As a school we actively follow all National and Local guidelines in regard to the safe recruitment of staff, child protection and internet safety.

E-Safety: Keeping your children safe

Many Internet Service Providers offer filtering systems and tools to help you safeguard your child at home. Nonetheless it can still be surprisingly easy for children to access inappropriate material.  The following guidelines will help you to keep your child safe online:

• Set the security levels within Internet Explorer or other browsers.
• It may be worth considering locating the computer in a family area where possible (not a bedroom). This will enable you to supervise your son or daughter as they use the Internet.
• Ensure they only use websites you have chosen together or a child friendly search engine.
• Never give out any personal information about themselves, friends or family online including home address, phone or mobile number.
• Only email people they know and ask permission before opening an email sent by someone they don’t know.
• Never tell someone where they go to school or post any pictures of themselves in school uniform.

Perhaps go through these rules with your child and have them near the computer for your child to see.

For ‘Smart’ rules that children can learn through a series of cartoons and activities (appropriate for children aged 4 – 11) please follow the link to access these at home too.

Many websites now include the 'report abuse' button. This can be used if you would like to report suspicious individuals or behaviour directly to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). CEOP will investigate your report and provide feedback to you.

IF YOU FEEL WORRIED OR THREATENED BY SOMEONE'S BEHAVIOUR ONLINE, YOU CAN REPORT IT BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK.

Just keeping up with children when it comes to new technology can be a huge task! To help you stay ahead of the game, and make sure your children are as safe online as they are in your back garden, click the links below:

Is your child having problems with friendships online? Let us know in school, or check these links to see how you can help:

Find out how to keep your facebook account private and secure:

Snapchat

As you are probably aware, many young people communicate using the Snapchat app.  You may use it yourself.  We would like to make everyone aware of a recent development to this app.  It is call Snap Map and it will automatically download if you update the Snapchat app.  Snap Map tracks your current location and places your avatar on a map, like a pin.  Others can zoom in and find exactly where you are, down to the street address.

Obviously, Snapchat sees Snap Map as a fun and convenient way to connect with friends, however, all users should consider that there are many implications of a technology that constantly broadcasts your location.  We advise all Snapchat users to carefully consider their use of Snap Map.  It is possible to turn the location feature off in the app settings.

How to switch off Snap Map location sharing

• When in photo-taking mode, pinch the screen to open Snap Map
• Touch the settings cog in the top right corner of the screen
• Tap "Ghost Mode" to switch off location sharing
• Photos and videos posted to Snapchat's public 'Our Story' will still be discoverable on the map

ClickCEOP Facebook App - now available

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre have recently launched a new Facebook App and are encouraging young people and their parents or carers to download the ClickCEOP Facebook app. This will mean that whilst they are on Facebook they are only one click away from reporting should they come across anything upsetting. If your organisation has a Facebook fan page you can also add the ClickCEOP app to it.

Follow the instructions below to install the App:

1. Log into Facebook and type 'ClickCEOP' into the search engine
2. Click 'Like' to become a member
3. Visit the ClickCEOP section on the home page
4. Watch the video hosted on this page to familiarise yourself with CEOP's reporting procedures
5. Click the 'Add CEOP' section - highlighted in yellow
6. If the button is for a child or young person's personal account, or even your own, click 'Add to your favourites'
7. This button will now be downloaded onto your profile page. To make it visible and assessable, add to favourites by following the instructions
8. If the button is for a group or fan page click 'Add to your fan page'
9. Choose the Facebook page you would like the button displayed on and click 'Add to Page'.
10. The ClickCEOP button will downloaded.

In School

'Stranger Danger'

Please take some time to look at the information below which has been produced by Kent Police