Online Safety

Hounslow Heath Junior School recognises that the Internet can give children access to an enormous range of information, resources and tools to support their learning. We encourage them to safely use the wide range of available libraries, caches, search engines, databases, sites and online resources as part of their own research and other activities. Home access to the Internet and related technologies such as e-mail, messaging services and social media are commonplace. For this reason we accept our responsibility in helping children use safe and responsible behaviours whenever they use these technologies. It is essential that shared good practice within and beyond school is implemented in order to safeguard our community, also empowering children to protect themselves.

We have developed the following safeguards to ensure the safety of our children when using the Internet. Use of I.C.T. and digital technologies are monitored carefully with practices and policies kept under review to respond to an ever-changing environment.

• No close up pictures of individual children will be released or published unless permission has been granted by parents or guardians.
• Only authorised members of the school community are allowed to use school computers, devices and digital technologies, accessed by confidential passwords.
• Passwords are kept confidential by each user.
• Children are empowered to keep themselves safe, and encouraged not to share personal details on the web or when in dialogue with other Internet users. (Be aware that beyond the school and secure school systems, social media encourages the sharing of this information.)
• Information and personal details of other members of the school community are kept confidential, and shared only with appropriate authorities in accordance with data protection policies.
• Children only use agreed search engines and online resources under the supervision of staff or responsible adults.
• The use of school computers and digital technologies, with filters for additional protection, is reserved for school work and appropriate applications.
• The school will monitor communication on school systems and secure sites.
• Everyone acts as good online citizens, abiding by the rules, policies and the law, treating others and their work with respect.
• Children and adults are expected to take care when sending and receiving messages, only opening a message or attachment, knowing the person who sent it.
• Our school community ensures concerns are reported immediately to a member of staff or responsible adult, without individually responding to inappropriate content.  

Online Safety Newsletters

Every term we publish Online Safety Newletters on the website to provide news and support to parents and carers regarding online safety. A direct link via ParentMail is provided to the Online Safety Newsletter, which includes news of developments in school, work carried out by our 'Digital Ambassadors' advice and support to parents and carers in order to keep the children and others safe.  

Online Safety Workshop for Parents and Carers (19.06.23)

Thank you to all parents and carers who attended the Online Safety Workshop at the School on Monday 19th June 2023 (1.45pm). It was a valuable first session for reviewing the current online safety measures and children's use of apps when online, outside school. 

The link below is the PowerPoint Presentation for the workshop. It includes valuable resources and links for support in keeping your child safe when online at home. It also includes the current targets and suggested areas to focus on in future. 

Please contact Mr. Gwilliams (DHT/Online Safety Coordinator) through the school at office@hhjs.hounslow.sch.uk with any queries, ideas or concerns.

ParentZone Online Guidance for Games Platforms and Websites

The school is working with pupils and parents to support children in keeping themselves safe when online outside school. Following the valuable training for pupils, parents and carers,  provided by the school and Parentzone, the link below provides lots of advice regarding keeping your child safe when online at home, for example with gaming and other online activities such as Youtube, Discord, TikTok, Roblox, WhatsApp and many more. Use the search facility to locate the information and advice you are seeking. Do not hesitate to contact the school regarding any queries or concerns.  

Acceptable Use Policies

Our school community understands that, if it has been established that 'rules' have been broken, appropriate action will be taken by the school, and access to school systems may be restricted or modified.

The 'rules' and Acceptable Use Policies are agreed with the children, parents, carers and staff using I.C.T. and digital technologies at Hounslow Heath Junior School. These A.U.P. policies are available below. 

Online Safety Resources and Links

These links are valuable resources for supporting e-safety both in school and at home .

Safer Internet Day 2024

Safer Internet Day is Tuesday 6th February. The Digital Ambassadors are working with the Online Safety and Computing Coordinators to make everyone safer when online, particularly when online on our own outside the school site.

They previously set up a poster competition for the school to find key messages for the whole community. The aim is to find a key message or slogan for the poster that will help the readers keep themselves safe. The poster must focus on the key message and impact on the reader. The poster must be handed in to the class teacher by Friday 4th February. The Digital Ambassadors will choose the winning posters from a shortlist. There will be prizes for winners in each year group, which will be presented in assemblies and the posters displayed on the website. 

The best posters will be displayed in the ICT Suites.