At Sledmere and Wetwang Federation we fully recognise, acknowledge and embrace the importance and benefits of a 'connected' world. The opportunities for learning created by providing access to such a world are limitless, and must therefore become part of day to day teaching and learning in school. Being part of the internet community, as well as providing the aforementioned opportunities, also opens up the possibilities of exposure to dangers which would otherwise not be present, for example: access to inappropriate materials, contact with potentially dangerous strangers, 'cyber' bullying and identity theft. It must therefore be the role of the school to ensure that such risks are minimized, and, more importantly, that children are provided with the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary to become positive, safe and healthy on-line citizens.

The 'Parent Zone' link below has a wealth of information about online safety, including parent guides to social media websites, online privacy settings and how to report concerns. Parent Zone is recommended by the DfE. The parent info page ( https://parentinfo.org/ ) offers a search tool for any specific areas of online safety you would like advice about.

Safeguarding is EVERYONE's responsibility. In school, our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Mr Richardson, or Mrs Gunn (Wetwang) and Mrs Cousins (Sledmere) in Mr Richardson's absence. If you have any concerns about online safeguarding and feel that your child or another child is involved in unsafe activity online (or offline) then you should report this. CEOP https://www.ceop.police.uk/ceop-reporting/ has an online tool for immediate reporting of such activity, but you can also report this to school or to the police if required.

The DfE report on cyberbullying for parents has a range of useful links and advice topics for parents (See link below).

Summary of key advice

• Use safety settings. Within websites such as Youtube, there are parental controls that can be turned on to filter content. In school, we have a firewall that protects our computers from viruses and filters content and website access.
• Be aware: What are they accessing? Is it safe? Are they old enough to be on this site? (This includes social media sites, video sites and computer games or films).
• (Guidelines for specific websites are available from the parent guides linked below).https://parentzone.org.uk/advice/parent-guides
• Be honest: Encourage your child to talk to you if they are concerned or see anything that worries them. Notice if they appear upset or worried after they have been online and ask them to tell you if something is wrong.
• Report it: Use the online CEOP reporting tool. Report any cyberbullying incidents to school, as with face to face bullying. (Cyberbullying includes: incidents of bullying or inappropriate content sharing via text, email or social media platforms). 
• Limit time: Have set limits for how long children spend online and on devices. Too long can have an impact on their social and mental wellbeing - it is important to have balance and not let it get in the way of other activities.