School

If you have any concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child then please contact the school using safeguarding@stjohnsprimary.org.uk or you can contact the school and ask for:

• The Head Teacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Mr Justin Hoye      

 

• The LRR Deputy and Deputy DSL: Mr Tony Weir

• The WR Assistant Head and Deputy DSL: Mrs Lizzy Coombes-Huntley

However, you can talk to any member of staff and they will guide you in how to proceed.

We also have a governor responsible for safeguarding who can be contacted via email governors@stjohnsprimary.org.uk or ask at the school office.

• Safeguarding Governor: Mrs Alice Ballard

Alternatively, you may ring the local authority First Response Team on 0117 9036444 or via this link: www.bristol.gov.uk/firstresponse

First Response Children’s services leaflet

First Response Video

The NSPCC also offer a free (from a landline) 24 hour helpline number: 0800 800 5000

For non-emergency serious concerns you could ring the Police on 101

In an EMERGENCY you should always ring 999

If you are a child and worried about something then it is good to talk to an adult in school who you trust. You might be worried about growing up, bullying, problems with your family or at school; whatever it is, there is always someone at school you can talk to. You could also talk to Childline, they offer advice and you don’t have to tell them who you are. The telephone call is free from a landline, just dial 0800 1111 or go to their website; there’s also a helpful video below.

If you need advice about how to talk to your child about radicalisation, hate crimes or extremism take a look at this website.

For parents/carers, firstly please come and talk to us. Sharing a concern or a difficulty you, your child or your family are having is really important. If anything is happening that may affect your child then it is essential that someone at school knows so we can support them effectively. We can often put you in touch with organisations that can help, alternatively you can ring First Response or any of the numbers above yourself.

Welcome to our page dedicated to online safety.

The Internet and its effective use is an essential life skill, which is fast becoming an important part of learning across the curriculum. We recognise that unmediated internet access brings with it the possibility of placing pupils in embarrassing, inappropriate and even dangerous situations.

At St John’s we have a range of security measures to ensure all pupils are safeguarded. All pupils receive e-Safety education at school and are taught how to get the most from this valuable resource.

It is also important to recognise that e-Safety is a whole school community safeguarding responsibility and we are committed to helping parents/carers in supporting their children use the internet in a safe and rewarding way.

We will continue to update this page with information to help support you and your children so come back often to see what new information there is.

If you have a specific question or worry regarding staying safe online contact Mrs Hood, Ducklings Class teacher, if you have a safeguarding concern please email safeguarding@stjohnsprimary.org.uk and this will go directly to senior leaders responsible for safeguarding.

Advice before you get your child a Smartphone

This advice is from Kooth, who are an organisation that work with children 10-25 to support with their mental health.  Here is a link to Kooth if you would like to find out more about their work.

Before you get your child a Smartphone:

*Talk about how social media can make us feel – both good and bad

*Model the kind of behaviour you’d like to see e.g. not reacting angrily to social media, not constantly checking your phone

* Comment openly on messages you receive

*Talk about what kind of information it’s safe to share online

*Make sure your child knows we have a choice about who we follow and what we look at

* Set up family rules on when and how everyone uses their phones e.g. no phones in bedrooms or at mealtimes

They recommend starting the conversation early and give age band advice on the sorts of things to discuss.

Age 4-6 – discuss what you watch together on phones, tablets or laptops and how this relates to the world

Age 7-11 – talk about the upsides and downsides of having a smartphone and the impact of social media.  This is adults sharing their experiences in how they negotiate social media and what they do when they see something they do not like etc. They are in no way recommending children in this age band access social media

Age 12-14 – discuss boundaries for when and how your child can use social media and how to deal with the problems / anxieties they might face

Remember there are other phones available that do not have internet access.  Here is a link to the Smartphone free childhood page that list some phones available: Smartphone Free

Advice from Kooth regarding what to lookout for if you think your child may be the victim of cyberbullying.

You may see your child :

• Overusing their phone or laptop – constantly checking for notifications
• Seeming anxious when using their phone or laptop
• Being reluctant to discuss what they’re doing online
• Avoiding social activities or events they previously enjoyed
• Becoming withdrawn, anxious or depressed
• Experiencing mood swings, particularly after being online
• Talking about themselves in a negative way or having low self-esteem

If you discover your child is being bullied online then remember to stay calm and thank your child for sharing the information with them.  Try to listen to them without interrupting and reassure them that you will work through this together.

What can you do about it? 

Take screenshots of all bullying messages, posts, comments or images with dates and times.

• Block the cyberbully.
• Report cyberbullying to the platform.
• Help your child to change the privacy settings.
• Report bullying to the school, if it involves another pupil.
• Report cyberbullying to the police if it includes threats of violence, sexually explicit messages, harassment, hate crimes, blackmail or hacked accounts.

Please do let us know; we would want to help you and your child through this even if it does not involve another pupil at our school.

e-Safety at Home

It is advised that parents/carers talk to their children about how they can use the internet in a safe manner at home. Please see the further information section below for advice and guidance on how to do this.

Remember, that whilst you can educate your child on the safest way to use the internet, it is impossible to make tools such as search engines 100% safe. It is therefore important that you encourage your child to report a problem to yourself or the school.

Here is advice from Internet Matters regarding online safety tips to support children.  This guide offers advice and information to parents and carers of Primary aged children and is well worth a read. Please follow this link for the guide.

The wonderful team at Internet Matters.org have created a guide to support parents with neurodivergent children from falling for scams in their favourite games.  We think it is worth all parents/carers reading it and using its top tips with all children who play online.  Please follow this link for the guide. 

EYFS and Key Stage One

Acceptable Use Promise

These rules help us to be fair to others and keep everyone safe when we use computers or tablets

This is how we stay safe when we use computers:

•     I will ask a teacher or suitable adult if I want to use the computers/tablets
•     I will only use activities that a teacher or suitable adult has told or allowed me to use.
•     I will take care of the computer and other equipment
•     I will ask for help from a teacher or suitable adult if I am not sure what to do or if I think I have done something wrong
•     I will tell a teacher or suitable adult if I see something that upsets me on the screen.
•     I know that if I break the rules I might not be allowed to use a computer/tablet

Key Stage Two

Acceptable Use Promise

These rules help us to be fair to others and keep everyone safe

When I use devices, I must behave responsibly to help keep me and other users safe online and to look after the devices.

For my own personal safety:

•       I understand that what I do online will be supervised and monitored and that I may not be allowed to use devices in school unless I follow these rules and use them responsibly
•       I will only visit internet sites that adults have told me are safe to visit
•       I will keep my username and password safe and secure and not share it with anyone else
•       I will be aware of “stranger danger” when I am online
•       I will not share personal information about myself or others when online
•       If I arrange to meet people off-line that I have communicated with online, I will do so in a public place and take a trusted adult with me
•       I will immediately tell an adult if I see anything that makes me feel uncomfortable when I see it online.

I will look after the devices I use, so that the school and everyone there can be safe:

•       I will handle all the devices carefully and only use them if I have permission.
•       I will not try to alter the settings on any devices or try to install any software or programmes.
•       I will tell an adult if a device is damaged or if anything else goes wrong.
•       I will only use the devices to do things that I am allowed to do.

I will think about how my behaviour online might affect other people:

•       When online, I will act as I expect others to act towards me.
•       I will not copy anyone else’s work or files without their permission.
•       I will be polite and responsible when I communicate with others and I appreciate that others may have different opinions to me.
•       I will not take or share images of anyone without their permission.

I know that there are other rules that I need to follow:

•       If I have permission to bring my mobile phone to school then I must not use it on the school site and hand it in to a teacher as soon as I enter the classroom.
•       Other personal devices are not to be used in school without permission from the headteacher
•       I will not access or use social media sites in school
•       Where work is protected by copyright, I will not try to download copies (including music and videos).
•       When I am using the internet to find information, I should take care to check that the information is accurate, as I understand that the work of others may not be truthful and may be a deliberate attempt to mislead me.
•       I should have permission if I use the original work of others in my own work.

I understand that I am responsible for my actions, both in and out of school:

•       I know that I am expected to follow these rules in school and that I should behave in the same way when out of school as well.
•       I understand that if I do not follow these rules, I may be subject to disciplinary action. This could include loss of access to the school network/internet, loss of privilege, parents/carers contacted and in the event of illegal activities involvement of the police.

Learner Acceptable Use Promise Form

Please complete the sections below to show that you have read, understood and agree to the rules included in the acceptable use promise. If you do not sign and return this promise, access will not be granted to school systems.

•       I have read and understand the above and agree to follow these guidelines when:
•       I use the school systems and devices (both in and out of school)
•       I use my own devices in the school (when allowed) e.g. mobile phones, gaming devices USB devices, cameras etc.
•       I am out of school and involved in any online behaviour that might affect the school or other members of the school.

Name of Learner: ­_________________________Group/Class:

Signed:__________________________________ Date:

 

Online-Safety-Policy

St John’s parents pledge for their kids to be smartphone free

If you didn’t get a chance to sign the St. John’s smartphone free childhood pact last term, here it is again. (But if you signed before, no need to do it again!) It’s for those in any year group, who feel they can commit to not giving their child a smartphone during this academic year.
https://forms.gle/GfjtBPKBZBMP5rSr5

The aim is to empower parents/carers to unite and take collective action, based on the increasing evidence of the harm to young people from smartphones and social media.

Your name will be kept confidential – just class numbers will be released.
Reasons for signing the St. John’s Pact to delay:
* Reduce peer pressure: just 10 or more parents signing per class can make a real difference to changing the norm.
* When your child starts asking for a smartphone and claims everyone else has one, you’ll be able to easily refute that!
* If you make a commitment, you are more likely to stick to it.

If you’d like to join the parent whatsapp group for Bristol and/or St John’s here’s the link – https://chat.whatsapp.com/Dp8IsJWZeXE9MxQDsWHYlt

And for your interest, you can see the numbers of those from each class who signed up last term here https://www.stjohnsprimary.org.uk/school/parent-info/safeguarding/#1569924302823-d588001b-9790

To be aware – devices with a camera

It has been to brought to our attention by Avon and Somerset Online safety support, that cameras on devices are easily hacked.  Apparently, hackers are able to turn off the indicator light that makes people aware that cameras are being used.  Please make sure cameras are covered on your children’s devices, especially if used in bedrooms or bathrooms.  A simple piece of blue tac can be used, some devices have sliders that you can pull across or you can buy a sticker with slider if your device does not have one.  

New advice on Pokémon Go and Campfire

Pokemon Go and Campfire – What you need to know 

In brief, Pokemon Go is a game which gets you out and about whilst using your phone to find Pokemon. This game is recommended for those over the age of 13 and we would not recommend it for any primary age children.  We do know that parents and carers play this as a family and this can be a safe way to use the app.

Other measures to stay safe when using this as a family are:

• talk about the privacy and safety implications of a game like Pokémon GO
•  Discuss ways to play securely together:
  •  keeping the app updated,
  • setting up a separate email account just for gaming
  • using a made-up display name
  •  turning off location tracking when you’re not playing
  •  avoiding signing in through social media accounts

A new app called ‘Campfire’ has been recently released in the UK and works in conjunction with Pokemon Go and other apps.  This app allows users to find new friends, share direct messages with people and join communities. It is mainly used to find people to take part in battle raids.  Users can ‘light a flare’ to let others know you are planning a battle raid and this will allow others to see your Niantic ID, your username, and your real-time location including how long it would take to reach you. We would not recommend these apps for children’s devices as they pose a huge safety risk.

 

Further Information

General Advice for Parents

https://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers  Childnet’s mission is to work in partnership with others around the world to help make the internet a great and safe place for children. The website has great resources for parents/carers and children.

https://www.2simple.com/free-stuff/digital-parenting/

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/#children  Children are told it’s good to share, but sharing too much online can be dangerous. The NSPCC have got simple advice on how to keep children safe in the digital world.

http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/  Information for both children and parents and carers.  Come in to find the latest information on the sites you like to visit, mobiles and new technology. Find out what’s good, what’s not and what you can do about it.

Roblox Checklist

TikTok Checklist

 

Parental controls:

https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/

Internet Matters is a new online portal designed for parents to access simple, easy and practical advice about online safety for their children, right through from pre-school to teens. It provides tips on protecting children from online grooming, cyberbullying, privacy and identity theft and inappropriate content.

There are handy, easy to read guides on privacy settings and screen time. We strongly suggest checking your child’s privacy settings so you know who can send them messages, view their profile, see their location as well as add them to groups.  These guides give you five top tips, latest statistics and help you in setting rules that suit your family.

Learning more about specific apps, games and videos:

 https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

In order to keep children safe, it is important to have regular conversations with them to ask what they are enjoying playing online.  If there is an app you are unsure, they should be playing Common Sense Media is a good site to use to find out more.

Advice for pupils to look at with a parent/carer:

https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/young-people/resources-for-3-11s

KS2 Pupils with a parent/carer

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/44074704

Discuss online bullying with your child

 https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/cyberbullying-advice-for-parents-and-carers

Reporting to the Child exploitation and Online Protection team:

https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/

For up-to-date news Online Safety issues as they happen:

 https://parentzone.org.uk/

Keeping your child safer out of school:

Child Protection Leaflet (June 2018)