Online Safety

Online safety is as an umbrella term for promoting the safeguarding of children and young people when using any device over the internet. Online technologies have become integral to the lives of children and young people in today’s society, both within schools and in their lives outside school. The internet and other digital and information technologies are powerful tools, which open up new opportunities for everyone. Electronic communication helps teachers and pupils learn from each other. These technologies can stimulate discussion, promote creativity and increase awareness of context to promote effective learning. However, it must also be remembered that children and young people have an entitlement to safe internet access at all times.  Whilst the use of these exciting and innovative tools in school and at home has been shown to raise educational standards and promote pupil achievement, the use of these new technologies can put young people at risk within and outside the school. It is therefore essential, through good educational provision to build our pupils’ resilience to the risks to which they may be exposed, so that they have the confidence and skills to face and deal with these risks. 

Many adults believe that young people know more about technology than they do, but there is more to technology than the technology itself. The internet, now more than ever, is about relationships, choices and respect. Its proper usage requires wisdom, positive personal values, emotional intelligence and self-reflection, and this is where schools can really take a lead, something we focus on doing here at Marlborough. It is our firm belief that as educators we have a responsibility to teach our pupils how to make good choices when it comes to their online behaviour, whilst providing the necessary safeguards via blocking, filtering, monitoring and escalation processes.

Our Online Safety policy can be accessed here.