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Online Safety
This can also be called ‘internet safety’, ‘online safety’ or ‘web safety’. E-safety is often defined as the safe and responsible use of technology. This includes the use of the internet and also other means of communication using electronic media (eg text messages, gaming devices, email etc).
Hope High School uses Netsweeper and employs its functions to support Safer Internet Practises in school.
Schools in England (and Wales) are required “to ensure children are safe from terrorist and extremist material when accessing the internet in school, including by establishing appropriate levels of filtering” . Furthermore, the Department for Education’s statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ obliges schools and colleges in England to “ensure appropriate filters and appropriate monitoring systems are in place. Children should not be able to access harmful or inappropriate material from the school or colleges IT system” however, schools will need to “be careful that “over blocking” does not lead to unreasonable restrictions as to what children can be taught with regards to online teaching and safeguarding.”
It is important to recognise that no filtering systems can be 100% effective and need to be supported with good teaching and learning practice and effective supervision.
Illegal Online Content
The filtering provider ensures that access to illegal content is blocked, specifically that the filtering providers:
- block access to illegal Child Abuse Images (by actively implementing the IWF CAIC list)
- Integrate the ‘the police assessed list of unlawful terrorist content, produced on behalf of the Home Office’
Inappropriate Online Content including:
- content that promotes the unjust or prejudicial treatment of people on the grounds of race, religion, age, or sex.
- displays or promotes the illegal use of drugs or substances
- promotes terrorism and terrorist ideologies, violence or intolerance
- promotes the compromising of systems including anonymous browsing and other filter bypass tools as well as sites hosting malicious content
- displays sexual acts or explicit images
- includes illegal provision of copyrighted material
- promotes or displays deliberate self-harm (including suicide and eating disorders)
- Displays or promotes the use of physical force intended to hurt or kill
Filtering System Features
- Age appropriate, differentiated filtering – includes the ability to vary filtering strength appropriate to age and role
- Circumvention –the extent and ability to identify and manage technologies and techniques used to circumvent the system, for example VPN, proxy services
- Control - has the ability and ease of use that allows schools to control the filter themselves to permit or deny access to specific content
- Filtering Policy – the filtering provider publishes a rationale that details their approach to filtering with classification and categorisation as well as over blocking
- Identification - the filtering system has the ability to identify users
- Multiple language support – the ability for the system to manage relevant languages
- Reporting mechanism – the ability to report inappropriate content for access or blocking
- Reports – the system offers clear historical information on the websites visited by your users
Child Exploitation and Online Protection
The police’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) website which has been designed and written specifically for children, young people, teachers, parents and carers.
Get Safe Online
A beginner’s guide to using the Internet safety, including a quiz and some video tutorials about how to ‘stay safe’ on-line.
Kid Smart
Kidsmart is an award winning internet safety website for parents and those working with children. It has been developed by the children’s internet charity Childnet International and has excellent information on many of the technologies used by children, with guidance on how to ‘stay safe’ online.
Bullying
One in five young people have experienced bullying by text message or via email. This web site gives advice for children and parents on bullying.
Parent Info Vodafone
Vodafone have developed this website in conjunction with mumsnet. It is very accessible and provides information and guidance to parents with understanding their child’s digital world and get more involved. There is even an on-line test to see how much you know!
K9 Web Protection
K9 web protection is a useful tool to filter out unwanted websites. This is ideal for stopping children accessing adult type sites. Please be aware that this as not been developed by the school and we can not take responsibility of this not working.
Throughout the year pupils and staff will be taught about the principles of Online Safety.
Hope High School plans to hold yearly Online Safety days, were experts in the field will be invited into school to speak to pupils, parents and staff.
Some links:
Reporting harmful content online
https://reportharmfulcontent.online/
Parent guide to Fortnite
http://www.childnet.com/blog/a-parents-guide-to-fortnite-battle-royale
Think you know
www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/band-runner
BBC own it
What is a snapchat streak
www.childnet.com/blog/what-is-a-snapchat-streak
Online Safety
Online safety for parents and carers
Virgin Media have launched handy tools to help parents of web-ready kids stay ahead of the curve, including 'Switched on Families' and Internet Matters' - https://www.virginmedia.com/shop/broadband/parental-control
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