E-SAFETY

We are keen that school and home works together to keep children safe online. Please take time to go through the advice and resources on this page so we can establish common expectations and promote similar messages at home and at school.

Smartphones are mobile phones with internet access. They are capable of a range of functions, including social networking, listening to music, playing games, browsing the internet, checking emails, taking photos and videos and watching TV – along with the usual texting and calling!

Smartphones provide a variety of interesting activities and ways for young people to engage with their friends and families. However, it is important to be aware of what these devices can do and how you can talk with your child to help them to use this technology in safe and positive way.

Three useful steps for parents:

  1. When you sign up to a mobile contract, make sure that you and your child understand the contract’s internet data allowance - accessing the internet uses internet data and if you go over your allowance it may cost you.
  2. Understand the capabilities of smartphones and how you as a parent can support your child to be smart and safe in their smartphone use.
  3. Talk with your child about safe and responsible smartphone use and agree a set of family rules. Agree rules about not meeting up with people they have only met online, how much they are allowed to spend on apps, what websites it’s okay and not okay to visit, and whether their phone should be switched off at night.

Gaming devices provide a variety of interesting activities and ways for young people to engage with their friends and families.

However, it is important to be aware of what these devices can do and how you can talk with your child to help them to use this technology in safe and positive way.

All modern gaming devices offer parental controls to help you manage how your child uses their device, but these do need to be set up in order for them to be operational.

Three useful steps for parents:

  1. Understand the capabilities of gaming devices and how you as a parent can support your child to be smart and safe in their gaming.
  2. Find out about the parental controls available - it helps if you are the one to set up the gaming device so you are in control of these. Gaming devices have parental controls to help parents manage their children’s gaming, for example, to prevent internet browsing or restrict access to age-restricted games.
  3. Talk with your child about safe and responsible gaming and agree a set of family rules. Perhaps you could agree rules with your child about how long they are allowed to play for, how they should behave towards other gamers and agree rules about not meeting up with people they have only met online.

Tablets such as the iPad provide a variety of interesting activities and great education opportunities for young people.

However, it is important to be aware of what these devices can do and how you can talk with your child to help them to use this technology in safe and positive way.

Three useful steps for parents:

  1. Understand the capabilities of the iPod Touch, iPad, Kindle Fires and other tablets and media-players – these devices can access the internet.
  2. Understand the potential risks and how you as a parent can support your child to be smart and safe. The same advice that you give your child about keeping safe online applies to internet-connected devices.
  3. Talk with your child about using their device safely and responsibly and agree a set of family rules. Perhaps you could agree rules with your child about not meeting up with people they have only met online, how much they are allowed to spend on apps, what websites it’s okay and not okay to visit, and whether their phone should be switched off at night.

Smart or connected TVs are televisions with integrated internet capabilities. Smart TVs allow you to watch TV, as well as being able to browse the internet and watch TV on catch-up. If a television is connected to the internet it means you can access and watch Youtube on your TV, Netflix, BBC iPlayer etc.

Three useful steps for parents:

  1. For your home internet: All home internet providers offer free parental controls tools that can help reduce the chances of your child coming across something inappropriate while browsing the web. If you are worried about the type of content your child might search for on your smart TV, if you have parental controls put in place on your WiFi router, these parental controls will also be applied to the browser of your smart TV.
  2. On all your TV on demand apps: If you would like to restrict your children from watching certain TV programmes that you find unsuitable, you can see the parental controls on TV on demand services which allows you to restrict certain apps or programmes and put in place a pin code to ensure your children aren’t watching inappropriate content.
  3. For faster streaming, ensure your TV isn't placed too far away from your router.