Click here to download our School Internet and ICT Acceptable Use Policy as a PDF file.

The Internet, whether accessed from a computer, mobile phone or other device, has become embedded within modern family life. It is used to buy and sell goods, online banking, finding information and socialising. It can also have a darker side with cybercrime, inappropriate material and illegal activity taking place online effecting both adults and children. e-Safety is concerned with the safeguarding of young people in the "digital" world and ensuring they feel safe when accessing new technology.

Technology internet offers immensely exciting benefits and opportunities for everyone but it can also expose children and adults to inappropriate and criminal behaviour if they are unaware of the dangers, such as:

• Copying information from the Internet or buying work from other people to use as their own
• Not considering the reliability of material online - is it accurate and reliable?
• Spending too much time online (internet addiction) which then can effect their schoolwork, sleeping, health or relationships
• Viewing pages or content which may be unsuitable e.g. hate material, adult content, sites that unhealthy behaviour or attitudes etc
• Giving out too much personal information to people or websites online e.g. name, school, contact information
• Becoming involved in or being the victim of bullying, identity theft, or making and sending indecent or even illegal images
• Arranging to meet an online 'friend' or sharing content without thinking about consequences and dangers.

e-Safety in the home

Children spend lots of time using the Internet at school, at friends' houses, on a mobile phone, via a games console or at home. They might visit social networking sites (including Bebo, Myspace, Facebook and Piczo), or use instant messaging (such as MSN or Yahoo messenger) to chat to friends or play on online gaming sites (Club Penguin, Runescape, mini-clip etc). These are often blocked on school computers but are very popular with children.

You can buy special filtering and blocking software to protect your children, and most Internet browser software has some filters and security in place. Filtering software lets parents choose what is suitable for their children to look at, but parents must be aware that this software is not always 100% effective.

If you keep your PC 'anti-virus' security up to date you should not have problems with most threats from the Internet or from downloaded email attachments. The popular browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox also let you control or block things such as unwanted pop-up advertisements and "cookies" e.g. when a website downloads a small file to your PC to remember your name / login.

Always take care to protect your home computer and members of the family who use it.

• Don't panic! Talk to your child and ask them to show you (or even teach you) how they use the internet and the computer, learn which websites or tools they like to use and why. Learning together can often open opportunities to discuss safe practise with your child.
• Make sure you know what your children are doing online much like you would in "real" life such as what sites they visit and who they talk to? Ensure they know not to share personal information that could identify them in the offline world with anyone online.
• Have family rules about how the Internet/mobile phones etc will be used at home and be clear about not sharing information online such as names, schools, phone numbers, email addresses, photos of themselves, with online friends. Have clear rules about making and meeting with online friends safely (such as taking someone with them, meeting in a public place etc).
• Talk to your child about the risks of downloading files from unknown or potentially illegal (such as peer to peer/file sharing sites like Limewire etc) sources or copying information from sites.
• Use child or family friendly search engine (such as the CBBC Safe Search) with younger children and bookmark favourite sites for your children to use.
• Wherever possible, locate your computer in a family area and supervise younger children. Always supervise the use of webcams in your home and consider applications which allow voice chat such as Skype.
• Filter unsuitable sites so that they cannot be seen or used by your children. This doesn't have to cost a lot. Many Internet Service Providers (like AOL or BT) will include filtering and some level of internet security free. You might want to check with them what is already available before buying extra security software. Most specialist PC stores can also advise you.
• Be aware that some devices, such as Mobile Phones, Games Consoles etc are also able to access the internet and bypass filtering. Consider putting parental controls in place (either by contacting your mobile phone provider or from the console/device's settings directly) to restrict content and access.
• Always ensure your child knows how to block or report another user who may be sending nasty or inappropriate messages or content. Make sure you child knows to tell an adult they trust if they see something online that makes them feel scared, worried or uncomfortable. If your child receives any abusive messages etc keep them for evidence purposes to show to the school or police. Encourage your child not to retaliate or reply. You can also report problems directly to service providers and websites.
• Work with your child's school, they may have spoken to your child about online safety but you can help by repeating the message at home. All schools should have an e-Safety Policy and an e-Safety Coordinator who will be able to advise you where to go for more support.
• Be realistic - banning the internet will not work - children use computers and games consoles at friends' houses and at school so education around its safe use is essential. Educate your children and the whole family will benefit from using the internet.

[Sourced from Kent E Safety]

If you have any concerns about the use of ICT in school, you can make an appointment to speak to Mr Joyeux, who is our ICT subject leader.

For details of our use of ICT in school, please refer to our ICT policy and our Acceptable Use of the Internet and ICT policy [these documents will be made available online shortly – to see paper copies, please come into school]. These outline how ICT and the internet are used in school, the steps taken to ensure that children are safe and the benefits to using ICT.

Some useful weblinks:

Think you know

The think you know website has lots of information aimed at children who use the internet at home or in school. It has a great layout and is easy to read, it’s very useful for children to understand how to use the internet responsibly.

Think you know – Key Stage 1
Think you know – Key Stage 2
Think you know – Parents and Carers

Digizen

Digital citizenship isn’t just about recognising and dealing with online hazards. It’s about building safe spaces and communities, understanding how to manage personal information, and about being internet savvy - using your online presence to grow and shape your world in a safe, creative way, and inspiring others to do the same.

Visit Digizen

Internet and ICT Use in School

ICT is one of the core subjects, which is increasingly used as a tool to access the curriculum and for children to create work. Both staff and children need to be equipped in order to attain in a digital world. The children need to be skill capable and able to adapt to new advances in technology.

The internet is now the most data rich source of information in the world. It can potentially “bring the world into the classroom”. From a teaching point of view this is an essential resource for planning and delivering lessons. From a child’s point of view, it is an excellent source of information that enhances the personal learning agenda.

The internet based school learning platform allows effective dissemination of specific information (notes, data and files) to specific people (teachers, parents, staff and governors). In addition to this government targets ask schools to give all pupils access to a digital workspace. This will be a place to upload files that they have created and access to appropriate resources. Increasingly the internet is becoming a place to share information, collaborate with others and our school would like to use the learning platform to enhance the education of all children. Essentially this will be integral to most ways of working in the workplaces they will eventually enter.

St. Margaret Clitherow’s seeks to ensure users know what good practice is and outlines steps and procedures that will be taken when the darker side of the ICT and the internet shows itself.

We must ensure that staff and children are capable of making educated decisions about the information presented to them and what to do if they feel unsafe or worried about any content they are exposed to.

However, even with all reasonable precautions to prevent access to inappropriate or illegal materials, the school, nor Redcar & Cleveland LA, nor Northern Grid can accept liability for any materials accessed, or any consequence of internet access.