E-Safety @ Escrick

Welcome to E-Safety @ Escrick

At our school ICT is used to enrich pupils' learning at every opportunity. We have a range of technology: laptops, iPads, cameras, video and unplugged activities. Computers are fun, however, technology can be dangerous so it must be used correctly. At Escrick, we strive for safety on computers and the Internet. On this page there are useful documents, activities and some guidelines to help you and your child stay safe online.

The 'Parent Zone' link below has a wealth of information about online safety, including parent guides to social media websites, online privacy settings and how to report concerns. Parent Zone is recommended by the DfE. The parent info page ( https://parentinfo.org/ ) offers a search tool for any specific areas of online safety you would like advice about.

Safeguarding is EVERYONE's responsibility. In school, our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Miss Emma Miller, or Claire Pape in Miss Miller's absence. If you have any concerns about online safeguarding and feel that your child or another child is involved in unsafe activity online (or offline) then you should report this. CEOP https://www.ceop.police.uk/ceop-reporting/ has an online tool for immediate reporting of such activity, but you can also report this to school or to the police if required.

The DfE report on cyberbullying for parents has a range of useful links and advice topics for parents (See link below).

Summary of key advice

• Use safety settings. Within websites such as Youtube, there are parental controls that can be turned on to filter content. In school, we have a firewall that protects our computers from viruses and filters content and website access.
• Be aware: What are they accessing? Is it safe? Are they old enough to be on this site? (This includes social media sites, video sites and computer games or films).
• (Guidelines for specific websites are available from the parent guides linked below).https://parentzone.org.uk/advice/parent-guides
• Be honest: Encourage your child to talk to you if they are concerned or see anything that worries them. Notice if they appear upset or worried after they have been online and ask them to tell you if something is wrong.
• Report it: Use the online CEOP reporting tool. Report any cyberbullying incidents to school, as with face to face bullying. (Cyberbullying includes: incidents of bullying or inappropriate content sharing via text, email or social media platforms). 
• Limit time: Have set limits for how long children spend online and on devices. Too long can have an impact on their social and mental wellbeing - it is important to have balance and not let it get in the way of other activities.

Our online safety statement:

'We should remind children that the online world can be an amazing place that connects people with others around the world and allows us to share information and inspiration with each other. They should communicate carefully and respectfully online, as they would in person, and remember that others should treat them with the same respect too. We should be careful about how much of ourselves we share online so that we can maintain our privacy. Use the internet as a resource for knowledge, inspiration and connection. If social media platforms do not feel like a positive and fun place to be, then find something else to spend your time and energy on. The world is your oyster...' 

If you ever need more advice or support with any of the above issues, please do get in touch with school. Miss Wilde, our Computing Lead, can point you in the direction of useful resources and Miss Miller can advise on bullying/safeguarding issues and how to manage any reports.

It is important that we work together as a community to ensure our children are safe online.