Safeguarding Children at Moat House Primary - A Statement to Parents

In the interest of safeguarding children, there may be occasions when the school has to consult other agencies without parent’s knowledge. Our first concern is our children’s welfare and we have a duty to act to protect them at all times. Such consultation may result in a formal referral which could prompt visits from social services and/or the police.

We fully understand that this can be a very distressing set of circumstances, but we can only assure you that we follow the procedures laid down by the Coventry Safeguarding Board, a copy of which is available in school as is a copy of our own  policy.

 

Prevent:          

The Counter Terrorism and Security Act places a duty on schools “to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism” (the Prevent duty). The duty came into effect from July 2015. Staff at Moat House have all been trained to recognise the signs or indicators that might suggest a young person is being drawn into terrorism or extremism and they are all aware of what they should do if they are alerted to any of these. Staff training takes place annually to ensure that staff are aware of the most up to date guidance. For further information, please see the document.

Online Safety Policy:

We at Moat House School believe in using the Internet as a powerful learning tool that allows children to access an amazing range of materials which can be used to enhance learning. The internet allows children to view and use learning materials which they may not otherwise have access to.

The statutory curriculum expects pupils to learn how to locate, retrieve and exchange information using ICT. In delivering the curriculum, teachers need to plan for and make use of communications technology, for example, web-based resources and e-mail. Access to life-long learning and employment increasingly requires computer and communications use and pupils need to develop life skills in their use. Home and social Internet use is expanding and it is becoming an important part of learning and communication during leisure time. This brings pupils into contact with a wider range of information, the scope and nature of which may or may not be appropriate for the pupil. 

Our school must ensure that staff, parents and pupils are aware of the strategies we must all employ for the responsible use of the Internet in the school, home and community.  An agreed Acceptable Use Agreement will help to ensure that Internet use supports schools' educational aims, that responsibilities to pupils are met and that Coventry City Council requirements are satisfied.

The School’s Acceptable Use Agreement is part of the school’s Online Safety Policy and Improvement Plan.  It relates to other policies including those for behaviour and for personal, social and health education (PSHE) including citizenship.

 

Rules for Responsible Internet Use;

Everyone in our school has access to the Internet to help our learning. These rules will keep everyone safe and help us be fair to others.

• I will ask permission from a member of staff before using the Internet;
• I will use only my own login and password, which I will keep secret;
• I will not access other people's files;
• I will use the computers only for school work and homework;
• I will only e-mail people I know, or my teacher has approved;
• The messages I send will be polite and sensible;
• I will not give my home address or phone number, or arrange to meet someone, unless my parent, carer or teacher has given permission;
• To help protect other pupils and myself, I will tell a teacher if I see anything I am unhappy with or I receive messages I do not like;
• I understand that the school may check my computer files and may monitor the Internet sites I visit.

 

A full copy of our Acceptable Use Agreement can be viewed in the Policy section of the website.