PhoenixPlace recognises that online safety is an essential part of safeguarding and acknowledges its duty to ensure that all pupils and staff are protected from potential online harm.
Staff are aware that students with learning difficulties are vulnerable and may expose themselves to greater risks online and that children with special educational needs are more likely to be persistently cyberbullied over a prolonged period of time.
Therefore, we recognise that our pupils may require additional teaching, including reminders, prompts and further explanations to reinforce their existing knowledge and understanding of ICT issues and appropriate and safe online behaviour.
It is crucial that we explicitly teach our pupils that online actions can have offline consequences.
Children, young people and adults interact with technologies such as mobile phones, games consoles and the internet on a daily basis and experience a wide range of opportunities, attitudes and situations. The exchange of ideas, social interaction and learning opportunities involved are greatly beneficial to all, but can occasionally place children, young people and adults at risk.
The school identifies that the internet and associated devices are an important part of everyday life which present positive and exciting opportunities, as well as challenges and risks.
PhoenixPlace aims to empower and educate its pupils so that they are equipped with the skills to make safe and responsible decisions when using the internet and technology.
We understand that for many young people there is no separation between ‘real life’ and the ‘online world’ and that technology is a significant component in many safeguarding and wellbeing issues.
Online Safety
The Think You Know website is created by the police for parents of children at secondary school. It contains useful information about:
- what children are doing online
- how to talk to children about what they are doing online
- what risks your child might face
- what tools are there to help them stay safe.
Think You Know have also produced a Parents guide to e'safety (see download below) and also the following booklets to provide parents/carers with helpful information on how to explore and monitor their children’s apps.
In January 2018 the Department for Education issued new guidance on searching, screening and confiscation of electronic devices in school. Download the guidance here: Searching, screening and confiscation at school.
TikTok. We are also aware of the growth of TikTok, a very popular social media platform for young people. Feel free to Download TikToc: What parents need to know, which has been produced by the Metropolitan Police and National Online Safety. The leaflet also details key safety tips for parents.
Childline ‘Report, Remove’
Childline has released support for children of all ages to help remove nude images shared online. To get the image removed, visit the website.
The child will need to:
- Select their age
- Create a Childline account to receive updates on the report
- Report the image or video to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)
The only information you will give to the IWF are the images, videos or URLs you report. There is space to add information such as where the image or video is on a webpage.
Childline will never see what pictures and videos or URLs you share with the IWF. The only information the IWF shares with Childline apart from your case number is if they will take down your images or videos, and why.