Information and Guidance for Parents
We have done all that is possible to ensure children are protected through the use of a filtered service and a requirement that an adult always supervises Internet access. Our children are taught to use the facility sensibly – the rules concerning Internet use are regularly discussed in class and we welcome your endorsement of these. We strongly recommended that parents consider and develop a similar set of rules for the use of the Internet outside of school. You might also like to discuss as a family the issues surrounding the downloading of music, mobile phones, social networking sites, and the use of blogs, within the home environment. You may find the following websites extremely useful to help ensure that children stay safe.
Childnet International is a non-profit organisation working to help make the Internet a great and safe place for young people. These sites are all created by this organisation
http://www.childnet-int.org
http://www.kidsmart.org.uk
Other useful sites include:
Safe Kids http://www.safekids.com
Bullying Online http://www.bullying.co.uk
Think U Know http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk
Using the Internet at School
As part of our school’s curriculum pupils will be provided with supervised access to the Internet. We believe that use of the World Wide Web and e-mail is worthwhile and is an essential skill for children as they grow up in the modern world. They will be able to obtain a rich variety of resources to enhance their studies as they research information from a range of other suitable web sites.
Our school uses the system Firewall- Untangle which filters through websites unsuitable for children, restricting access to pupils.
Children will be introduced to a set of rules (enclosed) and taught how to use the Internet. When they are given access to the Internet they will be supervised and directed towards specific curriculum activities and suitable web sites. However, the school cannot be held responsible for the nature or content of materials accessed through the Internet. The school will not be liable for any damages arising from your child’s use of the Internet facilities.
Appropriate home use of the Internet by children can be educationally beneficial, and can make a useful contribution to home and schoolwork. However, we advise parents that this use should be supervised. Parents should be aware that they are responsible for their children’s use of Internet resources at home.
We advise parents that it is good practice to provide filtered and monitored access to the Internet for your children. We ask you to consider the following guidance and advice on its use that you might find helpful at home.
Parents should:
- Discuss with their children the rules for using the Internet and decide together when, how long, and what comprises appropriate use;
- Get to know the sites their children visit, and talk to them about what they are learning;
- Ensure that they give their agreement before their children give out personal identifying information in any electronic communication on the Internet, such as a picture, an address, a phone number, the school name, or financial information such as credit card or bank details.
- Encourage their children not to respond to any unwelcome, unpleasant or abusive messages, and to tell them if they receive any such messages or images.
Please note that nowadays there are a lot of social communication sites where people can communicate with their peers. Sites such as Facebook and Bebo are not suitable and in fact most of these sites are for over 13 year olds. A lot of the content and conversations on these sites are inappropriate for young children. We advise parents to monitor which sites your children are visiting at home (if you have an internet connection at home).
Rawdhatul Uloom parents can be assured that their children are only using the Internet in school for educational reasons. Educational games nowadays are so advanced that pupils are enjoying a useful learning experience. Nevertheless, should your child report any seemingly inappropriate materials on the computers please contact us immediately and we shall look into the matter. All users must be aware that their use of the Internet is monitored and that action will be taken to counter any abuse.