Cybersafety at Malvern Primary

Cybersafety is an important issue for young children. By the time young children arrive at school many are already online or using digital technologies. They visit their favourite websites, play games and use social media or apps such as ABCkids or Club Penguin. Students in the 21st century spend increasing amounts of time online, learning and collaborating.

Malvern Primary School recognises the need for students to be safe and responsible users of digital technologies. We believe that explicitly teaching students about safe and responsible online behaviours is essential in the lives of students and is best taught in partnership between home and school. We request that parents/guardians work with us and encourage this behaviour at home.

To be safe online and to gain the greatest benefit from the opportunities provided through an online environment, students need to do the right thing by themselves and others online, particularly when no one is watching.

Safe and responsible behaviour will be explicitly taught at our school, and parents/carers are requested to reinforce this behaviour at home. Some online activities are illegal and as such could be reported to police.

At Malvern Primary School, we:

• Support the rights of all members of the school community to engage in and promote a safe, inclusive and supportive learning environment.
• Have a Student Engagement Policy that clearly states our school’s values and the expected standards of student behaviour, including actions and consequences for inappropriate behaviour.
• Educate our students to be safe and responsible users of digital technologies.
• Raise our students’ awareness of issues such as online privacy, intellectual property and copyright.
• Supervise students when using digital technologies for educational purposes.
• Provide a filtered internet service but acknowledge that full protection from inappropriate content can never be fully guaranteed.
• Regularly monitor student traffic on the school’s computer networks to identify potential problems.
• Respond to issues or incidents that have the potential to impact on the well-being of our students.
• Know that some online activities are illegal and as such we are required to report this to the police.
• Require students and parents/carers to sign Acceptable Use Agreements for their time at the school.

In December 2015 the school was accredited by the Alannah & Madeline Foundation as an eSmart School. As an eSmart accredited school, we are recognised for having an embedded culture of positive technology use that is supported by policies, practices and procedures. We provide students with the skills they need for smart, safe and responsible use of technology. Being eSmart means knowing how to guard against security and privacy risks online, download content in a legal and ethical way, research and reference information, as well as manage reputation and relationships in cyberspace.