Online Safety
Online Safety Statement
At Newmarket Academy we want staff, children, parents and carers to create a school community that embraces the use of different technologies to enhance learning and thinking, as well as teach all of our children how to be safe and responsible digital citizens, who make informed decisions about their actions online.
What we do in school
All of our staff are trained and regularly updated on current online safety trends.
We have held assemblies for all student on ‘using the internet safely’ and Year 8 have had presentations and workshops with Suffolk Police as part of a whole day ‘Challenge Day’.
We have Online Safety Ambassadors who work in partnership with primary schools to promote safer use of the internet across our community. As part of ‘Safer Internet Day’ they lead a number of assemblies and social media campaigns.
We are also, on a daily basis, working with our students on using the internet safely. This is through our curriculum and House programme as well as in displays around the school and through ongoing dialogue on checking the security settings on their apps, especially social media. Our approach is:
- make sure accounts are set to private
- ensure ghost mode in place so that geo-location information is not available
- do not accept friend requests from people you do not know
We also discuss the ‘share-aware’ aspect of social media:
- Do not share videos or pictures of your friends/people you know without their consent
- Do not give any information out that might help to identify you (pictures of you in school uniform, addresses, pictures with street signs in etc)
- If something feels uncomfortable, do not respond
- If someone is inappropriate online, block them and report them
- Do not respond to peer pressure
In the case of online harassment or cyber bullying we promote the use of the ‘SMART’ action plan:
- Screenshot any offensive or harassing messages
- Make sure your privacy settings are set so only people you know and trust can see what you post
- Avoid further communication with or retaliation to those sending the messages
- Report the incident(s) to internet service providers’ websites and/or social media sites
- Talk to a parent, carer, teacher or friend if you are concerned or contact victim support
What you can do at home
Discuss the latest trends with your children. Every Wednesday National Online Safety produce a guide called #WakeUpWednesday that focusses on specific platforms/ risks which all parents should be aware of. Follow this
https://nationalonlinesafety.com/resources/wake-up-wednesday/app-store-guide-for-parents/
Lastly, here are some good resources for parents/carers to access to work with their child to help them have a positive and safe time when online:
Below are some more links to helpful and informative information regarding Online Safety.
UK Safer Internet Centre
How to set up the parental controls offered by your internet provider.
Facebook Safety
Facebook Family Safety Centre.
Internet Matters
Helping parents keep their children safe online.
‘DigitalParenting Guide’ from Vodafone
Read about the very latest technology and challenges in our new magazine – our Expert View articles,
Google Safety Centre
A guide from Google to show parents how they can protect your family online.
You Tube Safety Centre
Resources, tools, and tips on many topics
Think U Know
‘The Parents’ and Carers’ Guide to the Internet’, has been created by CEOP to provide a light hearted and realistic look at what it takes to be a better online parent.
Cyber Streetwise
Find out about easy steps you can take to protect your home or business from cybercrime
Get Safe Online
Avoiding Ratting – Remote Access Trojans
Digizen
Provides information for educators, parents, carers, and young people.
It is used to strengthen their awareness and understanding of what digital citizenship is and encourages users of technology to be and become responsible Digital Citizens.
The following links will give you lots of useful information on how to keep you and your child safe when using the internet.
