February 2015 Newsletter

Project run by South West Grid for Learning with Welsh Government to improve e-Safety in Wales through education & support for schools

Click here for WELSH version of this newsletter

We hope you had a successful Safer Internet Day followed by a restful half term break! Here's what we have for you this month:

Safer Internet Day events in Wales
e-Safety Zone on Hwb - advice areas
Teaching Year 6? Ideas on how to use the Digital Literacy Resource
360 safe Cymru free self-review tool for schools - update
Used 360 safe Cymru or the Digital Literacy Resource? Get in touch

For any questions or suggestions please email us at esafety@swgfl.org.uk

Safer Internet Day events in Wales

In our role as leading coordinators of the UK Safer Internet Centre, SWGfL were invited to attend the Safer Internet Day event in Barry at All Saints Primary who kindly hosted the event and made it the success it was. Attended by Deputy Minister for Technology and Skills Julie James, many senior educators and our colleague Ken Corish, it proved to be the children who owned the day and led many of the activities.

On the day pupils from All Saints Primary and Sandfields Comprehensive School in Port Talbot took part in activities and workshops around the theme of Safer Internet Day and showed the role they played in putting together the #Up2Us film created by over 150 young people from all over the UK.

The film looks at how young people see the internet and how they believe it is up to each and every one of us to make the internet a better place. Our Friendship in a Digital Age report reveals that 30% of 11-16 year olds have experienced someone being mean to them online in the last year, but also 3 in 4 young people believe they have the power to create a kinder online community.

Children from All Saints had prepared films and wall activities for others to participate in. Students from Sandfields Secondary School led expert sessions on Vine, Instagram and Snapchat.

The young people also took on the challenge on the day to share a smile via social media and came up with fantastic & creative ways of sharing a smile online.

Not far away, in Ysgol Gyfun Bro Morgannwg, Barry, our colleague Andrew Williams joined students from Years 8 and 9, the Deputy Children's Commissioner and a senior Digital Leader from Welsh Government. The students were exceptionally honest and open when discussing online issues and everyone learned something from the conversations that took place.

The pupils created their own 'Digital Smile' using the hall chairs and looked for smiles around the schoo. Finally, there was a technology exchange for adults to hear from students at the school about the online tools and apps they use.

Welsh Government, deputy minister for technology, Julie James, said:

"As part of our support for Safer Internet Day we have organised e-safety awareness raising activities in schools across Wales. We have also worked with the UK Safer Internet Centre to produce bilingual school packs to support schools in their ongoing work in this important area.

These activities are part of the Welsh Government's ongoing commitment to online safety for children and young people and the e-Safety zone on our Hwb platform provides advice and guidance not only for our young people but also for their teachers and parents.

In 2008, Wales was the first UK country to introduce the teaching of safe and responsible use of the internet in both the primary and secondary school curriculum."

The Welsh Government is an official supporter of Safer Internet Day.

We can officially confirm now that Safer Internet Day 2016 will be on 9 February.

Hwb e-Safety Zone advice areas

Over the past year we have been creating and enriching the e-Safety Zone on Hwb with new resources, articles and information about all things e-Safety. Teachers and school staff will find dedicated areas for schools, parents and young people. What is more, we have put together

Top 5 concerns or questions we know each audience has and have provided answers or advice around it.

For instance for teachers some of the questions we answer include:

- What should I do if someone is pretending to be me online?

- How do I talk to young people about online gaming?

- And do you feel confident in dealing with online safety issues in your school/ organisation?

Some of the questions we answer that parents may ask are:

- What do I do if my child is a victim of cyberbulying?

- I think my child has seen online pornography - what do I do?

- My child is under age but has created social media accounts. What shall I do?

For the responses and for more information & e-Safety advice go to the e-Safety Zone on Hwb.

Teaching Year 6?

Some ideas on how to use the Digital Literacy Resource

Your Year 6 class - technically capable, confident and naturally curious and daring. So, how can we help them understand the risks around talking safely online? The internet provides fantastic opportunities to make friends online, to play collaboratively, to chat, to message and, of course, to do so on multiple devices, including the mobile phone, through the family router, or 3G, or even 4G.

How many of the pupils in your Year 6 class use games which allow online chat? How many children now communicate daily online? How many have online-only friends? The majority! The new Digital Literacy Resources on Hwb are designed to empower pupils and students to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in our digital world. With 5 individual lessons for every year group from Foundation Phase to Key stage 4 and beyond, you can find the resources that are just right for your classroom. Browse by Key Stage or Year Group, for cross-curricular lessons which address digital literacy and citizenship topics in an age-appropriate way.

For Year 6, Talking Safely Online allows pupils to learn that the Internet is a great place to develop rewarding relationships. They learn that they should be cautious with online-only friends and never reveal private information without asking a parent or trusted adult for permission. The lesson is free to download with some great extra resources, including video clips, and activities.

You can go directly to the resources on Hwb.

360 safe Cymru update

The 360 degree safe Cymru e-Safety self -review tool was launched in October 2014. Based on the award-winning tool that had been in use in the UK since 2009, the tool allows schools to review their e-safety provision, produce action plans and access a wide range of relevant resources. The new tool is available in both English and Welsh language and is accessible through single sign on from Hwb.

To register to use the tool you need to sign into your Hwb account and then click on the link to 360 safe Cymru on the Hwb home page. You will be asked for a few user details and can then start to carry out your review.

There are 28 different aspects which you will review on a 5 level scale - choosing the level description that best suits your provision. The tool will suggest what you need to do to move to the next level. Schools that reach the required benchmark levels can apply for the nationally recognised e-Safety Mark.

We are delighted with the response to the 360 tool as there are now over 400 registered schools. Feedback from users is really positive. Two schools - Cadoxton Primary School and Barry Island Primary School, both in the Vale of Glamorgan have been awarded the e-Safety Mark.

In their feedback, Barry Island Primary School reported: " The self assessment tool and whole process is a wonderful experience and creates a focus and stimulation for the whole school to being e-safe to the best they possibly can be. Thank you for guidance and support and a positive experience".

If you would like any further guidance or support please use the "contact us" email in the 360 tool or alternatively email us at 360safe@swgfl.org.uk.

Used our new e-Safety resources? Get in touch!

We are very keen to hear from schools that have used our two new e-Safety tools for schools in Wales. So, if you have started using 360 safe Cymru to complete a self-review of your e-Safety policies and practices or if you have used a lesson plan or activity from our Digital Literacy Resource we would like to hear from you! Just email us at esafety@swgfl.org.uk

Find out everything you need to know about SWGfL E-safety at any time by visiting our website.

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Kind regards

South West Grid for Learning E-safety Team (Partner in the UK Safer Internet Centre)