Operation Encompass
As part of St Anthony’s commitment to keeping children safe, we are proud to be part of Operation Encompass. Operation Encompass is a unique Police and education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people exposed to domestic abuse.
Being part of Encompass means our school will receive a notification from Lancashire Police before the start of the next school day when a child or young person has been involved in, or exposed to a domestic abuse incident the previous day. The information is given in confidence to the Key Adults and will enable us to provide the best possible support for the child.
The Key Adults at our school are Mrs Jane Barnes (Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead) Mrs Vicki Berry (Deputy Head teacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead). If you have any questions or wish to know more about our involvement in Operation Encompass, please do not hesitate to contact on the school telephone number: 01772 726621.
Online Safety
Pupils at St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School have access to a range of online materials that enrich and extend teaching and learning opportunities. The benefits of teaching and learning are many and varied. Pupils will be given clear objectives for internet use and will access material under guidance from their class teacher. Teachers will supervise pupils and take all reasonable precautions to ensure that users only access material appropriate to their learning.
St Anthony’s pupils are taught to use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private. Pupils are taught to identify where to go for help and support, and when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.
The Internet provides access to a greater library of resources to support learning. However, whereas the resources in school are carefully selected to be consistent with national and school policies those on the Internet are not. Therefore, the school will only connect to the Internet through the BTLancashire site. A service provider that is monitored and regulated to allow material that has been deemed suitable for children to be viewed. Children will only be allowed to use the Internet when there is adult supervision. The positive use of the internet as a learning resource far outweighs the risks involved. The children will be taught about the issues and concerns and receive ongoing education in choosing and adopting safe practices and behaviours. Rules for the safe use of the Internet have been established. These rules will be discussed with the pupils and also displayed near Internet access for a referral. We also monitor the online activity of staff, children and visitors to St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School. Any concerns that arise are reported immediately to our Online Safety Leader/Designated Safeguarding Leader Mrs Ballard (DSL), Mrs Berry (Deputy DSL) and Miss Martin (Online Safety).
Action is taken immediately to address any concerns that arise (in line with our Behaviour, Anti-Bullying, Equalities, Safeguarding or PREVENT policies and procedures). This information is then shared on a termly basis with the Online Safety Group (IT Team). Any action that arises from this is reported to the Governing Body.
We believe in working closely with our parents to support pupils in developing safe practices when using online technology and therefore provide regular updates through our newsletter and parent workshops.
Support and Guidance for our families
Thank you for completing our Online Safety survey via Groupcall. We have received honest and valuable feedback, which has meant that, as a school, we feel we now have a great insight into how and why our children access the internet at home. We thank you for that. A common suggestion, as a result of this survey, was for parents and carers to receive up-to-date advice and information regarding current online safety measures, conflicts and new elements to the internet that your child/ren may be exposed to and how best to support this at home.
At St Anthony’s we are going to begin #WakeUpWednesday, an approach in line with National Online Safety. The #WakeUpWednesday campaign is viewed as one of the most trusted and reputable learning resources in the UK, providing expert advice on the latest platforms and online risks that parents and carers need to know about through a beautifully engaging and content-rich design. Every Wednesday you will receive a brand new guide via Groupcall.
Top tips for managing your child’s first digital steps
Children are going online earlier than ever. In 2013 87% of UK five to seven-year-olds were internet users, and evidence suggests this number is rising. Still, lots of online safety information is aimed at older kids and teens, and it can be confusing for parents of young children to know where to start. Here are our top five tips for managing your child’s first digital steps safely.
- Balance screen time with other activities.
The internet offers lots of opportunities for learning and creativity, but for young children limits on screen time are important. Make sure they’re balancing it with lots of offline, real world exploration and play.
- Be a good digital role model.
Young children’s early experiences with the digital world are often shaped by the people around them. Think about how they see other members of the family using tech – do you have a hard time disconnecting from your devices at dinner, for instance? Are they in the room while older siblings play violent video games? There’s no need to be perfect, of course, but try to stay conscious of the examples they see.
- Take advantage of technical tools.
When young children first start using with digital devices, they’ll see them as toys – and want to swipe, click and touch everything in sight. Before you hand a phone or tablet over to your child to play, make sure you’ve disabled in-app purchases and turned on parental controls to avoid unpleasant surprises.
- Get them thinking.
As your children take their first digital steps, it’s a good time to start talking to them about some of the important online safety issues they’ll face as they grow up. For example, familiarise them with the concept of online privacy by talking to them before posting their picture on social media.
- Explore together.
It’s important to give older children the freedom to explore the internet on their own and develop their resilience. But when your kids are just starting out, you might want to help them navigate the online world. If your child is getting into YouTube, for example, look for fun and appropriate videos together and chat about what you find.
Documentation
Miss Martin
Online Safety Leader.
