E-Safety

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E-Safety at Bensham

Here at Bensham we take e-safety very seriously. The internet, although a wonderful resource, has evolved into a tool that can be exploited for foul means, as well as fair. We strive to educate all of our pupils about the dangers of using the internet as well as encouraging safe usage. Our sidebar (available on most pages) includes a direct link to the CEOP website where pupils or parents can report anything they think is unsafe or inappropriate to the authorities and in severe cases, to the police. We continuously monitor our pupil’s internet usage to protect them from explicit content as well as offer our own in house email service which the pupils can use safely. This is in conjunction with filtering offered to us by London Grid for Learning. We take care not to use pupils full names on our website and permission must be given by parents before we use an image of a pupil. All of our website and external publications are produced in-house by our ICT Systems Co-Ordinator. Issues of inappropriate content are dealt with quickly and effectively and we have a “no blame” environment, so that pupils and staff can feel safe to tell us of inappropriate content without fear of recourse. We believe this allows people to be more transparent if they find something that is not pleasing. We also have an e-safety Committee that meets termly to discuss any major issues and how to deal with advances in technology.

Online Safety Notice from Ms Byrne

Help and Advice

For Parents, carers and all those who are not used to Technology, computers and internet enabled devices can seem scary, especially when it comes to letting your child use them. As with all forms of communication, the internet is open to abuse and undesirable content. Facebook, Twitter and other social media are great tools and a brilliant way to keep in touch with friends and family, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. There are also sites online that are designed to steal information and mislead you, but you can stop some of them. With that in mind, here are a few tips that may help you. 

Supporting Young People Online

Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust

Who are YGAM?

The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) is a national charity with a social purpose to inform, educate and safeguard young and vulnerable people, helping them build resilience and understand the potential harms caused by gaming and gambling.

This is achieved through evidence-led, evaluated and accredited education programmes and resources for anyone who works with or cares for young and vulnerable people, including teachers, youth workers, community volunteers and mental health specialists. YGAM also works closely with universities and students to raise awareness of gambling and gaming related harms.

The Parent Hub

Parents can often feel overwhelmed in a world of constantly advancing technology and YGAM is keen to provide simple, usable resources to help parents have honest and open conversations with their children around the topics of gaming and gambling. In keeping with its social purpose, the YGAM Parent Hub is looking to: Inform parents of the potential harms their children can experience through gaming and gambling; Educate parents around gaming and gambling, including the blurred lines between the two activities, microtransactions and advertising; and helping parents Safeguard their children will online safety settings and advice on how to have conversations with your children, how to spot the signs of harm and where to get help. These resources have been developed after listening to the views of young people and their parents.

Microtransactions

PEGI Ratings

Why Children Game

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a nasty side effect of communication and is not tolerated at all by Bensham Manor School. If an incident of cyberbullying takes place between our pupils we will attempt to educate both pupils in how to keep themselves safe online and protect themselves from issues. Every incident reported is taken seriously by us. If communication from outside sources are involved we always suggest clicking the CEOP button to the side of our website and reporting it to the authorities. We cannot always do this on our pupils behalf. 

The best way to protect your child is to educate them about the benefits and drawbacks to using communication over the internet.

Here are some links to a few good sites to help you and your child keep on top of their e-Safety, as well as some numbers for if they need to talk to anyone. Bullying, whether face to face or online is still bullying and can have an effect on your pupils mood. If you notice them acting unusually or if they need to talk to someone these numbers are there to help.

CEOP – These are a Police department dedicated to tackling child abuse on the Internet. 

ThinkUKnow – Information and advice for Parents and Pupils. Highly recommended

Internet Watch Foundation – If you find obscene images or child abuse please contact.

NSPCC – You can ring them on 08088005000 if you are worried about your child.– You can speak to a counsellor online or ring 0800 1111 if you want advice or support.

Cyberbullying

Social Media

JACQUELINE NESI, PHD is an Assistant Professor at Brown University, where she studies how technology use affects teenagers and how parents can help. She got her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Harvard University, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research has been funded by organizations like the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). She regularly speaks at conferences, trainings, schools, and organizations. In these podcasts she discusses Social Media and the impact it has on young people.

https://zeno.fm/podcast/10-for-teens-tweens/episodes/047-social-media-with-dr-jacquline-nesi/

In this episode Dr. Nesi discusses:

  • Social Media Red Flags

  •  Content that makes us feel bad about ourselves

  • Bullying or cyber bullying.

  • Misinformation

  • Is Social Media worse for girls?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0dd6joDzvoeSeDrYD1idvg

In this episode Dr. Nesi discusses:

  • Is 13 too young to be on Social Media?

  • Can Social Media on its own can’t cause mental illness.

  • What’s worse? Passively scrolling or Actively engaging

  • Why 13 Year olds should not be given a smartphone and access to all Social Media at once.

  • A behaviour contract is recommended for one or two social medias to start with.

  • This should be revisited / discussed / checked by parents as time goes by.

  • Social Media is best monitored by open ongoing conversations between parent and child.

Useful Links

10 Safety Tips

Safe Web Surfing

YouTube Info

TikTok Info

Fake News

Fortnite Facts

Snapchat Info

NOS App