Alverton School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. To achieve our commitment, we will ensure the continuous development of robust safeguarding processes and procedures that promote a culture of safeguarding amongst our staff and volunteers.
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Staying Safe Online - Who Can Help?

The speed and extent of change with Digital Technology and Digital Media over the past decade has been staggering, and it shows little sign of slowing down. It is little wonder then that very few of us have time to stay in touch with the latest developments in the digital world. A significant aspect of this digital revolution has been the ease with which we are able to access the onlkine world. The internet is accessible from almost every mobile phone, tablet or modern gaming device. This means that the age at which children are able to go online is now lower than ever.
Similarly the ability of parents to monitor this online behaviour is increasingly difficult, not least because young people's online expertise often exceeds that of their parents. It is also difficult because some of the sites young people access seem to actively support clandestine and age inappropriate use.
As a school we are proactive in trying to educate our pupils to keep themselves safe online. The aim of this page is to provide you with quick and easy links to some of the current support sites which are available to you as parents. This is not intended to replace direct advice if you are concerned about you own child's online behaviour. If you have any concerns which you would like to discuss with us we will be more than happy to help or to contact external experts on your behalf.
 
 

NetAware: NSPCC and O2

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/ 

Make sure you are up to date on the latest social media, apps and games that your children are accessing.  Lots of the apps children are using have age restrictions on them due to the risks they present.  NetAware provide guidance and tips on what the children can access, recommended age limits, the risk they may present and how to put safety controls in place.  It also gives useful guidance on how to keep your children safe online.

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

NSPCC provide useful advice on different aspects of online safety.

Call Online Safety Helpline

If you have a question about parental controls or concern about a social network your child uses, expert advisors at our free helpline are here to help – 0808 8005002

Childline

Childline – staying safe online  – provides useful guidance for children on how to keep safe and what to do if they feel unsafe.  There are lots of resources and activities to support children and options to speak to someone anonymously through email, chat or phone 24 hours of the day.

 

ThinkuKnow

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

Explore one of the six Thinkuknow websites for advice about staying safe when you’re on a phone, tablet or computer.  You can select different age ranges and there are games and videos for the children.  There are also specific links for parents/carers.

They have just released Home Learning Packs to support parents at home:

Lets Start The Conversation…

As parents it is important that you talk openly and regularly to your child about internet safety.  There are really useful video clips on different topics related to online safety called ‘Lets Start the Conversation’.

National Online Safety Guides

The National Online Safety provide free weekly guides with top tips to keep parents, children and teachers up to date with current apps and online safety information.  Click on the links below to access the different guides:

Current Apps

Current Games

Mental Health

Technology and Online Safety

Reporting Inappropriate Behaviour or Content 

There are ways you can help to protect yourself/your child against inappropriate behaviour or content online.  We suggest that parents talk to their children about these regularly:

Privacy Settings: It is best for you to set all your accounts to private so you know you have full control over your content and the only people who can interact with you are your friends.  You should only accept people who you know.

Personal Information: Do not share any personal information with anyone.  Think about what you post.  Remember once you post a photo, video or a message you have lost control of what happens to that information – other people can share this to their friends, which can be upsetting.  It is important that parents have this conversation with children.

Be Kind: Online words can be hurtful and upsetting.  Once an unkind message has been sent it cannot be taken back and is a record of what you have said. Think about what you say online – Be Kind! Reminders How to Be Kind Online

Blocking: You can also use the ‘blocking’ tool to block someone who is bothering you. Most apps and games have this facility.

Reporting: You can report inappropriate behaviour or content on most apps and games by going into settings and locating ‘report’ link.

There are websites that provide some useful information about ‘safety features’ and how to report inappropriate behaviour on common social media and gaming apps.

CEOP

If you want to report someone who is behaving suspiciously towards a child, you should in an emergency call 999, otherwise contact CEOP: https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/.  CEOP is the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre that works together with child protection agencies in the UK  and overseas.  The ‘Click CEOP’ button should be used to report child exploitation of any kind.  Please note this is only for child sexual exploitation and not for cyberbullying.