E-Safety
E-Safety Internet Safety Staying Safe Online
Embrace Multi Academy Trust takes a holistic approach to online safety. By ensuring that we utilise the latest technology to help us identify areas of concern and educating all young people about the safe use of online platforms, we strive to ensure that all pupils are not only safe within school, but have the knowledge and skills to navigate online risks outside of the school environment.
Internet connections at our school are filtered using the cloud-based Securly platform, ensuring that internet access is both filtered and monitored no matter what devices are used.
Pupil activity on devices within the school is also monitored using one of the leading cloud solutions, Classroom.Cloud by Netsupport. This safeguarding and monitoring software helps to proactively identify any areas of concern and ensure pupil safety and welfare is monitored at all times. Alerts proactively notify staff should a pupil be in crisis and our Online Response Team and Designated Safeguarding Leads are quick to provide the support necessary.
Online safety is covered extensively throughout our curriculum, both discreetly in the curriculum for IT and PSHCE, as well as being a regular topic for discussion in all curriculum areas.
On occasion your child may receive electronic communication from staff members via email (where used) or one of the online learning platforms used within the college, a comprehensive list of which can be found on our Student Portal
Staff members who may contact your child include:
- Members of teaching staff for classes or subjects your child is enrolled in
- Teaching assistants to provide learning support
- Members of the school Senior Leadership Team
- IT team to provide technical support where necessary
- Club or trip leaders to send information or notifications about upcoming events
- Exams officer in relation to upcoming examinations or results
If you have any concerns over electronic communication on any of these platforms, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the school on admin@brockington.embracemat.org
Social Media (and how to protect your child)
Providing an up-to date, always relevant list of privacy settings isn’t possible due to the vast array of social media services available and the frequent changes in how to access and edit privacy settings.
Therefore, we have collated some useful videos (to the right) which go someway to explaining what the services do, the dangers they pose, and how to make them as secure as possible.
Hopefully these guides will allow you to make an informed decision on whether the service is suitable for your child, as well as how to secure it as best as possible.
Jargon Buster
Please click on the links below to decode the jargon and find out more about some of the risks you and your child face online today:
Cyberbullying | Digital Footprints | Phishing | Sexting | Spyware/Malware | Trolling | Webcams & Chat | Live Streaming
Reporting (Students)
If you are unsure or concerned about something you have seen online it is vital you tell an adult. This could be your parents; an adult or friend you trust; Childline (0800 1111); or, if you are a pupil at the college, it could be your Form Tutor, Pastoral Manager or Head of Year. You can use a Voice It form or click on the ‘Report Content’ icon on your school desktop to notify the IT Team.
If you are experiencing Cyberbullying of any kind you must speak to someone so we can put an end to it as soon as possible. Please either speak to your form tutor, a member of the pastoral team, or an adult you trust. Together, we can help put a stop to it.
Worried about an image you’ve sent of yourself, or have received?
It’s very normal to send an image or ‘sext’ and wish you hadn’t. Sometimes we get caught up in the moment or assume that everything will be fine, and sometimes it isn’t. You might feel ashamed, guilty or anxious which is very normal, however please remember that you’re not alone – many young people have been in a similar situation. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make things better and ensure it doesn’t happen again.
The first thing to do is to speak with the person you sent the image to. Most of the time, they will be understanding if you simply ask them to delete the message or image. We can’t control what others will do with an image but with talking to them as soon as possible, it can help to make sure that they don’t pass it on.
If you feel there is an adult you trust (such as a parent/carer) that you can talk to about what’s happened, it would be a good idea to. It may also be a good idea to let your form tutor and/or pastoral know, as we can help support you at school. We won’t judge you, but we understand it’s important you feel comfortable talking about what’s happened. If you’d rather not speak face to face, please email the pastoral team on voiceit@brockington.leics.sch.uk
Please take a look at this helpful page from BullyingUK for more advice on what to do if you’ve sent a sext.
Report it via CEOP. The Child Exploitation & Online Protection Group are setup to protect children from harm online and offline, with particular focus on bringing online child sex offenders, including those involved in the production, distribution and viewing of child abuse material, to the UK courts. If you would like more information, or to report something you have seen online, please click here.
And remember, if you or someone you know are in immediate danger, call 999.
Useful Links & Resources
Please check out the links below for useful resources and information regarding online safety:
Parent Zone are the experts in digital family life. They provide support and information to parents, children and schools, working globally to help families to navigate the internet safely and confidently. Parent Zone work with parents, schools, governments and businesses to study, understand and address the impact of emerging technologies on young people.
Regularly updated website with videos and advice on the latest social media platforms that your son/daughter may be using. In particular the ‘Popular App Guide‘ gives a quick glance view on which sites pose more of a risk than others. If you bookmark just one page (other than ours!) make sure it’s this.