At St. John the Baptist we take online safety very seriously and are constantly looking for fun and engaging ways to raise awareness to help keep our children safe online.  Teachers regularly hold age-appropriate sessions with the children to discuss e-safety, including cyber-bullying, and address issues in the media relating to online safety for children and new social media apps as they grow in popularity.  In addition, during Safer Internet Week each year, the whole school comes together to look at a specific aspect of online behaviour.  Children are encouraged to speak freely and be open about their use of the internet to help foster openness where teachers can look to support children their understanding and help them develop the skills to learn how to behave appropriately and safely online.  A lot of time is also spent exploring the concept of a digital footprint and reminding the children to be mindful of what they post online.  Using kind words both face to face and online is a message that is central to the Christian ethos of St. John The Baptist school:

Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

We can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work with parents to ensure the online safety message is consistent. We encourage parents to speak to their children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online. It is important to encourage a healthy lifestyle with regard to the use of technology, and teach children about the risks of exposure to inappropriate content or too much time in front of a screen.

Our online safety policy holds detailed information about how we ensure our children remain safe in their use of technology. Please contact the school if you would like a copy of the Online Safety Policy. The Metropolitan Police have released guides offering advice for parents to help monitor and be more aware about how children use the internet. Please click on the links below:

• Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre
• Internet Safety Advice
• Using Apps

How to Deal with Concerns

If at any point you have any concerns about your child’s safety on line please report it to CEOP (a police led online crime and safety service).  CEOP always recommend the following;

• If you need urgent help, i.e, your child is in immediate danger such as meeting a stranger they have met online, then call 999.
• Don’t delete any emails, images or conversations related to this report
• Don’t contact the suspect yourself. Let us do the detective work

Parents may also find some of the following links useful:

• Is Roblox safe for children?
• TikTok app safety – what parents need to know
• What is HouseParty?  What parents need to know
• Zoombombing – what parents need to know to protect your family on Zoom
• SnapChat – a parent’s guide to privacy settings

***Please remember that the vast majority of social media apps and websites (e.g. Facebook, You Tube, Twitter, Instagram etc) have a minimum age requirement of 13+ in their terms and conditions.  Also Whats App and other internet based messaging services can only be used by 16 year olds and over.***

The school holds regular e-safety mornings for parents.  Check newsletters and the calendar for information as to when the next one takes place.

Our Digital Leaders have been actively involved in raising online safety awareness. They have composed their our own SJB online Safety song and presented it to the whole school! Read the lyrics