Safer Internet Day was on the 9th February 2021.

Safer Internet Day 2021 was celebrated in the UK with the theme: 

An internet we trust: exploring reliability in the online world

Here are some pieces of our work that we have completed at home and in school!

Welcome to our e-Safety curriculum page 

e-Safety is an important part of keeping children safe at Victoria Community School . We have extensive security measures in place in school, which are monitored both internally and externally, to help safeguard pupils from potential dangers or unsuitable material. Any e-Safety incidents are recorded and managed in accordance with our e-Safety policy. e-Safety is taught to all pupils explaining and demonstrating how to stay safe and behave appropriately online, this is taught to all children  throughout the Autumn term to make sure they have a safe start to the year (see Computing Curriculum scheme of work).

We can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work with parents to ensure the e-Safety message is consistent. It is important that parents speak to their children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online. Mrs Keyworth-Edwards offers and runs e-Safety workshops throughout the year, especially during Health, Safety and Fitness Week or feel free to drop in and speak to Mrs Keyworth-Edwards about security at home on PC's and portable devices.

It’s essential to be realistic - banning the internet or technology will not work and it often makes a child less likely to report a problem. Education around safe use is essential.

Children and adults need to be educated about the benefits, risks and responsibilities when using technology:

• e – Safety is about safeguarding children and young people in the digital world.
• e – Safety emphasises learning to understand and use new technologies in a positive way.
• e – Safety is less about restriction and more about education about the risks as well as the benefits so we can feel confident online.
• e – Safety is about supporting children and young people, to develop safer online behaviours both in and out of school.

Remember e – Safety is about staying safe when using all the fantastic facilities that the internet and communications have to offer.

It is extremely important that all children and adults learn to stay safe when using these new technologies.

Using the internet and your mobile to chat to people or share ideas is great fun!

But it can also be tricky; as you are not face to face, you can never be sure who you are talking to or who can see your pictures or videos.

Follow a few simple rules that can help you to have fun, stay safe and keep out of trouble.

• Never publish private information about yourself or people you know. This includes names, school, where you are, birthday or even your passwords!
• Be careful with your pictures and videos. What does your picture give away about you? Remember, you can't get it back once you post it.
• Never arrange to meet alone with someone that you don't know in person.
• Never open an attached file sent with an e-mail. Ask your parents or guardian first, as it may contain a virus.
• Tell your parent or guardian right away if you come across any information that makes you feel uncomfortable.
• Do not give out your Internet passwords to anyone (even best friends), other than your parents.
• Always treat others on the Internet the way you want to be treated.
• Turn on your instant messaging history - it could come in handy. In messenger go to Tools, Options and look for message history!

... remember, if you can lie about your age to get onto a site, so can anyone else!

Follow these rules and stay safe!

Search engines

Please note that no search engine is ever 100% safe but below provides some links to some “safer” search engines:

Research searching

nICE
CBBC
Kids Yahoo

Google offers a safer search option for children searching on the Internet. Click here to read more.

Image searching

Pics4Learning
picsearch

Gaming

When children are accessing games via Xbox LIVE, privacy settings can be set up.  To read more, click here.

Websites for more information

CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the abuse and exploitation of children in the real and ‘e’ world. Often it is referred to as an online 999. By clicking on the button, young people and parents can get advice on a range of issues such as viruses, hacking and dealing with bullying online.

Vodafone have produced a Digital Parenting Magazine which informs parents about the various technologies children are accessing today. There is information on Facebook settings, Xbox360 settings, Blackberry controls, jargon busting and many more 'How to Guides'. Well worth a read!

The “Thinkuknow” website is brought to you by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre.

Kidsmart gives you lots of advice on how to stay safe online.

New e-Safety Portal for Parents and Schools – Internet Matters

Internet Matters is a new online portal designed for parents to access simple, easy and practical advice about online safety for their children, right through from pre-school to teens. It provides tips on protecting children from online grooming, cyberbullying, privacy and identity theft and inappropriate content. Internet Matters is a not-for profit organisation set up by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media.

1. E-safety: Facebook Privacy Setting
2. E-safety: IT glossary
3. E-safety: Set up safe Google searches

Here are some useful links with information to help both yourselves and your children stay safe online. 

http://www.childnet.com/young-people/primary

http://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers

What parents need to know about Pokémon GO

How often do you see someone not paying attention to where they’re walking because they’re engrossed in their phone? Those distractions might just last for a matter of seconds – but Pokémon GO is a game which actually relies on players focusing on their screen for long periods while they’re out and about – with all the glaring physical hazards that entails.

Pokémon GO was rightly heralded as a game-changing release thanks to its pioneering use of augmented reality on mobile phones (in fact it was the first ever title to utilise that feature on Android devices). As today’s #WakeUpWednesday guide explains, however, an increased likelihood of injury isn’t the only safety concern around the game.

What parents need to know about Apple Guided Access

The majority of parents and carers with an iPhone or iPad quite happily let their children borrow the device for some easy entertainment. Most digital devices, however, contain apps that adults would probably prefer that children weren’t let loose on. A few accidental presses in the Amazon app, for instance – or in iTunes or the App Store – could add up to a costly shopping disaster.

Those worries can be avoided, though, by setting up Apple’s handy Guided Access feature. It effectively keeps the phone or tablet locked on one app – so if you say ‘yes’ to a quick game of Angry Birds, for example, then that is all a child will be able to do on your device. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide explains how to enable this valuable safeguarding function.