Online Safety
The internet is an essential tool that enables young people to connect, communicate and create in many ways through a range of devices.
As technology plays a central role in school life at Shacklewell, we have a responsibility to educate our students in how to use devices, apps and the internet in a safe and responsible manner. This is achieved through the delivery of our progressive online safety education programme, which forms part of our Computing curriculum. The programme recognises the most up-to-date issues around digital safety, including:
- information and source reliability
- sharing of personal information
- screen time
- peer-to-peer communication
- cyberbullying
- the dangers of anonymity
These issues are then addressed with students in a way that is appropriate to their age and experience. Online use is planned carefully to ensure it is age-appropriate and supports the learning objectives for specific curriculum areas.
Students take accountability for their digital responsibilities by signing our pupil Acceptable Use Agreement. Similarly, staff are made aware of their responsibility to model safe and responsible behaviour when personally engaging with technology. To further promote digital literacy in our school community, Shacklewell ensures that its staff are regularly kept informed of the latest developments in digital safety by providing ongoing training and support throughout the year. The issues covered are reviewed and amended every year to guarantee we are providing students and families with the most up-to-date advice. Through the effective delivery of our online safety education programme, we ensure that we are providing students with a high-quality computing education that suitably prepares them for present and future challenges in the digital world.