• 
  • Why write an e-safety policy?
  • What is e-safety?
  • How do I use the policy template and online generator?
  • Statement of authority
  • Responsibilities of school staff
  • Routes to e-safety - primary pupils
  • Routes to e-safety – secondary pupils
  • e-Safety for vulnerable children and young people
  • Response to an incident of concern
  • School responsibilities
  • Use of Social Media Tools as a school or establishment
• 
  • Notes on the legal framework
  • e-Safety Contacts, Resources and References
  • Acknowledgements
• 
  • Register to use
  • Information on how to get an account
  • Icons and symbols

Why write an e-safety policy?

Pupils interact with new technologies such as mobile phones, games consoles and the Internet on a daily basis and experience a wide range of opportunities, attitudes and situations. The exchange of ideas, social interaction and learning opportunities involved are greatly beneficial but can occasionally place young people in danger.

Schools and other settings must decide on the right balance between controlling access, setting rules and educating students for responsible use. Parents, libraries, youth clubs and other settings must develop complementary strategies to ensure safe, consistent and responsible ICT use wherever young people may be.

Teachers and officers working with child protection officers and Kent Police have produced this guidance to inform the e-Safety debate and to help schools write their own e-Safety policies. The policy template provides a range of statements to make policy review easier and more comprehensive.

Core e-Safety policies approved by the CFE Directorate in conjunction with the Kent Safeguarding Children Board (KSCB) have been published for situations where time precludes the debate that would ideally take place.

e-Safety covers issues relating to children and young people and their safe use of the Internet, mobile phones and other electronic communications technologies, both in and out of school. It includes education on risks and responsibilities and is part of the ‘duty of care’ which applies to everyone working with children. This document takes into account the findings and recommendations from Dr Tanya Byron’s 2008 report “Safer Children in a Digital World”. It also incorporates work carried out by national agencies such as the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), Childnet International and Becta.

The e-Safety policy will help support and protect children, young people and staff when using technology.

We are pleased that many individual establishments and local authorities across the UK used previous editions of the Kent materials. This edition incorporates your feedback and further suggestions for improvements are always welcome.

The Kent e-Safety materials may be copied and adapted for non-commercial educational purposes only, always provided that KCC’s copyright is acknowledged. Readers outside Kent are asked to email us when they use these materials

This document is suitable for all Schools and other educational settings (such as Pupil Referral Units, 14-19 settings and Hospital Schools etc) and we encourage all establishments to ensure that their e-Safety policy is fit for purpose and individualised for the context of each setting. For clarity we have used the terms ‘school’, ‘pupils’ and ‘students’ throughout the document, but please think about wider educational settings.

Peter Banbury                                                      Rebecca Avery, e-Safety Officer
peter.banbury@kent.gov.uk                                 esafetyofficer@kent.gov.uk

www.kenttrustweb.org.uk?esafety

© KCC Children, Families and Education Directorate, April 2010.

Page last updated: 06/05/2010

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