E-Safety in Initial Teacher Training

25/02/10 Primaryaq.ppt E-Safety in Initial Teacher Training Early Years and Primary Phase

The need for e-safety Half (49%) of young people questioned say they have given out personal information, such as their full names, ages, email addresses, phone numbers, hobbies or names of their schools, to someone they met on the internet. By contrast, only 5% of parents think their child has given out such information. (Source: UK Children Go Online.) Prior to the launch of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), there was no centralised collection of details of internet-related abuse in the UK, and not all victims reported incidents.

The Byron Review Focussed on the school ensuring children are e-safe by “reducing availability, restricting access and increasing resilience” Building “children’s resilience to the material to which they may be exposed so that they have the confidence and skills to navigate … more safely” Ensure that new teachers entering the profession are equipped with e-safety knowledge and skills. Making explicit teaching and learning about e-safety. Identifying home-school links as a key issue.

The 3 Cs of e-safety

E-safety – an introduction http://www.childnet-int.org/kia/traineeteachers

Introduction to Jenny’s Story You are going to watch a video that introduces different aspects of e-safety. Jenny’s Story is a short film based on the true story of Jenny, a teenager who chats to a stranger on the internet. It shows how, through chatting online, Jenny reveals personal information which results in her being contacted in real life and ultimately hurt. INSERT DVD Jenny’s Story or KIA for Trainee Teachers

Jenny’s Story illustrates one of the dangers to children when using the internet: that of online grooming, which could lead to physical harm. Grooming is defined by the Home Office as: ‘A course of conduct enacted by a suspected paedophile, which would give a reasonable person cause for concern that any meeting with a child arising from the conduct would be for unlawful purposes.’ Online grooming is only one of a whole range of risks that you will consider today.

Discussion points: * Why might young people behave differently online from offline? * How might young people put each other at risk online? * Other than contact with strangers, what are the other areas of risk to young people posed by the internet? * What advice could we give young people to help them keep safe online? * What would make a young person reluctant to tell an adult about something which made them feel uncomfortable on the internet? * What can a school do to keep children safe on the internet? * Are younger children more or less vulnerable? *

Further discussion: While on playground duty, you overhear a year 3 boy talking to some friends about a console game his 15 year old brother has been playing. Apparently, the TV set in his brother’s bedroom is broken, so his brother has taken over the boy’s TV. Although not playing himself, the boy is clearly excited about what he has seen and is talking about the game in some, quite inappropriate, detail. You have heard of the game in question and know that it is classified for 18+, has explicit sexual references and graphic violence. What do you do?

Dealing with disclosures If you suspect that a pupil is a victim of physical abuse or you have received any type of disclosure about abuse occurring either online or offline, you MUST contact the designated member of staff immediately and make it clear to the pupil that he or she will have to share the information with a colleague of yours. For your benefit, you should make and sign accurate notes of the incident immediately after the disclosure. To report suspicious behaviour online with or towards a child contact the ‘Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre’ http://www.ceop.gov.uk

Organisations General e-safety information sites for trainee teachers:

E-safety and the professional standards Q21 of the standards requires that trainee teachers must: Be aware of the current legal requirements, national policies and guidance on the safeguarding and promotion of the well-being of children and young people. Know how to identify and support children and young people whose progress, development or well-being is affected by changes or difficulties in their personal circumstances, and when to refer them to colleagues for specialist support.

Evidencing the professional standards Q1: work with your class and discuss some issues Q4: write a witness statement saying you communicated the ideas effectively to children Q7: write a reflective statement about your future contribution to e-safety in schools Q8/Q17/Q23: make sure you are conscious of e-safety when introducing new technologies to pupils and using ICT with pupils and…

Evidencing the professional standards Q20: discuss e-safety issues with the person responsible for e-safety policy and practice in the school Q21: write a reflective statement about your responsibilities if confronted with e-safety issues Q30: advise pupils on e-safety when using an online system (VLE, learning platform, intranet) to support class work and homework

Further Information Safer Children in a Digital World Byron Review Report Becta’s Signposts to safetyTeaching e-safety at Key Stage 1 & 2 TeachersTV http://www.teachers.tv

Materials and Resources Materials and resources on e-safety sites which pupils can use: Staying safe with Dongle (KS1) The Smart Crew (KS2) Us Online(KS2/3) Hector’s World(KS1) Cyber Café(KS2) Lee and Kim(KS1/2)

and finally… remember that most children who form online friendships with peers typically report a positive experience. There are wonderful, exciting ways of using the internet positively (including for homework!). For examples of how young people have used the internet to express themselves in positive ways, visit the Childnet Academy website. http://www.childnetacademy.org

E-Safety in Initial Teacher Training