Online Advice from the SCiES Team

Please find below some information sent to us by the police safer schools lead. It might serve as a good reminder to pupils and also to their parents about being safe online:

Protect yourself online:

• Only accept friend requests and other types of communication from people who you know and trust.
• Adjust your privacy settings so that you are in control of your profile and you know who is able to view it.
• Be aware that Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media usually have some form of age restriction; Facebook for example is 13 years and upwards.
• If you are unfortunate enough to become a victim of online bullying, be sure to block the communications from the person sending them to you and report them to the site administrators.

Advice for parents:

• Try to put the computer in an easy to see place in the home so that you can monitor what sites your child is visiting
• Check out the websites your child is using, just like you’d check out a school or a youth group they might visit. Have a look and make a judgement whether you think it is a safe environment for them to be involved in.
• Set up reasonable guidelines and limits for internet usage. Understand that it may be a big part of their life but that it needs to be regulated
• Explain to your children why it is important for them never to give out personal details or post pictures of themselves publicly, just like you would when you explain to them not to talk to strangers

To find out more about keeping safe online go to https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

Or visit :

Resources and ideas for activities for parents and professionals aimed at EYFS and KS1 http://kidsmart.org.uk

NSPCC guide for parents to the social networks used by children and young people www.net-aware.org.uk

Many thanks

The SCiES Team