Online and eSafety Advice

Online and eSafety Advice

Safeguarding children and young peop​le, including online and in terms of eSafety, is everyone’s responsibility. eSafety is not a responsibility for just ICT staff. It needs to be considered as part of the overall arrangements in place that safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in our community.

eSafety covers any issues relating to any comm​unications using the Int​ernet, mobile phones or other electronic communication technologies that can pose risks to a person’s safety.

Policies

All pupils, parents and staff are given the Acceptable Use Policy when they start at RVHS. This policy is regularly reviewed and sets out guidance for the acceptable, safe and responsible use of technology. You can also find our eSafety policy at the bottom of this page. 

Our eSafety Coordinator and Designated Safeguarding Lead

Responsibilities include:​

• Maintaining the Acceptable Use (Students) and ICT and Social Networking (Staff) Policies.

• Ensuring that RVHS's policies and procedures include aspects of eSafety.
  For example: the anti-bullying procedures include cyberbullying and the child protection policy includes Internet grooming

• Monitoring the effectiveness of the filter system provider to it is set at the correct level for staff, children and young people

• Report issues to the Headteacher

• Ensure that staff participate in eSafety training

• Ensure that eSafety is included in staff induction

Any idea can be taken to an extreme, but the type of extremism that we look for is when ideas and opinions lead on to violence. We often hear on the news of young people that have been radicalised and drawn into terrorist groups, but what does that mean? In simple terms radicalisation is the process of someone developing extremist views.

All staff and Governors at RVHS are Level 1 Safeguarding trained and have ​​completed the Governments Extremism and Radicalisation Prevent Training as part of Operation Channel.​

What is cyber bullying?

Cyber Bullying is using any form of technology to abuse or threaten another person.

Examples include:

• Sending harassing text messages
• Making malicious/abusive phone calls
• Taking a picture/video of people on mobiles and passing these around for amusement
• Writing threatening E-mails
• Being abusive in chat rooms
• Writing nasty things about people in websites
• Sending nasty instant messages
• Breaking into someone's e-mail account to send nasty messages to others
• Standing by and watching others do any of the above

If you have concerns?

If you have concerns about your child relating to extremism and radicalisation, you can receive support and advice from our Designated Safeguarding Lead in school on 0161 477 3544 or your local police by telephoning 101. They will treat the matter with total confidence and will do all they can to help to prevent your child turning to behaviour that breaks the law.

Useful Links

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
https://www.childline.org.uk/
Department for Education - Advice for Parents and Carers on Cyberbullying A Parent's Guide to Dealing with 'Sexting'

Contact Numbers

Childline - 0800 1111
Samaritans - 08457 909 090
NCH - Text 'BULLY' to 60000
 

Key Terms

• Blocking - Stopping someone messaging or e-mailing you
• Blog - A web diary that anyone can create that can include any information
• Chatroom - An area on the Internet where anyone can speak to anyone else in real time
• SMS - Short Messaging Service (Mobile Text Messaging)
• Online Buddy - Someone you swap messages with in chatrooms
• Spamming - Sending lots of messages to someone at once to annoy them
• Grooming - Older people getting to know younger people over time so they can sexually abuse them
• Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/TikTok - Websites that allows children to create their own pages and upload pictures, videos etc – regarded by DCSF (now DfE) as ‘generally safe’ but definitely worth parents having a look at generally to see the kinds of things on there. In our constant pursuit of making sure our pupils are safe online, please refer to the informative poster below on how to keep children safe when using TikTok.