eSafety
Welcome to our eSafety page.
Here at Welshpool High School, the safety and welfare of all our pupils is always of paramount importance, our duty of care covers all school activities including internet use. All year groups participate in Safer Internet Day which takes place in February each year.
Our first eSafety group was set up in January 2016 and this year we set up a new group with the help of Student Council members.
Mrs Deborah Smith – Digital/eSafety Lead
DIGITAL SAFETY DEN – FFAU DIOGELWCH DIGIDOL
Digital Den Celebratory Event
On Monday 9th March, Mrs Smith and Miss Jones accompanied a group of 12 year 8 learners to an event at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. This event marked the culmination of an online safety project that our pupils have been engaged in for over 12 months and has resulted in the publication of a report into the attitudes of young people in Wales to online safety.
The pupils’ engagement with the project has taken several forms; initially they worked with representatives of the Young People’s charity Platfform to share their thoughts and experiences of how they can stay safe online and the potential risks of using the internet. This then moved on to the ‘Digital Den’ competition, in which the pupils designed a resource that could be used in schools to highlight the importance of online safety. Welshpool High School entered two groups into the final of this competition and one of our groups, Click Safe, won. We were incredibly proud of the efforts and performance of the students, as not only did we have the winning team, but our other team, Guardians of the Web, were runners up.
Click Safe (Cliciwch y Ddiogel) team members were Freya Davis, Oliver Foster, Atticus Hannon, Seth Kershaw and Rosie Pritchard.
Guardians of the Web (Gwarcheidwaid y We) team members were Rosemary Agg, Micah Bain, Iwan Bennett-Wilson, Florence Court, Elsie Haynes-Griffiths, Emilia Preston and Jakub Stasinowski.
As a result of their success in this competition, both groups were invited to attend the celebratory event at the Senedd, which marked the publication of a report into online safety for young people, co-authored by Platfform and NSPCC. Our winning group were invited to speak in front of the assembled guests and explain how they had created their resource and how it has been received in school. Both groups had the opportunity to speak to guests and discuss their involvement in the project and all the pupils proved to be excellent representatives of Welshpool High School. Although the project is now complete, the voices of these pupils are represented in the final report, which is due to be presented to Welsh Government by Platfform.
We are incredibly proud of the hard work of the pupils and their commitment to the project and their contributions to a national debate. Da iawn pawb!
Digital Den Success
On Tuesday 25th November, Mrs Smith and Miss Jones and 12 year 8 pupils travelled to Newport to take part in a ‘Digital Den’ event. This was the culmination of a project that they have been involved in since year 7, working with a representative of the charity Platfform, and in conjunction with NSPCC, to raise awareness of the importance of staying safe online. The pupils worked in two teams to create a resource that could be shared with other pupils in school to promote understanding of how to stay safe online.
Team one, Guardians of the Web (Gwarcheidwaid y We), designed characters that could be used in an online game, encouraging pupils to complete missions which were designed to highlight online safety. The team members were Rosemary Agg, Micah Bain, Iwan Bennett-Wilson, Florence Court, Elsie Haynes-Griffiths, Emilia Preston and Jakub Stasinowski.
Team Two, Click Safe (Cliciwch y Ddiogel), designed a booklet that could be used in form groups to inform and educate pupils on where to access support if using the internet and how to protect personal data online. The team members were Freya Davis, Oliver Foster, Atticus Hannon, Seth Kershaw and Rosie Pritchard.
Both teams presented in front of other schools taking part and to a panel of judges, including the CEO of Platfform, a senior representative of the NSPCC in Wales and a representative of Welsh government. We are very excited to share that Team Click Safe were the winners of the competition, meaning that they will receive £500 towards the production of their booklet and the chance to visit the Senedd next year to present their idea. Our other team, Guardians of the Web, were also highly commended, with the judges expressing enthusiasm for their animation ideas and aims. Both teams will continue to work on their ideas, with the support of Mrs Smith in school and Platfform. A fantastic outcome and congratulations to the winning group!
In the past, our eSafety group members have been involved in a number of initiatives including:
- Creating presentations to be published on the school information screens
- Deciding on questions for the pupil and parent eSafety surveys
- Analysing the results of the surveys
- Delivering eSafety assemblies to younger year groups
The aim of the group is:
- To get a wide range of opinions across the whole school community
- To monitor the impact of e-Safety training
- To identify and fill any gaps in our eSafety training
- To promote initiatives e.g., Safer Internet Day
- To use individual skills effectively
- To work together to improve eSafety in school
ESAFETY USEFUL LINKS:
Resources for Parents/Carers – HWB Keeping Safe Online Zone
Common Sense Media – Common Sense Media: Age-Based Media Reviews for Families | Common Sense Media
GoCompare – Your child’s safety online is as important as their offline safety. In this guide, learn all about broadband parental controls and how to make sure they are protected Broadband Parental Controls: How To Keep Your Child Safe Online