E-Safety
Today’s pupils are growing up in an increasingly complex world, living their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks.
At the Avenue we aim to prepare our pupils with the knowledge needed to make the best use of the internet and technology in a safe, considered and respectful way, so they are able to reap the benefits of the online world.
We believe that online safety should form a fundamental part of a school’s child protection and safeguarding measures therefore we have extensive measures in place to monitor both internally and externally to help safeguard pupils from potential dangers or unsuitable material. Any e-safety incidents are recorded and managed.
As part of our mission to protect and prepare children for the challenges online, we follow PurpleMash’s online safety scheme 2BeSafe which follows the guidance set out within the Department for Education’s - Education for a Connected World.
The Education for a Connected World framework outlines eight key areas which seek to equip children and young people for digital life and the digital world. For each objective, we have produced a 15-to-20-minute session containing activities to promote discussion, greater thinking and deeper reflection in order to raise the profile of the importance of staying safe online.
The theme coverages are;
• self-image and identity
• Online relationships
• Online Reputation
• Online Bullying
• Health, Well-being and lifestyle
• Privacy and security
• Managing online information
• Copyright and ownership
In addition to this, each class does a unit on Online Safety in their computing lesson following the PurpleMash scheme. Online safety is not only taught discretely through computing but additionally during PSHE lessons, whole school sessions and as part of other subjects where pupils might use technology. Every year, the Avenue also celebrates Online Safety Day. On this day, a whole school assembly occurs and each class will undertake various activities recommended by the UK Safer Internet Centre or the NSPCC.
E Safety at Home
Children use technology at home for a variety of reasons – to learn, play, socialise and express themselves. Despite the internet being a creative place of amazing opportunities there are risks involved that can be daunting for parents and carers.
As a parent or carer you play a key role in helping your child to stay safe online. You don’t need to be an expert on the internet to help keep your child stay safe online. Simply banning sites or installing firewalls and filters is not the answer to keeping children safe online but instead maintaining an open and ongoing discussion about online safety at home is paramount in teaching children how to be safe online. Through discussion, children are able to learn and communicate when something is not right and feel confident in speaking up when they are unsure about something.
These useful links will help you to keep your children safe online:
https://www.childnet.com/help-and-advice/parents-and-carers
https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/
https://www.internetmatters.org/
