Safety Online
At Southroyd we want to encourage children to learn how to use the world wide web successfully and safely. Internet safety is vital and we work as a school to regularly update our Safe Internet Use policy and ensure that we are well aware of online safety and how to get the most out of the internet. At school we celebrated International Safer Internet Day, on February 6th 2024, alongside regular curriculum based lessons on online safety.
We regularly review our "Acceptable Internet Use" for Southroyd children and also talked about our netiquette (how we should behave online) At the same time we want children to discuss how we can make the "internet better for us" and not a means of taking over too much of our lives. In 2023 the guidance promoted the 4Cs (Content, Contact, Conduct, Commerce) as a means of focusing our thoughts on online risks. We have re-written our school curriculum to match this new guidance from Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE)
After the February 2024 survey, we found that children across school were more likely to meet other people online, using gaming. We have links to useful resources to support parents in managing the settings within "gaming" on this page.
The data reflected pockets of children using tik-tok, even as young as in Y2/3, but older children were starting to use Instagram and WhatsApp for communications.
As posted in the school newsletter, it is a group of children in each year group who are using social media, and parents shouldn't feel pressured by suggestions that "everyone else is using it" - the graphs help in explaining the wider usage.
Survey results showed that over half of all children across year groups Y2 to Y6 were communicating through gaming platforms.
The results showed that children were more likely to access the internet from phones, when they got to upper key stage 2, although children as young as year 2 were accessing the internet from phones - potentially adult phones, where settings aren't necessarily set correctly for children.
There was also a trend for children to use their own bedrooms, rather than a family room, to access the internet. This emphasizes the need to keep our children talking about what they are doing online and ensuring that their settings are correctly managed.
A large number of children, including those in Year 2, also suggested that they spent a lot of hours online each day. We continue to talk to children about the need for balance and limits to our online time - we talk about the importance of outdoor time, family time - and play away from devices.
As a result of certain of these trends, more specific information has been shared with year groups and parents.
The 4Cs of Child Online Safety
School is working with updated Government guidance, linking the risks of online safety for children within 4 areas - the 4Cs. These are indicated below from Children Online: Research and Evidence. Using the 4Cs (contract can interchange with "commerce") updates have been made to the internet safety curriculum, to update school wide provision.
As well as the curriculum being adjusted, as a result of the recent guidance, children were also introduced to the language of the 4Cs to manage their own risks online.
Below is a summary of the Children Online classification.
Cyber Security
Although the internet is a technology that has enhanced our lives, it can also be said that the internet has generated many risks and threats. It has helped to increase the scale and reach of traditional crimes as well as introducing new types of crimes where computer systems are the target.
Cyber crime is an ‘umbrella’ term for lots of different types of crimes which either take place online or where technology is a means and/or target for the attack. It is one of the fastest growing criminal activities across the world, and can affect both individuals and businesses. Cyber crimes can affect people in different ways, and in most cases victims will feel worried and scared by what has happened. For this reason cyber crimes are treated as ‘real world’ crimes and are prosecuted as such.
The following links support parents in understanding the risks of cyber crime:
West Yorkshire Police - Guide to Cybercrime
West Yorkshire Police has a dedicated Cybercrime Team, who are looking to spread the word about the dangers of Cybercrime and the devastating impact it can have on people's lives. Their website is continually updated with new information and resources.
Children can try out some cybercrime busting skills using the specially designed games created in collaboration with the National Crimes Agency.
Southroyd have a school Governor responsible for Cyber Crimes and work with their technical provider to ensure that systems are as secure as possible.
Parent Support
Privacy and Settings Advice
Parental Controls for Android Apps
General Internet Safety Advice
Parent Guide to Internet Settings
Childnet - Keeping Under 5s Safe
Safety Detectives - Parents Guide
Safety Online Direct Help
Look at the link below for advice on how to report abuse:
