At Richard de Clare School we believe that information and communication technology creates valuable opportunities to improve children’s learning by extending the range of information, resources and people, which they can encounter. We recognise that in order to benefit from these opportunities children must be taught to develop personal responsibility in their use and at the same time receive an appropriate level of protection from the school. We use the term ‘e-safety’, and related terms such as ‘online’, ‘communication technologies’ and ‘digital technologies’, to refer to all fixed and mobile technologies that children may encounter, now and in the future that may pose e-safety risks.

At school we regularly focus on our pupils’ ability to use the internet safety and securely. Through PSHE and Computing sessions children build their awareness from Foundation Stage to Year 6.

It is important to also keep your child safe when they are using the internet at home so that they can enjoy and learn from this powerful resource.

Here are some tips to help keep your child safe online:

• Explore e-safety sites – There are lots of links below to useful e-safety sites for children. They are great fun to explore, so why not browse through them with your children?
• Facebook and other social networking sites  – Many of these sites have a minimum age of 13, so pupils should NOT be using them. They do not offer the same levels of protection as our E Schools site, allowing children to communicate with anyone.
• Keep your computer in a shared area – Talk to your child about what they are doing online and, if possible, set up your computer in a shared area at home so that you can all share in the wonderful sites that are available online.

We would also strongly advise parents to talk to their children about safety issue such as:

• Not sharing any personal information such as your full name and address
• Never arranging to meet up with anybody you do not already know
• Telling an adult if you come across something you do not like
• Not sending any unkind or hateful messages
• Not downloading any music, videos or games without asking first.

The internet can be a fantastic place for children and young people where they can talk to friends, be creative and have fun.

However, just like in the real world sometimes things can go wrong.

Here are some useful guides and links to help you keep your family safe.

This foundation has been set up help young people enjoy playing online but crucially to be aware of some simple rules to stay safe.