Online Safety Statement

New technologies have become integral to the lives of children and young people in today’s society, both within school and in their lives outside school.

The internet and other digital and information technologies are powerful tools which open up new opportunities for everyone. These technologies can stimulate discussion, promote creativity and increase awareness of context to promote effective learning. Children and young people have an entitlement to safe internet access at all times. 

All staff at Mill Water School appreciate the duty of care they have to ensure that our pupils, who are vulnerable because of their complex learning and communication needs, are able to use the internet and related communications technologies appropriately and safely. However, we recognise that the use of these new technologies can put them at risk within and outside school. Some of the dangers they may face include:

    • Access to illegal, harmful or inappropriate images or other content
    • Unauthorised access to/loss of/sharing of personal information
    • The risk of being subject to grooming by those with whom they make contact on the internet
    • The sharing/distribution of personal images without an individual’s consent or knowledge
    • Inappropriate communication/contact with others, including strangers
    • Cyber-bullying
    • Access to unsuitable video/internet games
    • An inability to evaluate the quality, accuracy and relevance of information on the internet
    • Plagiarism and copyright infringement
    • Illegal downloading of music or video files
    • The potential for excessive use which may impact on the social and emotional development and learning of the young person.

These risks cannot be eliminated completely. It is therefore essential to build pupils’ resilience to the risks to which they may be exposed so that they have the confidence and skills to face and deal with them themselves.

Mill Water School strives to provide the necessary safeguards to manage and reduce these risks. Our Online Safety policy explains how we do this, while also addressing wider educational issues in order to help our pupils (and their parents/carers) to be responsible users and stay safe while using the internet and other communications technologies for educational, personal and recreational use.