About the School Internet Safety
The internet and the ongoing developments in ICT are exciting and almost essential in today’s world. Children have access to far more technology now than a decade ago – from ICT developments within the classroom to the progression of social networking sites, most pupils of school age have access to a PC in one capacity or other.
At English Martyrs’ School, we take the issue of ICT regulation and monitoring very seriously in order to safeguard our children against malicious content and ensure they can enjoy the many benefits of the internet and computer access in a safe and informative environment
Social Media : Parents and Pupils
The increase of mobile phone technology and social media sites such as Facebook have given children a forum of communication that can occasionally be abused. Whilst communication that occurs outside of the school day cannot be effectively policed by us, we would ask for parental support in ensuring:-
You know what sites your child is visiting on the internet, and make informed decisions regarding their access, particularly in relation to age appropriateness;
You know WHO your child is communicating with and that you are happy that the content of communication is not causing them or any other party distress.
Similarly, the school needs to protect itself against misinformation, vitriolic content and other allegations that could be interpreted as malicious against the school as a whole.
English Martyrs’ School therefore reserves the right to:
Seek legal advice and take appropriate action if an individual makes a claim or comment on any social media forum that could be construed as malicious, threatening or unjust;
Take appropriate action against any individual who names English Martyrs’ School, whether as a whole entity or in reference to individual staff, on any social media forum where the content could be construed as malicious, threatening or unjust.
Cyberbullying
If you or your child have any concerns regarding social media and the pitfalls, there are 2 useful websites recommended by the Department for Education that can give further advice:-
There is also lots of useful information regarding the internet provided on the Governments recommended site, CEOP. The site is run in conjunction with the National Police forces of the UK and gives a lot of information on how you can protect your child from internet abuse. Visit CEOPS website.
Did You Know ???
Are you ‘App-solutely’ Aware?
Snapchat
Age Limit 13 : A way of sending messages, videos and pictures. These messages are only displayed for a pre-set amount of time before they delete themselves. The person sending the message chooses how long the message displays for. The person receiving the message can, however, take a screen shot – this allows them to use the message or image in any way they want.
Instagram
Age Limit 13 : Users can upload and share photos. Other people can then leave comments. The privacy settings allow pictures only to be seen by approved followers. If these settings are not switched on, then all users can view the pictures. Young people should also be advised that they should not turn on the ‘geotagging’ feature which allows others to know where the pictures were taken.
Tinder
Age Limit 12: This app works by creating a library of Facebook profile pictures. Others can then ‘heart’ pictures. If two users ‘heart’ each other, they are deemed to be a ‘match’ and can then send messages to each other. The app reveals the location of other users and allows users to ‘match’ with others up to 100 miles away.
Tumblr
Age Limit 18 Although this app has now removed the more inappropriate hash-tags, there is still an awful lot of harmful content. By using the ‘#’ sign before a word lets you see what others have posted using that particular word or phrase.
General Advice
Keep reminding and encouraging children not to share any personal information on-line. Pupils need to be aware that the information and pictures that they see on-line may not be genuine pictures of the person they are communicating with.
Remember: What is illegal in the real world is illegal in the virtual world too.
