Online Safety Advice
Keep IT Safe Issue 1 – Online Safety at King’s
Keep IT Safe Issue 2 – Online Safety at King’s
What Parents & Carers Need To Know About TIKTOK
Our Collective Approach to Online Safety at Home and at School.
Please note that this area of the school website is updated regularly to reflect current social trends and issues when protecting children online.
The King’s Academy is committed to ensuring that students and parents have up-to-date information regarding the potential risks to children when using the Internet. In school we provide a safe environment for students to browse and study, with strict controls in place to offer freedom to work and explore; but also to prevent access to potentially harmful or inappropriate material.
While this protects the students when they are here, parents may be concerned that this safety is not always guaranteed on personal devices used at home during periods of remote learning. Here we outline some of the work being done with students to help them to work safely and guidance about where you as parents can access more information.
Online Safety Education at The King’s Academy
Students in Years 7 and 8 complete an extensive series of lessons on online safety in Computer Science. This happens in the first half-term and is reviewed throughout the year which allows for lessons to be adapted to address any relevant issues that arise.
Students in Years 9 to 13 are encouraged to be responsible digital citizens; to be aware of how they use their devices and the impact this has on their day-to-day life. Students receive additional teaching in response to current online safety issues. They are also given guidance about where they can get support or report any online safety concerns.
Our Parent Checklist
Our ‘Parent Checklist’ is designed to support you to have discussions with your child about the applications and devices they use; and the people they talk to day-to-day online.
Please take some time to talk through the checklist with your child and revisit it regularly.
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- I am aware of the dangers to my child when using the Internet and digital technology. More information about the broad range of dangers can be found in the ‘Teaching Online Safety in Schools’ publication.
- I set boundaries with my child on the amount of screen time they have. There is a suitable balance of time for remote learning (where applicable), leisure and rest breaks.
- I regularly ask my child what websites they use and why they use them.
- I discuss with my child things they may have seen online that may have made them feel uncomfortable.
- I am aware of the applications that my child has installed on their phone/tablet.
- I have ensured all applications have sufficient privacy settings to restrict strangers from seeing content, messaging or following my child.
- I have asked my child about their online friends and who they are speaking to online. I have highlighted the dangers of talking to people you have never met in real life, even if you believe you know the person from speaking to them on an application or website.
- I have set appropriate parental controls on all digital devices my child uses including their computer, mobile phone, tablet or gaming device.
- I have been clear with my child that they should speak to me if they should ever see or hear something online that concerns them.
- I have highlighted to my child that strangers can pop up anywhere on the Internet including: email, instant messengers, social networking sites and online games. I have explained that a stranger remains a stranger even if you feel you have spoken to them enough to know them.
- I have demonstrated to my child how to report abuse on the websites and applications they use.
- I know where to go for help if I am concerned about my child using the Internet or digital devices.
Where to find additional support and guidance
- CEOP – Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (part of the UK’s National Crime Agency) is a law enforcement agency and is here to help keep children and young people safe from sexual abuse and grooming online.
- Thinkuknow – Developed by the National Crime Agency and CEOP, the Thinkuknow website is an educational programme which supports children and parents in staying safe online.
- Childline – Providing specific advice and support for young people in need.
- NSPCC – National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
- UK Safer Internet Centre – The partnership of three leading charities with a mission to make the internet a better place for children and young people.
- UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) – The UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) is a collaborative forum through which government, the tech community and the third sector work together to ensure the UK is the safest place in the world to be online.
- Internet Matters – Providing a range of advice and age specific guidance along with step-by-step instructions on setting parental controls and privacy settings.
- Reporting extremist Material Online (Report online material promoting terrorism or extremism – GOV.UK ) This is a self reporting link to report extremist material online where the Counter Terrorism Policing Internet Referral Unit will investigate and if identified as extremist in content will seek to remove.
- Act Early (ACT Early | Prevent radicalisation ) This is the link to Counter Terrorism Policing PREVENT website which provides information on spotting the signs of radicalisation and how you can get safeguarding support if you think a loved one or friend is at risk
https://www.policedsc.com/security-advice/safeguarding
The social media app SnapChat – which deletes messages after they have been read – has introduced the Snap Map feature in order to let users share their location. Concerns have been raised about possible safety issues with the new mapping feature, especially as SnapChat is used by so many younger people – who may be ‘friends’ with people they dont actually know. This means that anyone that users are linked to on SnapChat can locate exactly where they are.
The King’s Academy consider part of our safegaurding duty to advise you of this latest update to ensure that our students remain safe when using social media.
How to turn on ‘Ghost Mode’
If you have the newest update of SnapChat, then while you are on camera mode, pinch the screen or try zooming in and out.
This will take you to the Snap Maps feature where you should be able to see yourself.
You should see yourself on a map – if you have any friends in the area you would see them too.
Click on the Settings cog and switch on “Ghost Mode” which will hide your location from other people.
