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 perils and pitfalls 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

What to tell your children

At school, we educate children about eSafety in ICT lessons but it’s important that parents know some key eSafety 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, get your parents
• ·         Talk to your parents and respect your family’s rules for internet use

To explore these eSafety ideas further, please see the CEOP website that includes simplified Top Tips for KS1 age children and Top Tips for KS2 age children

Mobile Devices (iPods, iPads, etc)

Most 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

Social Networking (Facebook, Twitter etc)

If you can, stick to age appropriate websites. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter require users to be older than 13 to have a profile, but younger children set up accounts anyway. Social networks keep children connected to friends and provide a space for self-expression but there are no guarantees of privacy: anything can be shared.

• ·         Parents must take responsibility for underage use of social networks
• ·         Privacy settings should, if possible, be restricted to Friends only
• ·         Children should not post too much information about themselves

Online Behaviour

All messages should be friendly and not critical of others. It can be easy to misinterpret the tone and meaning of on-screen communications and children, in particular, should always check messages before hitting the send button.

Issues arising from upsetting communications can sometimes spill over into school. Where this occurs we will work with parents and pupils to resolve the issues and reinforce the importance of appropriate behaviour.

Further Information

There are many more resources and lots of information that can help guide you on how to keep your children safe online. If you need any advice or have any comments about eSafety, please contact feel free to contact Mr O'Byrne (Acting Deputy Headteacher) via the School Office.