We all know internet safety is important and that schools have a responsibility to bestow knowledge upon students of how to interact safely as consumers of online media. But how do we get parents engaged? Sure, we can ‘train’ children in safety procedures in-school and ensure there are layers of security protection available within the school microcosm…but what happens outside of school, where there are no limitations? Is it appropriate to simply block, filter and ignore? Is that all schools need to do? Just hope that at home or in the park on their mobile children don’t inadvertently step into muddy waters? Education isn’t about limitations; it’s about enabling free and equal access to the world, virtual or real.
At Priory School we invite parents into school for online safety training if desired, but our key method of sharing internet safety information with parents is our website and social media. Below is an image from our website containing lots of useful information for parents around online safety. There are specific links to The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) information and Parent Port. Links to these sources of useful information are tweeted out and appear on our Facebook page. If we are aiming to encourage safe practice of online learning, what better way than to actually use the social media we are talking about?
