Our online safety page provides information and advice for parents/carers and pupils about keeping safe online. This page is regularly reviewed and updated in line with guidance from North Yorkshire Council and supports the Government's vision for improving online safety.
As technology plays a bigger part in our lives than ever before, access to uncontrolled internet content is forever on the increase and it is becoming even more important that we keep children safe from online threats by promoting E-Safety. We need to ensure that we are all aware of the potential risks involved when using the internet and are safe whilst doing so. At Risedale we will continue to educate our pupils on the importance of safety online via their tutors during registration time, through assemblies, in Computer Science and Social Studies lessons.
The Government's statutory guidance on Keeping Children Safe in Education clearly states that
It is essential that children are safeguarded from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material. An effective whole school and college approach to online safety empowers a school or college to protect and educate pupils, students, and staff in their use of technology and establishes mechanisms to identify, intervene in, and escalate any concerns where appropriate.
Our Online Safety Policy should be read and used with other school policies that safeguard and protect our pupils.
Our school IT network is protected by Impero; a state-of-the-art piece of safeguarding software that helps our school to fulfil its legal duty of care around internet safety and safeguarding.
Working Together
Parents/carers play a crucial role in ensuring that their children understand the importance of using the internet and mobile devices appropriately. Research shows that many parents do not fully understand the issues surrounding online safety and are often less experienced in the use of IT than their children. Staff at Risedale are available to help and support all parents so they are better equipped to understand these issues and are encouraged to contact the school directly if they have any concerns. Parents should be aware of the negative effects of too much 'screen time' on children's and young people's health. Overuse of E-Technology can reduce the amount of time children are physically active, lessen the amount of sleep they are getting and could impact their eyesight. A number of parental control systems and apps are available that can limit screen time for children successfully.
If you require any further information on how to support your child with online safety please contact James Yates or Sarah Cox, our Dedicated Safeguarding Leads (DSL), for safeguarding advice or our IT Support Team for any technical help you may need, both via our reception on 01748 833501.
The following website links provide supportive information for parents/carers enabling them to protect their children online by setting up parental controls and offering helpful advice about ways to talk to children to promote online safety. These resources will hopefully educate both pupils and parents on how to improve and maintain the safety of their online presence.