E-Safety

We use the internet and technology to enhance learning. We include e-safety in the curriculum as part of ICT and Personal, Health and Social Education, including Sex and Relationships Education.

When logging on, pupils click to agree to terms and conditions before accessing our server or the Internet. A 'firewall' restricts searches meaning sites including some social media sites like Facebook cannot be accessed by staff or children in school. Nevertheless software is never a catch-all and our first port of call for e-safety is to teach safe use. Safe use includes understanding that online activity is not private. Safe use teaches children that individuals are responsible for what they post, view and participate in. Safe use includes only using apps and sites that are appropriate for your age. We strongly recommend that as primary age pupils, our children only message each other electronically through Google Hangouts linked to their school @kingsmead email address.

Mobile phones, Smart watches and other connected devices.

In line with statutory Department for Education guidance, Kingsmead Primary School is a mobile-phone-free environment throughout the school day. This includes lessons, breaktimes, lunchtimes, clubs and activities taking place before or after the normal school day. Mobile phones, smartwatches and other personal devices capable of sending or receiving messages or notifications, accessing the internet, taking photographs, or recording audio or video must not be used by pupils in school.

Primary-aged children do not need access to these devices during the school day, and their use can create risks relating to safeguarding, privacy, online safety, bullying, distraction and the unauthorised recording of pupils or staff. Parents and carers who need to contact their child during the school day should do so through the school office.

Pupils should not bring mobile phones, smartwatches or similar connected devices to school. Where a parent believes that a mobile phone is necessary for a specific safeguarding reason, such as a child travelling to or from school independently, prior agreement must be obtained from the Headteacher. Any permitted phone must be switched off and handed to the school office on arrival; it may be collected at the end of the day. Smartwatches and other wearable communication or recording devices remain unsuitable for school and should be left at home.

Appropriate exceptions and reasonable adjustments may be agreed for an individual pupil where a device is required to meet a medical need, support a disability or address another exceptional circumstance. Any arrangement will be agreed with the Headteacher and recorded clearly, including how and when the device may be used.

If a pupil brings or uses a prohibited device without permission, it will be confiscated in accordance with the school’s Behaviour Policy and retained securely until it can be collected by a parent or carer. Where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a device contains evidence of harmful, inappropriate or unlawful behaviour, the school will respond in accordance with its legal powers and safeguarding procedures. The school cannot accept responsibility for the loss of, or damage to, devices brought onto the premises.

Online bullying, harassment, harmful messaging or inappropriate use of electronic devices outside school will be addressed in line with the school’s Behaviour, Anti-Bullying, Online Safety and Safeguarding policies where it affects pupils’ wellbeing, relationships or the safe and orderly running of the school. The school will work with parents and carers and, where necessary, safeguarding partners or the police to protect those involved.

Top tips if you see something scary online

Stranger Danger

The risk of meeting unsafe people is far higher online than out in the community.

Children should be taught and learn that the person they think they are talking to online may not be the person they are talking to. Children might have met an online friend, think they're a child their age when in fact the person can be a much older person, an adult, online because they intend to harm or exploit vulnerable children.

This means it is much more important to teach about peer pressure. It is also more important that adults at home and in school to do all we can to prevent children encountering content they are too young to process. Many sites with content aimed at children have a minimum age of 13 or even older. On these sites children can see and hear content which is beyond their developmental age. They become desensitised to what is risky and inappropriate and so the risk of them becoming vulnerable to grooming increases. This also increases the risk of age inappropriate 'knowledge' finding its way into their play.

A good rule is if an online 'friend' is not the same as a friend you have met and know in real life. We advise against any online friendships for primary age children who are too young to understand the differences or dangers.

Responsible parents and carers will want to restrict the Apps their children use as well as the time they spend on computers.

www.net-aware.org.uk allows you to insert an app or game name and information is displayed re pros, cons, age appropriateness etc. Many Apps are designed with compulsion to click built in.

Google education

Google Education is an online platform we use to communicate with children and families at home through Google Classrooms; it is our Virtual Learning Environment, our school online. It is invaluable for communication, sharing information, home learning and for those times when children are at home but well enough to learn (e.g. when observing the 48 hour rule after vomiting or diarrhoea).

We share responsibility for its safe use with children, their parents and carers. We have set up Google Education so children do not receive any advertising. Teachers may post links to internet sites that they have monitored and checked.

We allowed children to use Google Hangouts during lockdowns. Children were isolated from each other and the risk/benefit analysis indicated the benefits of chat online were greater than risks from this social media app where school could see what they were doing.

Information about Google Education and GDPR

School's Responsibility

To teach about e-safety including safe use of electronic communication and social media - in Computing and PHSE
To teach the productive, safe and positive use of digital technology through Computing lessons and across the curriculum
To deal with bullying, including online bullying, in line with school policy
To only use online content from sites and apps that is age appropriate
To share only information and images, opinions and information that identify individuals in a respectful and positive manner and with permission in line with our data protection policy
To keep children's phones in the office for those families who require exceptions to be made regarding school policy on mobile phones

Adults' Responsibility

To consider the role model they are providing to their children
To monitor their child's computer, phone and tablet use including messages sent and received
To consider the advice for children and parents above
To deal with inappropriate messaging between children outside of school (e.g. removing their child's access to phones or chat groups)
To only allow children access to apps and websites that are age appropriate
To not share images, information or opinions about children, parents or staff in school on social media without their consent
To ensure phones are kept at home during the school day or make an appointment with the headteacher if they require an exception to be made for their child

Child's Responsibility

To use electronic media in a safe, useful and kind way
To follow the advice above and learning about e-safety from lessons in school
To comply with our internet acceptable use policy when using school equipment during the day, and out of school hours if your activity could affect other children in school (messaging or sharing with them).
To only access and use apps and sites that are recommended for children their age
To not share any image, opinion or information about any other person without their consent
Not to bring phones to school unless they have permission (in which case they take the phone to the office in the morning and collect at the end of the day)

Advice for children (and parents)

Never give out personal information (name, phone number, address) to people on the internet you don't know in real life.
E-Safe friends are friends you know in the real world, not only through the internet.
If you get a message and you're not sure who it is from TELL A TRUSTED ADULT.
All your online activity leaves a digital trail - what you have looked at, posted and sent can all be traced back to you.
You are responsible for any comments, images and media you post online.
Once you post something online, you have lost control of who could share and see it.
Just because you are doing something in a private place does not make it a private activity once digital media are used.
'Cyber bullying' - it's still bullying.

The internet, invented by and given freely to humanity by Tim Berners-Lee, has changed the world. Supervised use of the Internet can enrich children's lives. Children, parents, carers and teachers, share responsibility for it being used safely and for good.

'Imagine that everything you are typing is being read by the person you are applying to for your first job. Imagine that it's all going to be seen by your parents and your grandparents and your grandchildren as well.'

Tim Berners-Lee

We all enjoy and treasure images of our family and friends. Our new born baby, first steps, family events, holidays and school events are moments we all like to capture in photos or on video. We then have the added and exciting dimension of adding our images and video to our social network, such as Facebook, YouTube and many other online websites. This means that we can easily share our photos and video with family and friends.

Whilst this is naturally useful, in schools and educational settings we do need to protect and safeguard all children and staff in our school, including those who do not want to have their images stored online.

Online images and video

What should we think about before adding online any images or video? Are there any risks?

Facts

Once online any image or video can be copied and stay online forever.
Some children are at risk and MUST NOT have their image put online.
Not all members of the school community will know who they are.
Some people do not want their images online for personal or religious reasons.
Some children and staff may have a complex family background which means that image sharing online can have unforeseen consequences.
We must all ‘Think Before We Post’ Online

What we do

We ask parents and carers for permission (annually in September) for use of images of children.

What we ask of families

At Kingsmead Primary School we are happy for parents and carers to take photos and video of school productions and events for personal use on condition that these images are not distributed or put online.

This is to protect all members of the school community.

Thank you for your support.