Know IT All for Parents

E-safety in the Curriculum and wider resources

As a teacher you will be well aware of the varying requirements of the different stakeholders in your school. Senior management will need to have an overview of whole school policies; classroom teachers will want to know about issues and risks, teaching resources and curriculum links; support staff need specific guidance; governors have a different set of issues; and parents need the advice and guidance we have already mentioned.

So where to start? Childnet has produced a range of resources, many of which can be downloaded from the INFO CENTRE, and Becta has produced a range of publications which you will find helpful in reaching these various audiences. These publications are free to order or download from publications.becta.org.uk

In this section we outline these resources.

Senior Management Team

‘e-Safety: Developing Whole-school Policies to Support Effective Practice’
This publication provides guidance for schools on developing appropriate policies and procedures to ensure safe use of communications technologies by the children and young people in their care. It outlines the risks, suggests an educational framework for schools, and gives an overview of the internet safety responsibilities of all the key stakeholders in a child’s education. It provides practical strategies to follow, drawn up in consultation with the police, should major problems be encountered.

Classroom Teachers

‘Signposts to Safety’
‘Signposts to Safety’ contains background information, advice and guidance for teachers relating to safety issues and signposts appropriate opportunities within the ICT, PSHE and Citizenship curricula where internet safety messages can be taught. Additionally it signposts free online teaching resources from a range of organisations to help support lessons. There are two separate versions for primary and secondary phases.

Support Staff

Becta has worked with the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) to help produce the following publications, available from the TDA website.

These courses have been designed to support teaching assistants in developing an understanding of ICT in schools, with a particular focus on safety and security.

Hard copies can be ordered from the TDA Publication Unit on 0845 6060 323.

Governors

‘ICT: Essential Guides for School Governors No. 06 – Safety and Security with ICT’
This guide outlines the need for governors to monitor the use of ICT and also highlights health and safety issues associated with ICT equipment.

Local Authority and Local Safeguarding Children Boards Personnel

If you work for a local authority you will have a strategic overview of a co-ordinated approach to e-safety. There are a number of publications specifically for you:

‘Safeguarding Children in a Digital World: Developing a Strategic Approach to e-Safety’
This document presents a series of recommendations by Becta’s Safe Use of ICT in Education advisory group. It provides a strategic overview of e-safety issues for policy-makers and outlines a model for a co-ordinated approach by all of the key stakeholders.

‘Safeguarding Children Online: A Guide for Local Authorities and Local Safeguarding Children Boards’
This publication contains a series of practical checklists for LAs and more specifically for the newly formed Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) for developing a co-ordinated approach to e-safety across all services under its remit.

A summary version is also available – ‘Safeguarding Children Online: A Checklist for Local Authorities and Local Safeguarding Children Boards’.

Safetynet is a mailing list for anyone who wants to discuss and share information to support the development of e-safety good practice within educational organisations. This forum is for teachers and others who have an interest and/or responsibility in this area. It has been set up to provide:

peer-to-peer support and access to the shared knowledge and experience of the community
instant access to colleagues, some of whom may have similar difficulties and concerns
access to help from other experienced practitioners and interested parties
up-to-date information

General information about the mailing list is available at: http://lists.becta.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/safetynet

For further advice on organisations which offer advice and support for schools on this issue see the e-safety area of the Becta website.