Safeguarding and Online Safety

Tennyson Avenue, Grangetown, Middlesbrough TS6 7AD Tel: 01642 455309 Fax: 01642 458078 Email: [email protected] Head Teacher: Mrs C.A. Ruddy www.st-marys.rac.sch.uk

07/06/2017 Safeguarding and Online Safety

The internet is an amazing resource which enables children, young people and adults to connect, communicate, play, learn and socialise in all types of creative ways. At St Mary’s we take the safety of our young people very seriously. Your children’s use of technology can be daunting and you may worry about the risks that they could face online such as bullying, contact from strangers, as well as the possibility of accessing inappropriate or illegal content. We have recently been made aware from Cleveland police that the app MyLOL is being used for inappropriate activities and contact towards young people. We strongly advise that you delete this app from your child’s devices and block the website. These are the MyLOL logo’s to look for:-

To help your child stay safe it is important that you understand how they use the internet so we have put together some hints and tips to help you along the way. If you are unsure of how to do any of these things, please feel free to call in to school and speak to a member of our staff team.

St Oswald’s Catholic Multi Academy Trust is an exempt charity regulated by the Secretary of State for Education. It is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (company number 08924383) whose registered office is at St Peter’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, Normanby Road, South Bank, Middlesbrough, TS6 6SP. What can you do right now?

 Ask your child to show you the sites that they use, be vigilant and monitor regularly. By doing this your child is including you in their online life. Show an interest and take note of their favourite sites. You can explore these when you are alone so that you are familiar with them.

 Set your child’s profile settings to private. Explain to your child that the information that they share on social media sites could be copied and posted anywhere without permission.

 Keep Webcams in family rooms.

 Know who your child is friends with online. Ensure that your child understands that they may not be talking to who they think they are online. Never give out personal information or agree to meet someone in person who they have met online.

 Have appropriate parental controls on your child’s computer, mobile and games console. Filters can prevent your child from viewing inappropriate and possibly illegal content.

 Know the age ratings for games, apps and social media. See guide on the back of this leaflet.  Know where to get help if you are concerned about your child. See the attached list of useful websites.

Did you know…………… Online resources: • http://www.parentscentre.gov.uk/

• www.thinkuknow.com

• http://www.getnetwise.org/

• http://www.childnet-int.org/

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/

• http://www.iwf.org.uk /

• http://www.ceop.gov.uk/

Child friendly search engines:

• Ask Jeeves for kids: - www.askkids.com

• Yahoo! Kids: - www.kids.yahoo.com

• CBBC search: - www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/search

• Kidsclick: - www.kidsclick.org

• National Education Network: - www.nen.gov.uk/tandl