E-Safety

Many eSafety establishments approach responsibility foresafety develop an acceptable use policy aup detailing the ways staff pupils and all network should use eSafety.

ESatefy school policies such as anti bullying and guidance on copyright and plagiarism designate a the eSafety senior management team member with eSafety responsibility for safeguarding eSafety to also be the central contact point for all eSafety issues headteachers supported by eSafety governors should take the lead in embedding the eSafety agreed e-safety policies in practice eSafety ensure the young people in your charge are aware of potential risks.

practise safe responsible behaviour wherever and whenever they are online your eSafety strategy should allow young people to develop their own protection strategies for when adult supervision and technological protection are not available give information on where to seek help and how to report incidents help young people understand eSafety issues

Review your policies with stakeholders ensure technological solutions are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure maintenance of an effective eSafety programme above all eSafety education should be a continuing feature of both staff development and young people's educational lifelong learning

Preventing cyber-bullying

There is no single best approach to addressing e-safety and cyber-bullying in schools, but considering the questions below may help you to focus attention and see how well equipped your school is to address these important issues.

Do you have a designated SMT member with responsibility for preventing cyber-bullying?

Who else shares responsibility for e-safety in the school? E.g. IT staff, Pastoral care staff, School council members.

Does your school actively promote awareness and understanding of e-safety amongst staff and pupils? Eg, through:

Staff development activities
Home-school events such as special assemblies with parents
Addressing cyber-bullying within curriculum delivery and the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme

Do you have procedures and sanctions in place for dealing with cyber-bullying, including bullying that takes place out of school?

How are learners, parents and staff made aware of these?

Do you have an ICT Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)?

Does your AUP cover responsible use of school IT networks and equipment, Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and mobile phones.

Do you record and monitor violations of this AUP, including incidents of cyber-bullying?

Do you have a system in place to monitor and track what students are doing when they use ICT in school?

Does this system alert staff to any incidents of cyber-bullying, self-harm, depression, paedophile grooming etc?

Does this system capture evidence of any such violations?

Are pupils, parents and staff are all aware of the ways in which they can report incidents of cyber-bullying or any other inappropriate use of ICT?

Are staff confident in their own use of ICT, such that they can demonstrate responsible and positive use of technology and to respond to incidents of cyber-bullying appropriately?

For more information download the Dcfs report -
Safe to Learn: Embedding Anti-Bullying Work in Schools - Cyber-bullying