Virtual Online Learning/Keeping children Safe!

This year we have all faced significant challenges brought about by the global outbreak of coronavirus

(COVID-19). Now, more than ever before, we are relying on technology to stay connected. With this increased use of technology in our daily lives, there are undoubtedly greater risks presented.

It has never been more important to equip our children and young people with the knowledge, skills and resilience to navigate the online world. Protecting children and young people from harmful activity online is critical.  It is therefore vital that we provide an education system that enables our learners to embrace technology and contribute positively online.

For many years we have recognised the importance of online safety. However in this third decade of the twenty-first century, learning how to be safe from harm online has become more complex, and the term ‘safe’ is no longer sufficient. We must support our children in becoming safe and responsible online and ultimately, digitally resilient.

We live in a world where misinformation, disinformation and bots pose a significant risk, not just to our safety, but also to our fundamental decision-making. The influence of misinformation and disinformation is vast, and research has demonstrated that disinformation spreads significantly faster, deeper and more broadly than true information. It’s essential we teach our children and young people to become critical thinkers and to always evaluate and check information before they trust it, act on it or share it further. 

It’s also undoubtedly true that the twenty-first century’s most valuable commodity is data and we must accept that cyber security is no longer just the business of major corporate firms. It’s essential for us to all protect our devices and our data to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of cybercrime. These habits start young and are grounded in the very basic habits of cyber hygiene such as strong passwords and understanding the kinds of risks to avoid. 

We are very fortunate here in OLSK to have a monitoring system that keeps us safe, through our ICT provider, DGFL (Dudley Grid for Learning) This allows all who are in our building to keep safe whilst accessing online materials. DGFL has been designed to support the digital resilience of children and young people, their families, practitioners and professionals and the wider school community.  

NEW VIDEOS FOR PARENTS

Online Safety Home learning

EYFS: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Support-tools/home-activity-worksheets/early-years/

5-7s: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Support-tools/home-activity-worksheets/5-7s/

8-10s: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Support-tools/home-activity-worksheets/8-10s/

There have been recent safeguarding alerts in the media for a number of online sites and games that can affect our children. 

In school we have strict procedures in place to ensure that children are not able to access any of the sites but we urge parents to check the parental settings on any devices that children have access to. 

Below are a number guides for parents to help navigate social media and keep children safe online.

Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play in safeguarding children. School and college staff are particularly important as they are in 
a position to identify concerns early and provide help for children, to prevent concerns 
from escalating. Schools and colleges and their staff form part of the wider safeguarding 
system for children. This system is described in statutory guidance Working Together to 
Safeguard Children 2015.

Schools and colleges should work with social care, the police, health services and other services to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. 

Each school and college should have a designated safeguarding lead who will 
provide support to staff members to carry out their safeguarding duties and who will liaise 
closely with other services such as children’s social care.

Snap Chat advice for Parents https://t.co/7Jxrs9rXsr?amp=1https://t.co/7Jxrs9rXsr?amp=1