Be Internet-Safe

Over the years, the internet has become a popular means in our daily lives. It is an extremely rich resource which provides us with various amounts of information and connections. At St Monica’s we believe that it is important children have the opportunity to use this source in a safe, responsible way. The concept of e-safety has thus become a predominate teaching focus in our school.

E-safety is defined, by Ofsted as:

‘…the school’s ability:

 to protect and educate pupils and staff in their use of technology

 to have the appropriate mechanisms to intervene and support any incident where appropriate.’(Ofsted, 2013: 4)

In order for St Monica’s to protect, educate, intervene and support children with internet use, an e-safety policy has been devised. This document is for staff, pupils and parents; and complies a list of rules and regulations all must abide to in order for safe use of the internet. This document is easily accessible and can be found within the ‘Key Information’ page on this website.

At St Monica’s, staff attend yearly e-safety training sessions which help prepare and support the overt and covert teaching of e-safety. Throughout the month of November, children take part in an e-safety week in which teachers explicitly put their e-safety teaching into practice. A variety of activities, workshops and assemblies are prepared and delivered by the teachers to give pupils knowledge and guidance on the use of this resource. It is always a fun, excitable week in which pupils gain an enormous amount of awareness and understanding.   

Staff at St Monica’s hold the view that it is vital parents are given the same knowledge and understanding of how to use, and let their children use, the internet safely. Therefore, our goal is to organise and deliver e-safety workshops for parents to attend and take part in. Our first parent workshop was delivered in September. This workshop was a great success with many parents going away feeling confident in their role of how to keep their children safe on the internet. Pasted below are some useful links in which you will find more information regarding e-safety and how you can have an impact.

Please familiarise yourself with the school's E-Safety Policy below, and the links below, to further improve your child's safety online.

Fortnite Gaming Advice for Parents

The multiplayer action survival game, Fortnite: Battle Royale, has received a lot of media coverage recently due to growing popularity amongst children – and also emerging safety concerns. I’ve pulled together some information about the game and how to keep your children safe while playing it.

Players can currently play Fortnite: Battle Royale on a PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation or download it from the App Store. Use of the game has grown rapidly amongst children and young people since the launch of the mobile game in March 2018. As of 2nd May, the app version is only available on iOS but an Android release is expected shortly. The game involves 100 players fighting each other in real time to be the final survivor. 

What features and risks are there on Fortnite?

Fortnite: Battle Royale has several features that can be fun, but there are also risks. These include:

• Players can add friends in the mobile game if they have an account with Epic, the game’s developer. Friends can be added by username in the game’s main menu.
• There is a chat feature in the game that allows users to contact each other using voice or text. You can disable voice chat in the game by selecting the 3 lines in the top right of the screen, select the settings icon, choose the ‘Audio’ tab at the top of the screen and go to the ‘Voice Chat’ option, where you can select ‘Off’. 
• There is cartoon violence in the game. You can use a variety of weapons to kill other players, such as guns and axes. 
• There are in-app purchases, which can become expensive. 
• Players can be reported to the Player Support team if you are concerned about activity or behaviour.

Age ratings

Here are the recommended age ratings for the game:

• Epic Games: Fortnite Battle Royale says it does not direct the game to children under the age of 13 in the UK. 
• The PEGI rating for this game is 12 years old. However, PEGI does not take chat features into consideration when rating games.
• The App Store says that users must be 12+ to play. 

Tips to help keep your child safe online when playing online games:

• Talk to your child regularly about what they are doing online and how to stay safe. Let them know they can come to you or another trusted adult if they’re feeling worried or upset by anything they have seen.
• Explore your child’s online activities with your child. Understand why they like using them and make sure they know what they can do to keep themselves safe.
• Agree your own rules as a family when using sites, apps and games.
• Manage your technology and use the settings available to keep your child safe.

Please click the picture for information

https://nationalonlinesafety.com

Please press NSPCC to access their website

Please click on ChildLine to access their website