E-safety
ICT (Information, Communication, Technology) plays an important role in the everyday lives of children, young people and adults. Across our trust we aim to build in the use of these technologies in order to provide our students with the skills to access life-long learning. Technology advances at great speed and it is essential that we ensure all our students have the knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe online.
All schools in the Four Stones Multi Academy Trust provide a comprehensive e-safety programme, where students are given the help and support they need to recognise and avoid risks, build their resilience and to enable them to make informed decisions when not in school. E-safety messages are reinforced through our pastoral curriculum reinforcing our position on limiting social media, online gaming and excessive screen time in order to create healthy habits and routines.
"Think You Know" have produced new activity packs with simple 15 minute activities you can do with your child to support their online safety at a time when they will spending more time online at home.
If you feel your child is at risk or you know something has happened, please contact CEOP (Child Online and Protection Agency) or use the Report Abuse button which you can search on Google.
- If there are concerns around cyberbullying, please visit Bullying UK.
- If you have serious cyberbullying issues ring 101 and a PCSO will assist.
Please find a useful leaflet that provides some key facts about the dangers that young people face when online and ways to protect your son/daughter. The leaflet also highlights some of the negative effects that too much screen time can have on a child's health and their education
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Social Media
Social media usage is becoming an increasing issue. The age restrictions for the different social media platforms states that no one under the age of 13 should have a social media account. The impact of social media is the biggest cause of stress, anxiety and lack of concentration for many students. For students, having their own ‘social networking’ space is a very popular thing to have, but both parents/carers and students are not always aware of the risks they face when using sites like Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. One of the rules that you may not be aware of is the minimum age for the sites such as Facebook is 13. It is worth remembering that these are public spaces and so anyone can view and use the information how they please. Please see the graphic below for the age restrictions for different social media platforms.
National statistics show that students are spending between 6 and 9 hours a day on a phone, a tablet, playing games or watching TV. Students are at school for 8 to 8.5 hours a day, so in order for them to clock up 6 to 9 hours in front of a screen, they must be on a screen the minute they wake up until the minute they go to bed. Current research shows that:
- being on a phone for more than 20 minutes a day leads to junk sleep (poor quality sleep that hinders the growth process).
- children who are on a screen within an hour of going to bed are 3 times as likely to get less than 5 hours sleep. It is recommended that 11 years have between 9 and 11 hours every night in able for them to thrive.
- students who complete homework when their phone is in sight (even if they are no using it) do 20% worse on the task. This is due to the fact that phones serve as a continuing distraction to students. If your son/daughter is going to achieve the grades they deserve then they will need to focus fully on their homework task.
Across the trust we believe that technology can be used effectively and purposefully to allow students to navigate through our ever changing digital world. We welcome support in applying parental controls and privacy settings on students’ laptops/PCs/tablets and phones to maintain safety. There are a wealth of resources to support you in protecting your child online. Click on the link below to discover what support and guidance is available:
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Reporting
Report Harmful Content is a national reporting centre that has been designed to assist everyone in reporting harmful content online. 
Find out the latest information about the sites young people like to visit, mobiles and new technology. Find out what’s good, what’s not and what you can do about it. Most importantly, there’s also a place which anyone can use to report if they feel uncomfortable or worried about someone they are chatting to online. They also share useful articles about helping teenagers cope with lockdown whilst protecting them online. -
Parent Guides
This guide has been created to answer your questions about some of the most popular devices, highlighting the safety tools available and giving you the knowledge you need to support your children to use these technologies safely and responsibly. 
Vodafone’s digital parenting checklist provides straightforward, age related advice to help you keep your son/daughter safe when using different devices on the internet. 
This site provides information on how to lock down different networks and guides which are app specific. It contains useful guides to ‘face to face social network’ which have become increasingly popular. 
This site answers common questions regarding risks a student may face and tools to help keep them safe Find out the latest information about the sites young people like to visit, mobiles and new technology. Find out what’s good, what’s not and what you can do about it. Most importantly, there’s also a place which anyone can use to report if they feel uncomfortable or worried about someone they are chatting to online. They also share useful articles about helping teenagers cope with lockdown whilst protecting them online. 
This website offers expert support and practical tips to help young people benefit from connected technology and the internet safely and smartly. -
Video Guides
The London Grid for Learning offers a number of safeguarding videos designed to show parents and carers how to keep their children safe online and the potential dangers they face. 
The Net-aware section of their website offers information and support on video sharing and livestreaming. 
A simple way to block websites for apple and android devices, schedule screen time, restrict apps & videos, turn off games, track your son/daughters location, and limit texting apps. 
Allows you to set digital ground rules, monitor screen time, view their activity and see where they are.
Should you wish to discuss this with us, then please use the links below to access our contact details.