support us in educating children early in the importance of using social media responsibly and taking care of their digital footprint.  Adults should role model appropriate online behaviours by not using social media to negatively discuss or share images of any of our pupils, other parents or teachers.  Doing so has implications on people’s privacy and personal lives and also has potential to constitute a safeguarding risk. 

We would ask that if you ever have any concerns, please address these directly with the school.