Technology is changing at a faster pace than ever and it is important that as a parent or carer of children in the 21st Century you can identify the risks involved and monitor your child's usage. We need to ensure that we provide good internet security and education about the internet. Almost all of our pupils use the internet at home and we know that, as parents, it can be difficult to allow children the freedom to develop as responsible individuals while protecting them from the dangers of the internet. Increasingly, even at primary school age, younger people are conducting their social life online so parents need to provide guidance to make sure that their children behave safely and responsibly. Please help your children by following these key recommendations:

 

• Talk regularly with your children about their use of technology and how they communicate with people online.

• Keep computers and other web-enabled devices in family rooms.

 

Technology is a fantastic tool to help with learning but there are dangers we should be aware of. At school, we have strict filters on internet traffic and children use Chromebooks that are monitored when in use. We have restrictions on pupils communicating online with people outside of the school and we do not allow children to use the internet unsupervised. There is an abundance of information about online safety and children's use of the internet so it can be difficult to get clear, concise guidelines about the right way to approach online safety. Therefore, the following information may be useful to you when keeping your child safe online.

 

What to tell your children

At Eaton Hall Specialist Academy, we endeavour to educate children about safety in all lessons but it's important that parents know some key online safety tips too. Please remind your children of the following:

 

• Don't post too much information about yourself online

• Only message or chat to people that you know in real life

• Think very carefully before posting photos

• Always be friendly

• If something online makes you feel uncomfortable, tell your parents

• Talk to your parents and respect your family's rules for internet use

 

What can you do?

A large number of our pupils have their own iPods, iPads, Android Tablets or other devices. This means they also have access to the internet including social networks, text and video chat.

 

• Consider setting Parental Restrictions

• Consider taking devices away at bedtime

• Consider setting time restrictions

 

Social Networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

Social networks like Facebook and Twitter require users to be older than 13 to have a profile. Social networks keep children connected to friends and provide a space for self-expression but there are no guarantees of privacy. Once anything is uploaded, it is available to anyone on the internet and becomes the property of the social media website.

 

• Parents must take responsibility for underage use of social networks

• Privacy settings should be set as strict

• Children should not post any personal information about themselves online

 

Online behaviour

All messages should be friendly and not critical of people or organisations. It can be easy to misinterpret the tone and meaning of on-screen communications and children, in particular, should always check the message before hitting the send button. Issues can and often do arise from upsetting communications (these sometimes spill over into school time!). Where this occurs we will work with affected pupils and parents to resolve issues and educate children on the importance of appropriate behaviour both inside and outside of school.

 

Further Information

Disclaimer: The following settings or software can be installed on various devices; listed below, however, this is your decision to install and must be entirely at your own risk. The Academy can only provide information/advice for the use of technology at home.

 

• Microsoft Windows: Family Settings

• Apple OS X: Parental Controls

• Apple iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone: Enable Restrictions

• Android Parental Controls for app store

• Android Child lockdown