Online Safety
Here you will find information about how to keep your child safe at home when using the Internet.
There are links to different websites that provide lots of information. We use some of these websites in school to teach the children about appropriate and safe behaviour online.
We aim to add a new parents’ guide each week, so please check in regularly to keep up to date with the latest apps, tech and online crazes!
We hope you find this information useful.
Devices
Children can access the internet via a range of devices. You may or may not know that most games consoles now connect to the internet and children have the opportunity to play with other people online. It is really important that as a parent, you understand how to control your child’s device so that you can monitor their online activity. Here is some advice about the devices your child might use and how to keep them safe while they use them https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/parental-controls/
Show Respect Online
It’s really important to us that children remember to demonstrate our Warley Road Academy values (the 4 Rs) when they’re online. We actively encourage children to be ‘kind online’ by showing Respect and taking Responsibility.
Responsible Use of the Internet and Email
As part of students’ curriculum enhancement and the development of ICT skills, we are providing supervised access to the Internet and email.
Students will be able to exchange electronic mail with partner schools and research information from museums, libraries, news providers and suitable web sites as part of their programme of learning.
Although there have been concerns about students having access to undesirable materials, we are taking positive steps to deal with that possibility. We obtain our Internet access through Kirklees Schools Broadband which operates a strong filtering system which restricts access to inappropriate materials and is continually updating its database of known offensive sites. We use email through a carefully controlled system which ensures that pupils are not exposed to risk from outsiders gaining their email address. All our screens are in public view and, as stated above, access will be supervised.
Should you wish to discuss any aspect of Internet and email use (or to see a lesson in operation) please contact school to make an appointment.
Your child will be asked to sign the Responsible Use of the Internet and Email Agreement that we operate at our school. (should you wish to view a paper copy your child’s teacher will be able to provide you with one).
FAO Parents of pupils in Years 5 & 6
Re: Snapchat
We would like to alert you to a potential new risk for those children using Snapchat, which has recently introduced a feature called SnapMaps, which allows users to share their exact location with other users. This could obviously pose a danger to children if they are communicating with people they don’t really know.
All evidence shows that children of primary school age are not normally able to identify such risky behaviour, which is why most social media apps (including Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram) have a minimum age limit of 13.
If your child is using Snapchat, they can enable a “Ghost Mode” whereby their location is not shared.
Guidance on this issue is available at:
http://parentinfo.org/article/snapchat-a-parents-guide
A link is available through the online safety page on the school website.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s online safety, please feel free to contact school for advice.