Digital Parenting

Welcome to the School’s E-Safety Zone. Here, parents can download some helpful advice on how to keep students safe at home as well as access various external support websites.

If you would like to discuss any of what you view here further, please contact the school via info@mersthamparkschool.org

Useful links

The Government have recently released the following e-safety guidance for parents:

Link

The following app can be installed on Chromebooks to support you in protecting your child:

Link

Keeping your children safe online

Stay in touch with what your children are doing by spending time with them whilst they are on-line, i.e. make on-line time a family activity.
Make sure that you know the services your children use. Find out what types of information and services are offered and whether there are ways for parents to protect their children.
Keep the computer in a family room rather than a child’s bedroom.
Go on-line yourself so that you are familiar with and understand the potential benefits and risks associated with Internet access. If you don’t know how to log on, get your child to show you.
Get to know your child’s ‘on-line friends’ just as you do their other friends.
If you are concerned about your child’s on-line activities, talk to her/him about it.
Develop an agreed set of ‘Family Internet Rules’ –an exemplar can be viewed below.
Make sure that your children are familiar with, and adhere to, your ‘Family Internet Rules’ which should be posted near the computer as a reminder.
Monitor your children’s compliance with these rules.
Should you become aware of the presence of child pornography on-line, report this immediately to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children on telephone number: 0800 800 5000.

Suggested Family Internet Rules

Always keep to the agreed times of day to be on-line, the length of time to be on-line, and the areas that you can visit.
Never give any passwords to anyone outside your family – even friends!
Always tell a parent about any threatening or bad language you see on-line.
Never give out any of the following information during a ‘chat’ session or when accessing on-line forums or message boards:
- Your real name (use a pseudonym – a false name)
- Your parents’ or brothers’/sisters’ real names (use pseudonyms)
- Home address
- Home telephone number
- Parents’ work address/telephone number
- The name, address or location of your school
Never send an on-line person any photographs or anything else without first checking with a parent.
Never arrange for someone you meet on-line to visit your house.
Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without parental permission.
Never respond to messages or to on-line forums or message boards items that are suggestive, obscene, threatening or that make you feel uncomfortable. If you encounter such messages then tell a parent immediately.
Remember that what you read on-line is not necessarily true, e.g. the person who says she is a 15 old girl could in fact be a middle-aged man.
Never try to order something on-line unless you are over 18 years old.