Parent Internet Safety Workshops

For more information about out parentonline safety workshops, please visit this link from Mary Rebelo

Online Safety

Online (or E) Safety is an integral part of our children’s education and is embedded in their learning at school. We have a number of guidelines and policies on how we keep our children safe online and you can find out more about them here.  

As part of your child’s curriculum and the development of computer skills, we provide access to the internet only in teacher supervised lessons. We strongly believe that the use of the web and email is hugely worthwhile and an essential tool for children as they grow up in the modern world. But because there are always concerns about children having access to undesirable materials, we have taken positive steps to deal with this risk in school. Our school internet access provider operates a filtering system that restricts access to inappropriate materials. 

At the start of the school year, each class discusses how we can stay safe online and the dangers we may face on the internet.  We then ask every child to sign an Acceptable Use Agreement so that we know they have understood our school's rules on staying safe and these are displayed in the classroom for future reference.

In addition to learning in school we also provide every child with a Microsoft 365 Teams account.  This means that they are able to access a range of resources from Microsoft including Word, Excel and Powerpoint to help with their learning throughout their time here.  In addition, we use this platform for home (and remote if necessary) learning. 

To activate this, follow these simple steps

1. Google Microsoft 365 login
2. Login with their user name which is unique to them and provided by school
3. And their password which is also provided by school
4. Once in they will see a list of icons. Go to the Teams icon 
5. They will then be able to see their class Teams page and access any home learning

Using Teams allows pupils access to Microsoft Outlook (emails). To increase our children's safety while they are online, we have blocked students from sending and receiving emails to accounts that are not ...@stjamesprimaryschool.co.uk. Therefore students cannot use this account to receive confirmation codes to sign up for other websites. However, as a parent, you should be aware that students have the ability to email other ...@stjamesprimaryschool.co.uk email addresses. This however is not allowed and children need to be aware that new email address we have set up for your child is solely intended for them to use only to remotely access their new class Team account.

The school has access to all students' accounts and can block students' access to Microsoft and Teams if they do not act appropriately.  With that in mind, please talk to your child about the importance of not using their new email address for any other use apart from logging onto Teams. In addition, it is vital that they do not share their username or password with others. This way we can ensure that we are doing our utmost to keep our children safe online. Please note, as a school we will not be able to tell if your child has used their email to access anything other than Teams, so it will be parents' responsibility to ensure that this does not happen.

For Parents

It's important too for parents to develop their own understanding of Online Safety issues so they can help their children to learn to use the internet and all digital media in a safe and secure way at home.  

Did you know that the legal age to have an account on most social media - Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Snapchat - is 13 years old?

You already know how important the internet is to children - they use it to learn, play, socialise and express themselves.  It's a highly creative place of amazing opportunities.  But the technology children use every day can seem a bit daunting and you might worry about the risks your child can face online - such as bullying, contact from strangers or the possibility of them seeing illegal or inappropriate content. 

One of the best ways to start to protect your children online and decrease the risks they face is by talking to them about their use of the internet while at home.  Here are some conversation starter ideas from ChildNet

• Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing online?
• Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?
• Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use?
• Think about how you use the internet as a family. What could you do to get more out of the internet together and further enjoy your lives online?

To try and help parents with the fast moving and changing world of internet and social media we've suggested a few internet sites below which are fantastic resources.