Welcome To Our New Website!
Welcome To Our New Website!
Chesnut Lodge Specialist School

Protecting Children Online

What is  Online Safety?

 Online Safety is the safe use of the internet, mobile phones and games consoles. There are a great many benefits in using information technology.  The internet is an amazing resource which enables children and young people to connect, communicate and be creative in a number of different ways, on a range of devices. However, it is extremely important for children to also be aware of the risks and their responsibilities online:

 Online safety concerns safeguarding children and young people in the digital world

Online safety emphasises learning to understand and use new technologies in a positive way

Online safety is less about restriction and more about education about the risks as well as the benefits so we can feel confident online

Online safety is concerned with supporting children and young people to develop safer online behaviours both in and out of school

How can I help to keep my child safe at home?

 The internet is always changing, and being able to keep up to date with your children’s use of technology can be a challenge. You may sometimes feel that your children have better technical skills than you do. However, children and young people still need advice and protection when it comes to managing their lives online. Here are some simple rules to follow:

 ask permission before using the Internet

only use websites you have chosen together or a child friendly search engine

do not use Internet chat rooms

do not use their real name when using games on the internet

never give out a home address, phone or mobile number

never tell someone where they go to school

never arrange to meet someone they have ‘met’ on the internet

only use a webcam with people they know

ask them to tell you immediately if they see anything they are unhappy with

Below are a range of resources that you may find useful in supporting your child to stay safe online. 
LgfL Digisafe Parentsafe Site
 
An amazing resource to quick answers about safe settings and controls, whether popular apps are safe for pupils (What's that App?), and how to talk to children about online safety issues. 
Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
 
The CEOP Command’s Thinkuknow programme provides resources and support for children, parents and professionals who work directly with children and young people. 

Thinkuknow's films, learning activities and other resources are developed in response to intelligence from child protection experts within the CEOP Command.

They are designed to help children and young people keep themselves safe from sexual abuse and exploitation by developing skills in identifying and avoiding risk, learning how best to protect themselves and their friends, and knowing how to get support and report abuse if they do encounter difficulties.

To find out more or explore the Thinkuknow resources , follow the link below.

Should I Share It?
The ineqe Group for e-safety estimates that by 2020, 80% of the world’s internet traffic will be video. Live-streaming will be a HUGE part of that. Make sure young people in your care aren’t sharing personal information, with everyone including strangers. 
This resource is great for our more able learners, for yourselves or to share with your own families.
Game Console Safety Sheets
 

The attached guides are taken from various websites but have been put into printable guides.  They are a good resource for people who want to know about how to keep their children safe on different games consoles and Apple products.

 They have been created by Caroline Hughes and were shared on the Facebook group “Primary Computing coordinators UK”.  They are shared with her permission.

Are you a 'Sharent'?
 
Do you love sharing pictures of your children online? Are you a 'Sharent'?
If so then the Thinkuknow information on sharing pictures of children safely is well worth a read. Find out how to make sure that you don't share more than you think by clicking on the link below.

Has Your Child Seen Something Upsetting Online?

It is very important to monitor children whilst they are online, especially when they are young. Websites such as YouTube can easily be explored by any child who can click the screen. This makes it very quick to navigate away from a page or video that you were originally on and into unknown territory. If your child has seen something upsetting online you can visit the UK Safer Internet page for advice on what steps to take.  

Parent/ Carer Online Safety Training
 

At Chesnut Lodge School we take the online safety of our pupils and staff extremely seriously and as part of our development in this area we became members of E-Safety Support. Over the past year this membership has enabled us to provide up to date training, support and advice for pupils and staff.  As part of this service we are also able to offer online e-safety training to parents and carers.

 The training takes the form of a 20 minute information and question session online and can be completed at home in your own time. There is no charge to parents for this training and it is open to all regardless of the age of your child. All that is needed to take part in the training is a valid email address so that we can send you a training link. These addresses can be sent to school with your child, handed in at the office or emailed using our website.

 We also have the option of offering this training as a short face-to-face session. If this is something that you would be interested in, please inform the school and we will let people know once we have enough parents and carers to arrange a date.

 Information and advice will also be available at Parents Afternoons and similar events.

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Popular Website Safety Cards
 

The Safety Centre are constantly updating their site to reflect trends in online websites, app and more. You can visit www.oursafetycentre.co.uk for all of your online safety questions. In the meantime, here are a selection of quick reference safety cards for some of the most popular apps/websites at the moment.