Safety
At Loreto Grammar School, in line with our Mission statement which seeks to enable the students “to meet with confidence the challenges of a changing world”, we promote all aspects of safeguarding including the responsible and ethical use of the Internet and technology.
Our DSL, Designated Safeguarding Lead, is Ms Greene and our Deputy DSL's are Mr Newman, Mrs Milton and Mrs Lloyd-Davies.
Operation Encompass
Please see document below outlining what Operation Encompass is.
Safety Spotlights
Safety spotlights give us an opportunity to focus on specific safety themes with our students. Information is shared with form tutors to discuss with their forms and then display on form noticeboards. These spotlights are then usually followed up with an assembly.
Safety Spotlight - County Lines
Safety Spotlight - Radicalisation
Safety Spotlight - Child Exploitation
Safety Spotlight - Child Exploitation - Signs Poster
Safety Spotlight - Child Exploitation - KS3 assembly, March 2024
Safety Spotlight - Child Exploitation - KS4 assembly, March 2024
E Safety
We ensure students receive crucial e Safety education to allow them to make best and safe use of technology. Equally, our role is to support parents in the development of their children and in their responsibility for their children.
How to report a concern
Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP)
Apps that can cause concern
Tik Tok
TikTok is a video-sharing app. Users can upload and share short videos of themselves lip-syncing to songs or acting out comedy sketches, and add special effects. They can gain followers (‘fans’) and browse other people’s videos. You may have heard of the app by its previous name: Musical.ly. Everything that was on Musical.ly is now on TikTok. If your child previously had a Musical.ly account they will be able to access their content on TikTok. The age recommendation is 13 and above. However, you don’t have to prove your age when creating an account, so younger children can still use it easily. It’s most popular with under-16s. TikTok is free to download on Android and iOS devices (Apple phones and tablets). It carries ads and offers in-app purchases. It has about 150 million active users worldwide and is available in over 30 languages.
Snapchat
Snapchat is a multimedia messaging app. It can be a fun app when used carefully and with very clear ground rules. Apps like Snapchat serve as a reminder to parents that they need to be vigilant about their children's smartphone use and to monitor their activity to prevent problems like sexting, cyberbullying, cyberstalking etc
Safer Internet Day
Scams can take many forms and target anyone, including young people. You may think that your child would be able to spot an online scammer, but the truth is that they are incredibly convincing and hard to spot. They often involve fake profiles and identities to target people. You may have heard this referred to as ‘catfishing.’ If your child has been targeted by a scam online and they have been made to do something that they didn’t want to, then they are not to blame, they are not in trouble, and support is available. We have also outlined the definition of sextortion and explained what students should do if they receive a request on-line for nude photos.
We would also like to encourage you to join us in celebrating by continuing the conversation at home about spotting, responding to, and reporting online scams. Here are some helpful resources:
- You can complete the UK Safer Internet Centre’s interactive quizzes with your child about this theme.
- The UK Safer Internet Centre have created resources for use with children and young people about this year’s theme. These were designed for learning settings but can be adapted to use with your child. You can find these here.
- Read the UK Safer Internet Centre’s tops tips for parents and carers here.
- You can share the UK Safer Internet Centre’s top tips for children and young people with your child.
You may also like to use one of these prompts to start a conversation with your child:
- What’s your favourite thing to do online?
- Have you ever seen a scam online? How did it make you feel?
- What signs would you look out for to spot a scam?
- What advice would you give to your friends about scams?
- Who would you talk to if you saw a scam online?
- What more can I do to help you feel safe online?
A key part of protecting children and young people from online harms is through preventative education. By talking about this in school and at home, we can all work towards keeping children safe when they are online. Celebrating Safer Internet Day is a great opportunity for you to re-emphasise the online safety messages we deliver throughout the year.
Other useful websites
NSPCC - Keeping Children Safe Online
The DfE also recommends
Internet matters (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
Parent info (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
LGfL (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
Net-aware (support for parents and carers from the NSPCC)
Let’s Talk About It (support for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation)
UK Safer Internet Centre (tips, advice, guides)
Childnet offers a toolkit to support parents and carers of children of any age to start discussions about their online life, to set boundaries around online behaviour and technology use, and to find out where to get more help and support
GMP have signposted
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/digital-parenting- Vodafone offer advice for parents and have a Digital Parenting magazine available online and offer other great advice on their website
