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It is widely considered that e-safety in schools is a technology issue and is therefore solely the responsibility of the IT Lead – we disagree

When a pupil uses Twitter to cyber bully a classmate, this isn’t because they are using Twitter, but rather they are demonstrating bad behaviour on Twitter. Similarly, if a teacher ‘friends’ a parent on Facebook, the action of the teacher is a matter of school policy and not the fault of Facebook. E-safety is therefore not just a system of filters and monitors but more importantly a matter of education.

Should raising the issue of e-safety with all those responsible for the protection of young people therefore just be left to the IT department? Should it not also include all teachers, parents, non-contact staff and indeed the pupils themselves.

The diagram shown – ‘What happens in an Internet minute’, provides evidence to support e-safety awareness across the curriculum. For example the number of hours of music listened to on Spotify could lead to an interesting discussion in a music class about the copyright issues and how artists are affected by illegal downloads. Or Instagram can be explored in a creative arts lesson. Amazon sales and e-commerce in general could be developed through maths and financial awareness studies. There are so many incredible and positive ways to use the Internet, there is no reason why e-safety education should not be equally as diverse.

We must, of course, address the issues of risk. Stranger danger has always been a safeguarding issue – yes even before the Internet. And bullying happened in the playground long before Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and so on became some of the conduits for cyber bullies. Perhaps the new phrase ‘Digital Wellbeing’ rather than ‘e-safety’ may go some way to encourage those in more pastoral roles to look at ways to support online safety from a behavioural perspective.

It is important to remember that when Ofted introduced e-safety as part of the school inspection they stated as an indicator of inadequate practice:

“There is no progressive, planned e-safety education across the curriculum, for example there is only an assembly held annually”

There are some great campaigns held throughout the year that highlight Internet safety issues, Safer Internet Day, the Childnet Film Competition, Anti-Bullying Week and so on. However, these should not be seen as stand-alone, one-off events, but more the culmination of a programme of learning throughout the year.

At E-safety Support we would love to hear your thoughts on this topic and hear examples of how you are dealing with e-safety across the curriculum. Please use the comments section below to share your ideas with other teachers.

If you would like ideas about planning e-safety throughout the year, our 2016 planner is still available to download from your E-safety Support dashboard.

Picture Credit – ‘2016 What happens in an Internet minute’ is copyright Excelacom

The implementation of Prevent has left some schools feeling ill equipped and in some cases close to boiling point, with the NUT recently calling for it to be scrapped.

Very little guidance accompanied the launch of the Prevent Duty and as time marches on the, full challenges of the Prevent legislation are coming to light. It seems increasingly apparent that what is required is a fundamental shift in approach across the board. The backdrop to all of this could fuel the paranoia of almost anyone – getting to grips with how to accurately teach ‘British values’; murmurs that the Prevent strategy is effectively spying on children and ever-present sensitivities around racism.

What follows are some general thoughts, guidance and practical suggestions on how this hot topic can be tackled from an e-safety perspective. Equally important are the soft skills that wrap around this to really make a difference.

Open to Interpretation

Bearing in mind the Prevent strategy is in place to tackle all forms of radicalisation; from far right to far left and anything in-between deemed radical then using insulting or derogatory names or labels for another group should of course put up a red flag. But at what stage does it warrant a real concern?

This brings us to the use of the term ‘British values’ which you could argue could otherwise be described as 'decent values'. It is a really sound step to ensure that all school staff are completely ‘on the same page’ with their understanding. Seemingly a basic task but it can be a can of worms to agree exactly what ‘British values’ are. If schools limit guidance to the descriptive list issued by the government, they are lacking a richer tapestry of how that translates on the ground and online in practical terms. Coming to a determination needs to involve all staff, be communicated effectively and reviewed regularly.

Web Detectives

It is against the law to ask somebody to commit an act of terrorism, or incite somebody to commit a hate crime, or to demonstrate racism. This principal extends, of course, to the online environment.

Instead of the buck stopping with Internet service providers, Nicky Morgan announced new measures at the end of last year to make the censoring of Internet content in schools compulsory. School responsibility extends to protecting minors from pornography, cyberbullying and radicalisation. The robustness of filtering systems on school computers is now under scrutiny and Internet use is to be monitored.

Where there is a will there is a way so it is probably overly optimistic to rule out the radicals eventually finding a way around Ms. Morgan’s directive. This magnifies the need to focus on the general online savviness of students, beyond just the actual messages they are exposed to.

To achieve this, children have to be empowered to make sensible and objective decisions. They need to be able to do lots of things that many adults would not have a clue about. Illustrative examples include being able to use the Whois look up for domain registration, determine when and where a site was published and who is likely to be responsible for the content on the site. Then they need to be able to filter all of this and make a decision regarding whether the site is reliable, genuine or controversial.

With the huge range of mobile phones apps, our youngsters can have a private conversation with anybody virtually anywhere on the planet. When the child is no longer under the protection of the school filtering and monitoring systems, they are left vulnerable and this is where effective education takes over.

Across The Curriculum

As well as taking in knowledge, pupils must learn to challenge what is put before them; especially to critically evaluate the vast array of different media channels they are exposed to. A young person's education does not stop at the school gate, and they may well be able to access entirely uncensored web content elsewhere. By encouraging general awareness and wellbeing they will be better equipped to make objective decisions no matter where they are.

There is a balance to be aimed for, we need to get the point across but not scare children. Because we still value freedom of speech, we need to ensure children are challenging whether everything they read, view and see is true. This is a good topic for an assembly or classroom debate

Tolerance, respect and friendship need to be constant themes in PHSE. It is easy to make the media the scapegoat when something happens online. In reality, this boils down to inappropriate behaviour played out online. Therefore citizenship and PSHE lessons should build the foundations for good citizenship, with the hope pupils will take that skill online.

Since the Internet is such a powerful tool being exploited by radical groups, all of the above helps equip children for when they are online. Even if schools have strict censorship, good citizenship extends outside of the classroom and will help keep youngsters safer on the Internet when they may not be so closely supervised.

Building Understanding

Focusing on prevention above cure, staff now need to consider pupils in light of their vulnerability to radicalisation with the same seriousness as exposure to drugs and alcohol.

Tackling any of this is not without its challenges. Teachers need to also be equipped in the skills required to engage effectively on highly sensitive topics. Specific training on anti-radicalisation alongside safeguarding for trainee teachers is inevitable.

Now could be a good time to evolve the value statements for your school, more closely reflecting the new duties and ‘British values’. Perhaps even look at including online behaviour and expectations in a new generation of policy documents. If the teachers in your school feel involved, they will feel a sense of ownership over implementing Prevent, making it easier for them to pass it on to those in their charge.

At E-safety Support we are delighted to have a suite of anti-radicalisation and Prevent training and resources. The resources have been developed with the help of e-safety consultant, Tim Pinto and are designed to help all members of the school community (pupils, parents and staff) understand more about the issue of radicalisation and in particular the part the Internet plays in encouraging people to consider extremist views.

Childnet launch the 7th Childnet Film Competition

E-safety charity, Childnet, have launched the 7th Childnet Film Competition to encourage young people aged 7-18 to create a short film to educate their peers about staying safe online.

With the aim of celebrating the positive things that young people are doing online, the competition showcases young people’s creativity and their understanding of online safety issues.

As Becky Nancarrow, Education Projects Officer at Childnet said, "we know that young people are powerful agents in creating a better internet and inspiring other young people to use the internet for good. The Childnet Film Competition is a great way for schools to inspire young people to take the lead in educating their peers about staying safe online whilst equipping them with the skills they need to become confident digital creators.”

This year’s theme is all about how we can all make a positive difference online by supporting young people to ‘shine online’.

Primary aged young people (7 – 11) are invited to create a 60 second film in response to the theme: 'Shine Online' - Tell us how you're using the internet positively

Secondary aged young people (11 – 18) are invited to create a 2 minute film in response to the theme: ‘Shine Online’ – How can you make a positive difference online?

For both age groups Childnet are looking for creative, imaginative films which reflect a positive and inspiring message. Young people might express their ideas through comedy, animation or music. Or how about creating an advert, campaign or documentary? The top three films in each category will be invited to a private screening at the BFI in London and the winners will be awarded film kits for their school.

To inspire young people to help others stay safe online, schools are being encouraged to share their film competition stories on social media using the hashtag #shineonline. Whether this is a message about what you’re up to, a picture from the creative process or even and a tip from the young film makers, schools can share their updates with @Childnet.

Important dates:
1. Competition closes Monday 13th June 2016
2. Finalists notified Monday 20th June 2016
3. Screening and finalist’s event at the BFI Monday 18th July 2016

To enter the Childnet Film Competition please send an email to film@childnet.com to request an information pack.

If you would like any more information, or find out more and download the schools packs visit Childnet.com

If you would like to register a group of talented young people you know, then please send an email to film@childnet.com. Don't forget, the closing date for entries is Monday 13th June 2016 at 5pm.