Online Safety
As a parent you'll know how important the internet is to children - they use it to learn, play, socialise and express themselves. It's a highly creative place of amazing opportunities. But the technology children use every day can seem a bit daunting and you might worry about the risks your child can face online - such as bullying, contact from strangers or the possibility of them seeing illegal or inappropriate content.
At Ruislip Gardens School we make it a priority to equip our pupils to be upstanding digital citizens. eSafety is taught specifically in Computing and PSHE lessons, but staff ensure online safety reminders are refreshed each time the children use technology in the classroom.
Every year in February we participate in the National Safer Internet Day. On this day all children are involved in discussions and activities around stranger danger, online safety and being a responsible internet user.
We have also been fortunate to offer our pupils assemblies and workshops from Google, the NSPCC, the local police and local ambassadors promoting eSafety and digital citizenship.
How can you support us?
To try and help parents with the fast moving and changing world of internet and social media, there are some resources available to download on this page. They contain information on different types of social media and how to help keep children safe. There is a simple checklist to download, or you can engage with your children regarding their use of the internet while at home. Here are some conversation starter ideas from www.childnet.com
- Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing online.
- Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?
- Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use.
- Encourage them to help. Perhaps they can show you how to do something better online or they might have a friend who would benefit from their help and support.
- Think about how you use the internet as a family. What could you do to get more out of the internet together and further enjoy your lives online
If you would like to know more information on how to keep your child safe when they are using a smartphone here is a very useful and informative link - https://www.tigermobiles.com/blog/how-to-protect-your-children-on-their-smartphone