Moss Hey Primary SchoolE-Safety
At Moss Hey Primary, we are committed to keeping the children in our care safe. In today’s digital world, we are aware of the fantastic opportunities that the internet can bring to education and in every day life. However, we are also extremely mindful of the potential risks that children may face when they access the internet using the technology that is at their fingertips on a daily basis.
Children are regularly educated about online safety, which is delivered through our PSHE and computing curriculum, UK Safer Internet Day events and whenever they are using technology. Our curriculum aims to equip children with the knowledge and skills to become digitally literate as well as having the tools to be digitally resilient and safe.
Tips, advice, guides and resources for parents to help keep your child safe online
As a parent/carer you play a key role in helping your child to stay safe online.
You don’t need to be an expert on the digital world to help keep your child stay safe online. But you do need to know what your child is accessing online and how you can support your child to use the internet safely, responsibility and positively.
Talk to your child about what they’re up to online. Be a part of their online life; involve the whole family and show an interest. Find out what sites they visit and what they love about them, if they know you understand they are more likely to come to you if they have any problems.
Encourage your child to go online and explore! There is a wealth of age-appropriate sites online for your children. Encourage them to use sites which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
Set boundaries in the online world just as you would in the real world. Only allow children to access age-appropriate sites/apps. Monitor what they access, what they share, who they talk to and how long they spend online.
Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a family space. For children of this age, it is important to keep internet use in family areas so you can see the sites your child is using and be there for them if they stumble across something they don’t want to see.
Use parental controls on devices that link to the internet, such as the TV, laptops, computers, tablets, games consoles and mobile phones. Parental controls are not just about locking and blocking, they are a tool to help you set appropriate boundaries as your child grows and develops. They are not the answer to your child’s online safety, but they are a good start.
Online Safety, including Social Media
The risks associated with online safety are always evolving, which makes specific advice regarding certain apps a challenge.
The breadth of issues classified within online safety is considerable and ever evolving, but can be categorised into four areas of risk:
Content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate, or harmful content, for example: pornography, fake news, racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicide, anti-Semitism, radicalisation, and extremism.
Contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users; for example: peer to peer pressure, commercial advertising and adults posing as children or young adults with the intention to groom or exploit them for sexual, criminal, financial or other purposes.
Conduct: online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm; for example, making, sending and receiving explicit images (e.g. consensual and non-consensual sharing of nudes and semi-nudes and/or pornography, sharing other explicit images and online bullying, and
Commerce: - risks such as online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing and or financial scams.
Filtering & Monitoring:
At Moss Hey we use Hi-Impact for our technical support, they ensure our IT provision is secure, future-ready and aligned with the DfE’s Digital and Technology Standards.
Smoothwall provide our firewall and filtering.
Securus provide online safety and monitoring software.
Our school website is monitored regularly to ensure that it is secure and public access does not compromise the safety of pupils and that the site is secure.
Help with how to keep your child safe online.
You can access the Stockport Online Saftey Hub for free here:
https://stockport.onlinesafetyhub.uk/
If you’re worried that your child is being groomed online or sexually exploited you should report your concerns to CEOP
Click here for the CEOP safety link.
Below are some more links that can support you as parents/carers. Please contact us if you have any concerns about helping your chiuld stay safe online.
Useful online safety resources for parents / carers
Internetmatters - Parental controls
Internetmatters - Online safety leaflets
Thinkuknow - information for parents
Vodafone - mobile/digital parenting