At Teignmouth Community School, we take the issue of e-safety for students very seriously. The Internet is fast becoming an essential part of everyday life. The majority of students are competent users of a variety of online tools including gaming and social networking sites such as Facebook, and devices including smart phones and iPads.
As both parents and students need to be more aware of potential issues, please see the link at the bottom of this page which will provide important information and helpful tips on helping your children stay safe online and provide you as parents with information on what you can do to protect your children whilst still allowing them to enjoy the vast resources that are on the internet.
Please click here to view a copy of our E-Safety policy
ICT AT TEIGNMOUTH COMMUNITY SCHOOL
For several years students at TCS have enjoyed access to excellent IT facilities. We continue to extend our facilities, upgrading existing hardware and software including recent upgrades to the latest Microsoft specifications.
At Exeter Road, we have 7 main computer suites but also have equipment installed in other strategic areas which allows us to surpass our target ratio of 1 computer per 2 students. We have over 800 computers available to students which give fast access to the internet and other software applications, most of which are available to students before school, break times and after school.
Links to External Resources on Online-Safety
Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP)
Guidance from Schools Internet Service Provider
Online-Safety Guide to the Internet
1. Always keep to the agreed times of day to be online, the length of time to be online, and the areas that you can visit.
2. Never give any passwords to anyone outside your family – even friends!
3. Never give out any of the following information during a ‘chat’ session or when accessing online forums or message boards:
- Your real name (use a pseudonym – a false name)
- Your parents’ or brothers’/sisters’ real names
- Home address
- Home telephone number
- Parents’ work address/telephone number
- The name, address or location of your school
4. Never send an online person any photographs or anything else without first checking with a parent
5. Never arrange for someone you meet online to visit your house
6. Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without parental permission. Any such meeting should be in a public place and at least one parent should accompany you. Your house should remain occupied during the meeting to prevent burglary.
Online Safety Guide to the Internet
Monitoring what your son or daughter does on the Internet can sometimes be a daunting task, but it is important to remember that (when used correctly) the internet can be a positive learning experience.
The following guidelines have been produced with this in mind.
Using the Internet safely at home: Guidance for parents
Keeping your child safe online
- Make online time a family activity.
- Check filtering of mobile data as well as broadband – but do not rely on this
- Make sure that you know the services your children use
- Keep the computer in a family room and ensure all devices are removed from the child’s bedroom at night.
- Go online yourself so that you are familiar with and understand the potential benefits and risks associated with Internet access
- Get to know your child’s ‘online friends’ just as you do their other friends
- Let them feel they can discuss any worries with you – even if they have made bad choices
- If you are concerned about your child’s online activities, talk to them about it
- Develop an agreed set of family Internet rules. Use ‘Family rules’ document for an example (see link).
- Make sure that your children are familiar with, and adhere to, your ‘Family Internet Rules’ which should be posted near the computer as a reminder
- Monitor your children’s compliance with these rules
- Should you become aware of the presence of child pornography online, report this immediately to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, on telephone number: 0800 800 500