Keeping Children Safe Online

ICT can offer many positive educational and social benefits to young people, but unfortunately there are risks too. As in any other area of life children are vulnerable and may expose themselves to danger - knowingly or unknowingly - when using the internet.

The key dangers are:

Exposure to inappropriate material (this may be pornographic; hateful or violent in nature; material that encourages activities that are dangerous or illegal; or simply age-inappropriate).
The threat of physical danger through sharing personal information.
Cyber bullying.

At Highters Heath Community School, we protect our children in the following ways:

All internet access is supervised, and protected by the Local Authority Firewall.
All staff sign an 'Acceptable Use Policy' which covers the key principles of our E-Safety Policy.
Regular E-Safety training for staff, pupils and parents.
Regular reviews of our E-Safety Policy in the light of rapid technological change.

Our current E-Safety Policy is available to read on our Policies page.

Useful Websites

The following websites are useful for further guidance and support:

BBC Own It - advice for children on online safety.
Childnet International - for primary children.
Childnet International - for teachers and professionals.
Facebook Family Safety Centre - guides to Facebook settings.
Internet Matters - a guide to help you through the many issues children can experience when using the internet.
Internet Watch Foundation - the UK Hotline for reporting criminal online content.
Report Online Terrorist Material (gov.uk) - report illegal terrorist information, pictures or videos you’ve
found on the internet. Your report will be treated anonymously.
ThinkUKnow - learning resource for children.
UK Safer Internet Centre: Parental Controls - how to set up parental controls offered by your home ISP.