Technology is a huge part of learning at Waldorf Knoll Academy and our students enjoy using IT to learn. We want them to be confident and safe users of the Internet and of new technology as it develops. Our aim is to teach students to use it in the safest way possible at schooling and home.
What is online safety?
Online Safety refers to child protection and safeguarding of both children and adults in the digital world. It is about learning to understand and use technologies in a safe, positive way, also about supporting children and adults to develop safe online behaviours (both in and out of school). Whether on a computer at school, a laptop at home, a tablet, a games console or mobile phone, children are increasingly accessing the Internet in a variety of ways.
As part of our safeguarding commitment we have developed an online safety committee of staff. As a group we review information and develop safe practices within the school. Part of our role is also to ensure parents are kept informed of school policy.
As part of the pupils’ curriculum, Waldorf Knoll Academy provides supervised access to the Internet. As a school we do not use Google with the student but instead use a student friendly search engine ‘KidRex’.
To reduce the possibility of students accessing undesirable materials our fiberoptic provider operates a filtering system that restricts access to inappropriate materials. All of our computers are in public view and access is supervised.