Online Safety

Our Online Safety Policy outlines the procedures we follow when using the Internet at school. It is also important that parents and pupils adhere to our Acceptable Use of Technologies Policies.

The online world evolves incredibly fast, and can be hard to keep up with the latest trends. Gloucester Road has signed up to National Online Safety to help keep you up to date with the latest news and support guides in order for you to keep your children and family safe when online.

You can access this support via the following link to sign up.

https://nationalcollege.com/enrol/gloucester-road-nursery-primary-school

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Online Safety Guides for Parents

Online Safety Newsletter

As part of our Computing Curriculum (https://teachcomputing.org/curriculum/key-stage-4/online-safety), we teach pupils about keeping safe online throughout the year.

We also celebrate "Safer Internet Day" each year in February.

https://www.saferinternetday.org/

Age Limits

Most Social media sites such are not intended for children under the age of 13.

On occasion disputes on social media between pupils are continued during the school day. Where this occurs, we follow the school Behaviour Policy and Anti Bullying Policy.

Chatting with strangers

Meeting and chatting with strangers online poses risks to young people who might be vulnerable to grooming and online (and offline) forms of sexual abuse.

Sending inappropriate content

With the physical barrier of a screen, some people feel more empowered to pressurise others into sending messages, often of a sexual or derogatory nature.

Sharing a location

Many apps share the user's location. This can put children at risk from others who actively seek out children with the intention of meeting in the real world. Sharing a location can also raise concerns with identity theft and privacy.

Sharing information

Many apps work on the basis of identity or phone number information. In many cases apps don't always let you know that this information is being used, meaning children could be sharing personal information. As well as on the social networks themselves, privacy and security settings are available on most devices.

Cyberbullying

Smartphones allow people to take photos and share them instantly on their social networks or post information about someone online in seconds. Sometimes this can mean young people are even more vulnerable to episodes of cyberbullying.

Explicit content

Although most apps now go through a process of classification and are rated based the type of content they contain, all apps are available to download by anyone who has a password to the app store.

This may expose children to explicit content, sometimes without their parents knowing. Some of this content can be illegal or simply inappropriate for children as it's meant for adults.

Spending money

Apps can cost money to buy from the app store - and some of them can be very expensive.

Some of the 'free' apps make their money in different ways, by encouraging you to spend money when using the app. This can mean that bills quickly build up without you even realising it. Read more about in-app purchasing.

Hiding content

Some apps have been created with the specific purpose of allowing the user to hide content within them. These decoy apps can protect personal information from strangers but also allow people to hide content they don't want anyone else to see.

Online Gaming

Online gaming means you can play in real time with people across the world through a PC, games console, tablet or smartphone connected to the internet. Games can offer children a world of adventure to immerse themselves in but it’s important to understand how children can stay safe and what games are appropriate for their age.

What does game ratings mean?

The PEGI (Pan European Gaming Information) labels appear on a game's packaging indicating one of the following age levels: 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18. They provide a reliable indication of the suitability of the game content for different ages. Descriptors will indicate the main reasons why a game has received a particular age rating. There are eight such descriptors: bad language, discrimination, drugs, fear, gambling, sex, violence and online gameplay with other people.