Online Safety – Safeguarding
Online safety forms a very important part of our safeguarding procedure at St. Ignatius. We think it is vital for children to be digitally literate and safe when online and therefore have a wide curriculum offer for our children to ensure they are as safe as possible.
Policies: Trust-AI-Policy and Trust-E-Safety-Policy
Filtering and Monitoring in School
At our school, we implement robust electronic safeguards to protect pupils from accessing inappropriate content online and to alert our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) to any concerns. These include two main systems:
- RM Safety Net: This system provides web filtering, blocking harmful and inappropriate content while allowing essential access for teaching and learning.
- Smoothwall Monitor: A proactive monitoring tool that captures user activity in real-time and automatically flags potential risks to the DSL Team for further action.
While no filtering system can be 100% effective, our approach combines electronic systems with physical monitoring by staff, who supervise pupils’ screen use. Additionally, safeguarding leads conduct spot checks on devices to ensure that nothing is missed by the electronic filters and monitors.
It’s important to note that if a pupil logs into their school Google account from a home device, their browsing history, even on a private device, may be visible to the school’s filtering and monitoring systems. This data can be reviewed by Safeguarding Staff if flagged by the automatic systems.
Our safeguarding measures are aligned with the latest Keeping Children Safe in Education guidelines. All staff receive comprehensive online safety training at the beginning of each academic year, with regular updates throughout. They are fully equipped to manage any online safety or monitoring concerns and are aware of the procedures to follow should an issue arise.
The responsibility for filtering and monitoring is overseen by the DSL Team, led by the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Concerns raised by the systems are directed to the DSL Team for review. Additionally, our governors play an active role in overseeing safeguarding measures, ensuring that online safety standards are consistently met across the school.
The Importance Of Online Safety
Digital technologies have become integral to the lives of children, both within and outside school. These technologies are powerful tools, which open up new opportunities for everyone. They can stimulate discussion, promote creativity and kindle awareness of contexts to promote effective learning.
All children are entitled to be safe whenever they access the Internet. We take active steps to embed online safety in our curriculum and children’s learning (please see our curriculum page). We also want to help parents and carers improve their own understanding of online safety, so that they can support their children to use the Internet and digital media in a safe and responsible way.
Please look at each section below to find out how we approach online safety in school. We also provide links to easily accessible online safety resources for parents and carers.
Keeping Children Safe Online
Parents are encouraged to work in partnership with the school to teach children about the importance of online safety. Children use the Internet to learn, play, socialise and express themselves. It is a highly creative place and offers a wealth of opportunity. The technology that children use every day may seem daunting to parents and carers, who often worry about the risks children can face online.
Help, advice and resources for parents and carers can be found here, including conversation starters, digital wellbeing and gaming: Childnet – Parents & Carers
Get Safe Online has also produced a simple checklist parents can use to help protect children when they are online, and reduce the risks they take.
Online Safety Resources For Parents/Carers
Safer Schools APP – Please download this app following the instructions below (see links). This is one of the very best ways to keep up-to-date and in-the-know about current trends and information on online safety!
These sites offer good and easily accessible online safety support and guidance for parents/carers. They will help you and your child to benefit from connected technology and the internet, safely and smartly.
Encourage your child to help you as they might be able to show you how to do something better online.
We highly recommend exploring the Safer Internet website’s dedicated section for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The link to the resource is: https://saferinternet.org.uk/send.
This resource provides tailored information and guidance to support children with SEND in navigating the online world safely. We believe that understanding and implementing online safety measures are essential for every child, and this resource is designed to provide valuable insights specific to the needs of children with SEND.
- Thinkyouknow – advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online
- Internet Matters – practical tips to help children use the Internet safely
- Parent Info – help and advice for families in a digital world
- LGfL – support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
- Net Aware – advice for parents and carers from the NSPCC
- Let’s Talk About It – support for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation
- UK Safer Internet Centre – tips, advice and guidance
sense’ media are two excellent sites.
Taming Gaming says “Every game is presented for parents and carers to understand, to empower informed choice through understanding.”
Common Sense Media says “Every day, millions of parents and educators trust Common Sense reviews and advice to help them navigate the digital world with their kids.”
Online Safety At St. Ignatius
We encourage children at St. Ignatius to ‘Be SMART with a heart’ online. Find out more on what this means here.
Access to the internet is provided during adult-supervised lessons. At St. Ignatius, we view access to and use of the web and email as hugely worthwhile and an essential tool for children as they grow up in the modern world. We have taken active steps to reduce the risks associated with use of the internet but the first, and arguably the most important, step is educating our children.
We do lots of work with children in school on how to keep safe while using computers and in particular, the internet. We talk to them about keeping themselves safe from harm as well as keeping each other safe. Our work around online safety is done through our Online Safety Curriculum (please see curriculum page), which is linked to the principles in the government’s document – Education for a Connect World (2020).
As well as this, we also deliver key messages to children during national focus days, e.g. Internet Safety Day, Anti-bullying Week, and annually invite Tim Pinto into our school who runs workshops for each year group in our school, which includes up-to-date and appropriate messages for children about Online Safety. He also delivers workshops to parents, staff and governors so that everyone within our school community can keep themselves and others safe whilst online and keep up to date with key messages. We also use a variety of regularly updated resources from Childnet during such themed weeks or days and also to deal with any issues promptly, safely and appropriately.
You can find a calendar here of all other themed days we take part in: Online Safety Calendar
Here are some useful tips from Tim Pinto @ the eSafety Office!
We also work in close partnership with outside agencies and are well-supported by our Trust and the Local Authority.
Online Safety Information from Wakefield Safeguarding Partnership
One last message…
Does your home have an open door to people who would harm your child?
A hard-hitting question.
Increasingly, young people are being contacted in their own homes on online platforms and apps and asked for inappropriate pictures and videos, while their parents and carers are totally unaware. There is a significant rise in children being groomed and coerced online by abusers into inappropriate activities often in their own bedrooms and bathrooms. Those abusers record this content via webcams or livestreaming services and share it across their networks online. This type of child abuse is now the predominant type of abuse imagery found on the internet.
This is happening now, and it can happen to anyone’s child. But you can do something about it; you can help prevent it happening to your child.
Follow the checklist to help keep your child safe online. You can find this parent guide to download at https://talk.iwf.org.uk/
Here are some other useful links to help you support your child at home with online safety:
Online Safety for Children – Tips & Guides | NSPCC
The above link is particularly useful if you are worried about any online issues for your child.
Net Aware: Your guide to social networks, apps and games (net-aware.org.uk)
This website keeps you up to date with any recent apps/websites/trends that are happening. You can sign up so that you can keep yourself updated.
Parents & Carers Online Safety Guidance
Top Tips for Parents – KS1 and EYFS
Online Safety – Childnet Family Agreement
‘Ask the Awkward!’ Parents & Carers
Keeping my child safe on TikTok
Keeping my child safe on Snapchat
Here are some other documents which may prove helpful for you and your families.
shouldyoustreamitv2 – This document is about streaming and what is appropriate to stream for children.
ScreenTimePack – This is a very helpful pack to help with appropriate screen time at home. There is a chart and reward system for gaining extra time which is useful.
Interactive_Poster_Cyberhero_Sept19_v3 – This document helps children understand how they should be acting online.
Factsheet_EatingDisorders_bothlogos_v3 – Eating disorders are a growing problem and this document helps you to understand the language associated with different disorders as well as knowing and understanding the signs.
BKCAT Online Safety Guidance for Parents