How Can E-Safety Be Implemented in Schools?
Tue 21 May, 2019
The internet can be a wonderful resource, but also a dangerous one. Children, in particular, are vulnerable to a wide range of threats. This blog will look at the ways in which pupils can be protected from these online hazards, and how e-safety can be implemented in schools.
Education
The best and most effective way of guaranteeing e-safety is through educating pupils and teachers about ways to be safe online. The focus tends to be on educating pupils, however, it is only through also training teachers that a successful safety program can be created. The NSPCC has a number of great resources for staff, including an introductory course about keeping children safe, and can help teachers recognise the risks that children may face online.
By teaching students about these risks rather than just solely using filters to block any dangers, you also give them long-lasting tools to ensure that they always stay safe online. Other devices that they use, such as their phones or home computers, may not have the same strict filters that your school does. It is only through education that children can safely negotiate the web. Through education, pupils learn life-long lessons so that they can look out for themselves – the best filter of all.
Content filters and blocks
That is not to say that filters and blocks aren’t important! By ensuring blocks and filters are in place, there is a much smaller chance of harmful content reaching children in schools. Schools can block particular keywords or categories of website from being accessed by children accidentally. This is undoubtedly an effective way to implement e-security – particularly as internet filters can also block any dangerous malware from slipping into your system (check out our blog from November for more information about digital security).
Monitor online activity
However, blocking can’t catch everything. By monitoring online activity, you can identify things that automatic filters may not, such as dangerous websites that you hadn’t previously considered. Some blocks or filters may also be easy to circumvent – minor edits to a URL address, for example, could still lead to the same website, but the filter may not catch it. A human touch is always a necessary component of online safety.
Get advice from an expert
If you are still worried about implementing e-safety in your school, the best approach is to simply ask an expert. At Soft Egg, we offer e-safety support for your school and will answer any possible questions you may have.