Filtering and Monitoring

The Rosary Catholic Primary School has a commitment to providing a safe learning environment that protects our children from harmful online material.

What is Filtering and Monitoring?

Filtering means blocking harmful internet sites and inappropriate content.

Monitoring is the protocols and procedures employed to ensure that there is a robust approach to checking that our systems are effective and that we respond swiftly to incidents of concern.

We use a recognised service provider – LGfL – that filters harmful and inappropriate content. LGfL is a member of the Internet Watch Foundation. We use a firewall and robust antivirus software. We use an encrypted and password protected WiFi network. We manage data in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018. LGfL will contact our school if they detect suspicious activity and/or outside interference.

Staff are trained in how to respond to filtering and monitoring concerns should the need arise.

Our filtering system blocks access to harmful sites and inappropriate content without stopping pupils from recognising their responsibility in keeping themselves and others safe, and without negatively impacting our teaching and learning provision.

The staff member for ensuring that filtering and monitoring procedures are in place is Miss Bass. The governor responsible for ensuring that filtering and monitoring procedures are in place is Monica Goncalves.

Our school has provided laptops to pupils for use at home. These laptops are protected by Home Protect which ensures that all internet ‘traffic’ accessed from home is sent through the LGfL monitoring system. This means that school laptops used at home have exactly the same filtering protection as that in school.

Teaching and Learning

We ensure that our children are taught about online safety and that it is embedded in our curriculum. Children are reminded at the beginning of every computing lesson how to remain safe online.

We provide useful information for parents on dealing with online safety concerns on our school website.

When staff use the internet for the purposes of teaching and learning, they view online material in advance to ensure that it is appropriate for the age range being taught.

Pupils using the internet are always monitored by an adult although we ensure that they are responsible for keeping themselves and others safe, and that they know to report any concerns to a staff member. We do this through our online safety lessons.

How do we monitor website access?

Our DSL meets with our IT consultant half termly – and as required – to ensure that our systems are monitored. Reports can be run when needed to investigate any concerns. We have direct access to the LGfL support centre if we require advice or need to report a concern.

What do we ask children to do online?

Our children regularly access websites as part of their computing lessons and as part of the wider curriculum. Our children may be asked to research particular topics on the internet. Children are reminded about the important of typing web addresses accurately.

Our school uses WebScreen. This is a service provided by LGfL. WebScreen lists the websites that local authorities have deemed appropriate for school use and those which are inappropriate for school use. Inappropriate sites are blocked. Our school also uses Webscreen to list the websites which we, as a school, deem appropriate and inappropriate. Inappropriate sites are blocked. This list can be updated by our school as needed.

Which sites do we use?

Year 1:

media.abcya.com/games/connect_the_dots_abc_order/html/index.html

Create Your Own Comic Strips Online with MakeBeliefsComix

Year 2:

JIT5 (j2e.com)

WriteReader - Book creating tool to increase students literacy skills

Year 3:

Kodu Game Lab | KoduGameLab

Chrome Music Lab - Song Maker (chromeexperiments.com)

Year 4:

Scratch - Imagine, Program, Share (mit.edu)

Swiggle.org.uk - Child Friendly Search Engine for Kids

Kiddle - visual search engine for kids

Year 5:

Dance Mat Typing for 7 - 11 year olds - BBC Bitesize

BeepBox

Year 6:

Edublogs – free blogs for education – Blogs and websites for teachers, students, and schools

JSFiddle - Code Playground

Below are different search engines we may use when using the internet.

Who do our children interact with online?

Children may interact with external learning providers, for example, the scientists responsible for creating the Covid19 vaccine at Oxford University. External learning through Zoom always occurs with the class teacher and/or another appropriate adult present.

What is the role of the DSL regarding online safety and filtering and monitoring?

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Miss Bass.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is responsible for ensuring that the correct procedures and policies for online safety are in place. She is responsible for ensuring that pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online and the risks associated with internet use, including social media. This ensures that our children are empowered to recognise online risks and harmful behaviours, and how to access support. The DSL is responsible for ensuring that staff are well trained in the procedures and policies regarding online safety and how to respond to incidents of concern. The DSL is responsible for ensuring that parents can access resources and advice on how to keep their children safe online. These are accessible on our website under the Parents - Safeguarding tab. The DSL is responsible for working with other senior leaders and our IT technician to ensure that our filtering and monitoring systems are robust and effective.

September 2023