E-Safety at ECPS
At Easington Colliery Primary School it is our mission to make the internet a safe place for children. We achieve this through showing good practice in our online safety policy and procedures including equipping our staff, parents and children with the knowledge they need to understand online dangers and how best to react should an incident arise. Online safety is taught weekly as part of our computing lessons using the ‘Education for a Connected World’ framework. We teach online safety each week due to the ever-changing nature of the digital landscape. Children require ongoing education to address new risks and technologies like cyberbullying, grooming, misinformation, and privacy breaches. Regular instruction empowers children and employees to develop critical thinking and practical skills, build digital resilience, and foster trust with adults, allowing them to navigate the internet safely and responsibly in an age-appropriate manner.
ONLINE SAFETY FOR CHILDREN
Digital Leaders
We have a conscientious and established digital leader group in school. The group has representatives from across each year group in KS2 and meets regularly to tackle online safety related issues. The children act as delegates and class envoys to support discussions, collect suggestions and provide feedback for the class. Some of their work so far has involved testing and introducing Micro:Bits to the school, and playing key roles in delivering Online Safety Assemblies on topics such as cyberbullying, age-ratings in games and safe online communication.
SAFER INTERNET DAY
Here at Easington Colliery Primary school we love getting involved with annual Safer Internet Days led by the UK Safer Internet Centre. These allow us to celebrate all of the positive things that technology brings and to think about any worries we might have about being online. In previous years, we have explored a range of topics, including how the internet can be utilised to inspire positive change in our communities. This year, in assemblies and in our classes, we took part in a variety of activities aimed at helping us to identify and protect ourselves and others from online scams.
ONLINE SAFETY FOR PARENTS
Children are growing up in a world with a bigger range of online activities than ever before and it is sometimes very hard for both children and adults to know how to stay safe. Here at Easington Colliery Primary School we want to support you as parents to feel confident in keeping your children safe online.
As parents what can you do to teach children about online safety?
- Discuss online safety issues with your child.
- Support the school in their online safety approaches and reinforcing safe online behaviours at home. Encourage your child to adhere to the school’s acceptable use policy.
- Be a role model for using technology safely.
- Apply parental controls to devices and be aware of what children are accessing online.
- Be vigilant around your child. Notice any changes in behaviour that indicate that your child is at risk or harm online.
- Take opportunities to learn more about current and emerging technologies and the risks associated with them.
- Find help and advice from school or other recommended agencies if issues arise.
CYBERBULLYING
Cyberbullying is any bullying behaviour that takes place ‘virtually’ via mobile devices like phones and tablets, through online social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and is also common on gaming sites. Cyberbullying can happen in or outside school – whenever and wherever children have access to phones or the internet. Examples of this kind of behaviour include inappropriate text messaging, e-mailing or blogging, sending offensive or degrading images by phone or via the internet, excluding individuals from group chat and creating false personas to mock or humiliate others. Here at Easington Colliery Primary School we want to support parents in dealing with cyberbullying. Below are some useful links to keep you and your family safe online. They include a range of websites, articles and downloadable guides on how to use parental controls across a range of devices.
Advice for parents of children using smartphones
Please click the link - https://www.internetmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Internet-Matters-Set-Up-Safe-Checklist-Mar-2023.pdf
Please click the link - https://www.childnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SMART-rules-Poster-A3.pdf
Please click the like - https://d1xsi6mgo67kia.cloudfront.net/uploads/2021/10/top-tips-for-iphone.pdf
Please click the link - Guides for Apple and Android devices parental controls | Internet Matters
Parental Control Guides
Please click the link - Social Media Parental Controls and Privacy Settings | Internet Matters
Please click the link - Gaming consoles and platforms - Internet Matters
Please click the link - Broadband & Mobile Network Parental Controls - Internet Matters
Please click the link - Entertainment & Search Engine Safety - Internet Matters
Parents of Early Years Children
When it comes to online safety good habits start early. It is never too soon to start thinking about screen time, parental controls and what your children are viewing online.
Please click the link - Supporting preschoolers online (0-5s) | Internet Matters (youtube.com) Please click the link - https://youtu.be/O3OF-NWDzGo
ONLINE SAFETY UPDATES
Look out for our regular online safety updates delivered via ClassDojo. These guides are provided by National Online Safety, to keep you up to date on the latest games, apps, and websites your children may be accessing. They give key hints and tips on how to manage things like parent controls, screen time and chat rooms. Here are just a few examples which cover some of the most popular technology your child may be interacting with.
ONLINE SAFETY PARENT STOP
The links below offer some online safety information.
https://www.internetmatters.org/
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
https://www.kidscape.org.uk/advice/advice-for-parents-and-carers/cyberbullying and-digital-safety/
https://pegi.info/page/pegi-age-ratings
https://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers/
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/information-for/individuals-families