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 communications@theongaracademy.org

 

Safer Internet Day

 

The Ongar Academy prides itself on providing a safe learning environment for its students.  

 

We encourage you to talk with your son or daughter about the potential danger of the Internet.

 

Please see the attached resources for further information regarding Internet Safety.  Further resources for internet safety can be found under the Safeguarding tab of our website.

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’ – see later for an exemplar.
• 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. If a meeting is to be arranged let your parents arrange this for you. The first meeting should be in a public place and at least one parent should accompany you. Your house should remain occupied during the meeting to prevent burglary.
• 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 and order something on-line unless you are over 18 years old.

Useful Websites