E-Safety  

Online Safety in School

The Internet has become an essential resource in education, business and social interaction. At Higher Openshaw Community School we have a duty to provide pupils with quality internet access as a part of their learning experience in order to conduct research, develop their learning and communicate with one another. We support the children in their effective use of technology both in and out of the classroom and ensure that the children are educated in its safe use by following the SMART rules:

S -  Safe - Keep safe by being careful not to give out personal information when you are  online such as your email address, phone number and password.

M -  Meeting - Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous.  Do so only with your parents' or carers' permission. If you do plan to meet someone,  take a parent or carer with you.

A -   Accepting - Accepting emails, IM messages, or opening files, pictures or texts from  people you don't know or trust can lead to problems - they could contain nasty  messages or viruses!

R -   Reliable - Someone online might lie about who they are or give you false  information. Information on the internet may not be true. Always check   information with other websites, books or someone who knows. If you want to chat  online, chat with your family and real world friends.

T -   Tell - Tell your parent, carer or trusted adult if someone or something makes you  uncomfortable or worried, or if you or someone you know is being bullied online.

The internet is a fantastic place overflowing with knowledge, games and communities of people and the pupils here at Higher Openshaw spend a great deal of time using the internet within school and at home. This is why it is important our pupils learn how to be safe when browsing online.

The children here learn about E-Safety through taught lessons as part of our Computing Curriculum and discussions with adults and peers. We also encourage parents/carers to talk to their children about how to remain aware when online, to ensure pupils remain safe when browsing in their own time.

The following website offers parents and carers some fantastic advice on how to make the Internet a safe environment for children in the home.

We also have a digital leaders group that runs every half term to talk all things online!

Online Safety at Home

There are loads of great resources out there for you use at home to support you in keeping your children safe while online. Below is a selction of links, many aimed directly at parents. Have a look:

Internet Matters - helping parents with esafety advice and links to games for you and your child

Know it all - Resources for parents and carers includes content for young people

Think U Know - Resources for parents and carers includes content for young people

The  Vodaphone Parents' Guide - Developed with leading parenting website The Parent Zone​ and tested extensively to ensure it builds parents' confidence. Their magazine, Digital Parenting​ is also available online.

Parents Centre - Internet Safety information for Parents from the government.

​UK Safer Internet Centre – safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe online

CEOP YouTube Channel – This Youtube Channel by CEOP has many video resources and information films.

How to set up the parental controls of your Internet provider​ - Here you can find out how you can help prevent age inappropriate content being accessed online on computers in your home.

​BBC Webwise for the latest advice for parents and young people.

​‘Caught in the Web’ is a 15-minute film made for young people by BBC Newsround about staying safe on the Internet.​​​

The website contains clear guidance for e-safety so please click the links and read with your children. There are seperate sites for KS1 and KS2.                                                                                 

Our school runs e-safety days for all the pupils at several times throughout the year. We operate a rigorous acceptable use policy that all the children sign up for and adhere to. Our school take a zero tolerance approach to cases of online abuse and online bullying. Depending on the severity of the case it can lead to an immedaite suspension from school. 

NSPCC Net Aware website.

Information about popular games and websites including their age restrictions and content.

If you would like to have any conversations about e-safety - general questions or more specific concerns - please don't hesitate to speak to your child's class teacher or come and see Mrs Hutchinson. If they can't answer your question they will be able to find someone who can.

Click on the enclosed images for online safety guides and tip