At St Mary’s we value the use of new technologies, both as part of the computing curriculum and to support and enhance learning in all subject areas. Increasingly, educational resources are being made available online, and we seek to ensure our pupils are confident in using the technologies we have available and that they have access to resources that promote learning in an engaging way.

However, we recognise that as well as the benefits offered by new and emerging technologies, there are also risks and we work with staff and pupils to encourage the responsible use of ICT and have policies to minimise potential e-safety risks.
Our Internet safety policy (available on the Policies page of the website) is reviewed regularly and linked to other relevant policies. Our policies and practices are reviewed regularly, and the risks and benefits of new technologies are evaluated before they are adopted within school.

There are well-founded concerns about children accessing material on the internet that would be unsuitable.  Although it cannot be guaranteed that a pupil can never access such material, the school has taken steps to minimise the likelihood of a pupil accessing such material. These include using an internet service that is filtered at source using Schools’ Broadband from EiSKent, and requiring all pupil internet access during school hours to be supervised by a responsible adult.

As part of our e-Safety curriculum, we help pupils to identify safe behaviours and risks associated with the technologies that they have access to in school and at home.

We will provide opportunities for parents/carers to find out more about so they can support their children in developing safe behaviour.

Thinkuknow provide an excellent website for anyone who wishes to find out more about the importance of e-safety and provides useful advice for parents.

Here are some other links that may be useful:

Gaming
  • Ask About Games – advice on computer gaming and parental controls
  • Pegi – information about games rating
Mobile Phones