Meridian Trust’s E-Safety Policy can be found here.

Being online is an integral part of children and young people’s lives. Social media, online games, websites and apps can be accessed through mobile phones, computers, laptops and tablets – all of which form a part of children and young people’s online world, enabling them to undertake research for school projects, talk to their friends and access information from around the world. Increasing provision of the Internet in and out of schools brings with it the need to ensure that learners are safe. Internet development is constantly evolving into ever more innovative areas with many websites enabling amazing creativity and interaction between peers.

Unfortunately though, there are times when Internet use can have a negative effect on children.

This section of our website is to ensure that parents are aware of the possible dangers and feel able to support their children to use the internet responsibly. Parents and carers play an essential role in the education of their children and in the monitoring / regulation of the children’s on-line behaviours and they may underestimate how often children and young people come across potentially harmful and inappropriate material on the internet and may be unsure about how to respond.

Northstowe Learning Community’s Support

As part of our safeguarding work, the college regularly highlights the potential risks posed through misuse of the internet. Assemblies, PSHE, Form Times, Pledges and Drop Down Days are all used to deliver this information. Our students have shown that they have a strong understanding of these issues and we continue to develop this work. We also seek to provide information and awareness to parents and carers through:

• Our website
• Discussing at parents’ evenings.
• Letters and newsletters

We also have a dedicated E -Safety Co-ordinator, Mr Simon Russell, Assistant Headteacher.

Technical Support

Many online platforms offer parental controls, allowing you to support your child’s online safety.

internetmatters.org provides a variety of guides on how to set up parental controls across all devices, social media, search engines, games consoles and more.

Further information on e-safety can also be obtained from the following websites:

Thinkuknow	Thinkuknow is an education programme from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command, providing education about sexual abuse and sexual exploitation.
Childnet	Childnet is a UK-based charity who empower children, young people, and those who support them in their online lives, and its mission is to work with others to make the internet a great and safe place for children and young people.
SWGfL	SWGfL are a not for profit charity ensuring everyone can benefit from technology free from harm. They also host three support helplines that offer free advice, support and guidance to victims of online harm
UK Safer Internet Centre	Appointed by the European Commission as the Safer Internet Centre for the UK in January 2011 and is one of the 31 Safer Internet Centres of the Insafe network. The centre has three main functions: Awareness Centre: to provide advice and support to children and young people, parents and carers, schools and the children’s workforce. The Centre also coordinates Safer Internet Day across UK. Helpline: to provide support to professionals working with children and young people with online safety issues. Hotline: an anonymous and safe place to report and remove child sexual abuse imagery and videos, wherever they are found in the world.
Get Safe Online	Provides resources on practical advice on how to protect yourself, your computers and mobiles device and your business against fraud, identity theft, viruses and many other problems encountered online. It contains guidance on many other related subjects too – including performing backups and how to avoid theft or loss of your computer, smartphone or tablet. Every conceivable topic is included on the site – including safe online shopping, gaming and dating … so you really can stay safe with everything you do online.
Virgin Media	Virgin Media want internet users of all ages to enjoy the wonderful things the web has to offer, safely. To get families up to speed on the things you should be keeping an eye out for, they have a Children’s Internet Safety Test as well as some useful information and tips.
AllConnect Parental Controls	With kids spending more time online, it is important to ensure they stay safe and protected when using the internet. Online access can come with risks like inappropriate content, online predators, and even screen addiction due to long-term use. With that in mind, AllConnect created a safety guide on parental controls to keep children safe.

To keep the internet safe, it is also important to report harmful content. Below are places to report:

CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection command)	Child Exploitation and Online Protection command. If you are worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating online, make a report to one of CEOP’s Child Protection Advisors.
Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)	For over 25 years, they have been helping child victims of sexual abuse by hunting down and removing any online record of the abuse. Go to the Internet Watch Foundation to report Report online child sexual abuse images & videos.
Report Harmful Content	Helping everyone to report harmful content online including online abuse, violent content, impersonation and much more.
Fearless	Fearless is a site where you can access non-judgemental information and advice about crime and criminality. They also provide you with a safe place to give information to them about crime 100% anonymously.
Report Remove	Report Remove is here to help young people under 18 in the UK to confidentially report sexual images and videos of themselves and remove them from the internet.