Information for Parents and Carers
The staff with Designated Responsibility for Safeguarding at Ockbrook are: Ms Helen Springall, Deputy Head – Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Sue Worthington, Head of Primary – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Sarah Taylor, Head of EYFS – Designated Safeguarding Lead for EYFS
Talking to your child about their on-line safety
As part of our
ongoing commitment to ensuring that our students learn about on-line safety and
remain safe on-line, you may find the following NSPCC advice on how to broach conversations
with your child about on-line safety useful. Further information may be found
at: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
Talking to your child – openly
and regularly – is the best way to help keep them safe online.
You might find it helpful to start with a family discussion to set
boundaries and agree what is appropriate. Or you might need a more specific
conversation about an app or website your child wants to use or something you are
worried about.
Explore sites and apps together
- Talk about what might be OK for children of different ages. Ask
your child what sites or apps they like. Write a list, and look at them
together.
- Be positive about what you see, but also be open about concerns you
have: “I think this site’s really good” or “I’m a
little worried about things I’ve seen here”.
- Talk to your child about what you think is appropriate – but also
involve them in the conversation. Ask what they think is OK for children of
different ages – they will feel involved in the decision-making.
- Be aware that your child might talk about friends who use apps or visit
sites that you have decided are not suitable. Be ready to discuss your reasons,
but recognise that they may not agree with you. Listen carefully for the
reasons why.
- Go through a final list of sites you both agree are OK, and work out
when you will next discuss it.
Find out more
Ask about things they might see online which make them feel
uncomfortable and talk about things they, or their friends, have seen that
have made them feel uncomfortable:
- Be specific. What exactly made them feel uncomfortable and why? Is it
people or animals being hurt? Nasty comments about others?
- Link these to things in the real world, and explain that you are always
there to protect and help them online and off.
- Reassure your child that they can always talk to you about anything that
makes them feel uncomfortable.
- Show them how to report or block on the sites and apps they use. Use “Net Aware”
to find out how to do this.
- Tell them you will help them to report anything upsetting they have
seen, or to deal with online bullying.
Talk about how they can stay
safe on social networks
Ask your child if they know:
- where
reporting functions are
- how to
block someone
- how to
keep information private?
Show them how to do these things. Use Net Aware
to help you.
- Talk about online privacy and being Share Aware. Explain that online behaviour –
including sharing personal information – should mirror behaviour in person.
- Explain that talking to strangers is not always ‘bad’, but they should
always be careful about what they share and sometimes people are not who they
say they are.
- Talk to your child about what ‘personal information’ is – such as email
address, full name, phone number, address and school name – and why it is
important.
- Explain simple ways to protect privacy for example, avoiding usernames like
birthdates or locations that give away too much information.
- Discuss images and photographs, and what might be appropriate. Help your
child understand how photographs can give people a sense of your personality,
and that sharing the wrong kind of image can give the wrong impression.
- Explain that it isn’t easy to identify someone online. People aren’t
always who they say they are, so don’t share personal information. If it’s
someone who genuinely knows your child, they shouldn’t need to ask for personal
information online.
Tell your child that if they’re in any doubt they should talk to you
first.
Here are some further useful website links to help
you to keep your children safe online:
- Think U Know – containing internet safety advice for those aged from 5 to 16, along with parents and teachers, this site is produced by CEOP (the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre).
- Vodafone Parents – Vodafone have lots of fantastic practical advice for parents.
- Kidsmart – An award-winning internet safety programme for children.
- Know IT All – lots of useful advice for keeping yourselves and your children safe on the Internet.
Other useful sites and contacts:
Water Safety info
Playing/Swimming in Open Water
In the warmer holidays the likelihood that young people will be attracted to play/swim in open water increases and I am writing to raise awareness of the related safety concerns and to ask you to share these, as you see fit, with your child.
Open water
includes areas such as flooded quarries, ponds, reservoirs, rivers and canals
as well as the sea. Around 85% of
accidental drownings occur at open water sites and many of these result from a lack
of knowledge and understanding of the hazards present at such sites. This is compounded by the fact that young
people are often attracted to these sites without parental knowledge and so there
is no planning and no supervision.
In hot weather
the water at these sites appears inviting but, even for young people who are
strong swimmers in heated pools, they can easily get into difficulties in open
water. The dangers of open water
include:
- The
temperature of the water which may be extremely cold even on very hot days
which may lead to a number of physiological conditions which could affect the
ability to swim
- The
water may have strong and hidden currents
- It
is difficult to estimate the depth of open water and depth may change dramatically
and suddenly even close to the banks
- There
may be hidden underwater hazards such as weed and rubbish which could trap a young
person or broken glass etc. which could cause injury
- Once
in open water it may be difficult to get out due to steep, slimy or crumbling
banks
- The
water may be polluted leading to health issues
- There
may well not be any lifesaving equipment present
There are also safety
concerns around areas where young people gather unsupervised since they may attract
persons seeking to target young people as part of a number of criminal
activities
