Safeguarding and Wellbeing

At RGS we are constantly reviewing the ways that we communicate messages to students and parents and we have decided to broaden the scope of the blog to cover issues with regard to safeguarding and well being. While we will retain the esafety message within this blog you will also begin to see a range of posts and advice relating to broader issues with regard to student well being.

We will also be communicating information directly to students via the new safeguarding email account that can then be targeted toward particular needs swiftly and efficiently.

Privacy and the internet

While parental control settings are a valuable resource in ensuring that web based content is directed toward the appropriate age range. We have often discussed on this blog that control software should not replace conversations that all families should have with regard to internet safety. You may like as a family to explore the notion that nothing is private on the internet and that we should adjust our use of the internet with regard to personal content accordingly.

The internet is a public space and there is a growing realisation that nothing is guaranteed private on the internet and if you do make a mistake online talk to someone. That could be someone at home, your mentor, head of house or any member of staff at school. If you believe that someone is behaving online towards you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, again please report it either by speaking to someone or using the CEOP button and or RGS Whisper.

Think you know has lots of really useful information select the age range that suits you.

Posting images and films online.

Webcams and video chat

Click on the link to view the presentation from this week's assembly

Parental Controls for gaming devices

Whether it is xbox or playstation, computer games are a central part of many students lives and while they are hugely entertaining there can be concerns about the amount of time a student may spend on games and the appropriateness of the content. The two most popular games consoles offer a range of parental controls that can enable you to set the content level and timings that the devices can be used amongst other controls. Remember that the starting point with regard to controlling access is the conversation that you have with your son or daughter as to why you feel that some control is necessary (please see the previous post with regard to setting up a conversation with regard to online safety). For advice on Playstation settings click here and for xbox click here

Snapchat: Friend or Foe

Snapchat is an application used to share photos, videos, text, and drawings. It’s free to download the app and free to send messages using it. It has become hugely popular in a very short space of time, especially with our students. There is one feature that makes Snapchat different from other forms of texting and photo sharing: in theory the messages disappear from the recipient’s phone after a few seconds.

This message will “self-destruct” in 10 seconds.

It is simple to use; you take a picture using your camera phone, select recipients from your contacts, decide how long you want the message to be visible for (up to 10 seconds), and click send.For the recipient, the process is very like getting a text message except they must keep their finger on the screen while viewing it. Also, the message disappears from their phone once the time limit has expired, although the details of the sender and the time stamp remain. The problem is that by using other apps a copy of the image could be taken and then circulated to others. This is a problem if the image that was sent could be seen as being embarrassing. As with all forms of online communication it is always a good idea to consider what could happen if that content becomes public. As always the message is think before you post. Check out the link here for more advice regarding safety settings on Snapchat.

Web Cams

Webcams and phone cameras have become an increasingly popular and useful tool for young people and adults. People can now video chat face to face with family and friends through video calling services such as Skype and FaceTime, Hold video conferences with more than one person on Google Hangouts and social networking sites, Some games consoles also allow the use of a camera to video chat or capture footage of someone playing a game. It is important that we all recognise that we need to think about our behaviour when using these devices to ensure that we and the people around us are kept safe during online conversations. Please check this resource from the Safer Internet Centre that has some excellent advice and guidance regarding using web cams.

Instagram

The ability to share our experiences online is a feature of the digital age but ensuring that as far as possible we keep our privacy and online identity as secure as possible. Instagram offer a number of security options which can be viewed here including tips for parents which can be viewed here.

On line advice from Childnet

Finding up to date and relevant advice on esafety issues can be a challenge but the organisation Childnet does provide a good range of advice targeted both at students and parents. Checkout the hot topics section by following this link.