Online safety

Dear parents and guardians,

Thank you to the many parents who attended last week's online briefing and to you all for your continued support in helping our young people understand their rights and responsibilities with regard to technology. This is a very important topic and one which is frequently revisited in form time, assemblies and PSHCEe lessons.

We are not able to send out the recording of the session but please find below some key messages.

Attached are some very helpful technical pointers on how to change settings and so on.

The main points from our expert speaker, Mrs Sarah Lynch of GoWiseOnline and a former detective, were:

  • ensure you have frequent conversations with your children regarding technology and social media: it is best if they feel confident askingtheir parents or teachers for help if they seesomething upsetting or problematic
  • explore support like Childline | Childline and https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/
  • be aware of how online behaviour is reflected in the school's behaviour policy: communications with staff and peers should be as respectful and appropriate online as in person
  • make sure they are you are aware of potential risks like phishing and fraud, especially when using public wi-fi where security is less stringent
  • be aware of location settings and other privacy settings and check them regularly
  • consider using parental controls such as Qustodio those that require parental approval for downloading apps and so on
  • revisit the law on sending explicit images ormalicious messages- it is an offence for an under 18 to take an explicit photograph or send it even if it is of their own body.
Thank you again for your support.