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Do your pupils have the basic rules for staying safe on the internet?

1. Think carefully about the words you are using when searching.
2. Don’t give out personal information.
3. Tell your parents if something you find makes you feel uncomfortable.
4. Never agree to meet with someone you get to know online.
5. Never send pictures of yourself or other personal materials to a friend you meet online, without telling your parents first.
6. Follow the rules that your parents set for your online activities.
7. Do not use skype or webcams to talk to someone online unless you know them or your parents are present.

Like the majority of people, you're probably using social networking sites on a regular basis to keep up with friends, share your holiday snaps and tell people what you've just had for lunch.

However, as an educational professional it’s important to realise that pupils will naturally be curious about your personal life outside school and may try to find out more about you. The internet and social networking sites can make that very easy and leave your information and images at risk of being misused.

Here are some basic things to do to protect you from abuse of your privacy and personal information.

1. Firmly decline student-initiated friend requests and do not initiate any yourself.


2. Manage your privacy settings and keep these under review, particularly in regard to photos.


3. Ensure your settings prohibit others from tagging you in any photos or updates without your permission.


4. If you're just starting teaching and taking up a new post it could be a good idea to audit and re-evaluate the information available about you online and who has access to it.


5. Consider that conversations held online may not be private – be aware of who may have access to what you post.