Each academy has its own designated safeguarding team which can help you and give advice on a range of aspects that may be affecting you or your lifestyle.

At Alpha Academies Trust we have systems and guidance in place to educate and help students to understand the importance of staying safe online, and to prevent harmful or inappropriate content from appearing or being accessed at school. We have an internet filter  that works to block websites that may be inappropriate or harmful whilst still allowing students to get the educational benefits available through use of technology.

As a secondary measure we also use a monitoring software that keeps a record of any ‘violations’ it detects, ranging from the use of racial, homophobic or extreme words in documents or on websites and the access of web pages with inappropriate names. In most cases websites will be automatically closed down as well as a ‘violation’ logged.

Additionally we have an Acceptable Use Policy in place and all staff, students and visitors sign an Acceptable Use Agreement that clearly defines the expectations when using technology or devices provided by the school. This policy and agreement is integrated with other key policies such as safeguarding, anti-bullying and behaviour.

We aim to train and educate the entire school community on Online Safety:

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Worries and anxieties – helping children to cope: information for parents, carers and anyone who works with young people.

WHAT IS PREVENT?

Prevent is part of CONTEST, the Government’s strategy to address terrorism. The main aim of Prevent is to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Prevent focuses on all forms of terrorist threats.  E.g. international terrorism, far right extremists (among others).

The Government’s Prevent strategy can be found at the following address: www.homeoffice.gov.uk

Home Office The first duty of the government is to keep citizens safe and the country secure. The Home Office plays a fundamental role in the security and economic prosperity of the UK. Home Office is a ministerial department, supported by 31 agencies and public bodies . www.homeoffice.gov.uk

THREE KEY THEMES

The police, Local Authorities, and our partner organisations are working together to help strengthen and empower our communities to reject those who want to cause harm. We work together and focus on three key themes:

• Safeguarding vulnerable individuals through the provision of advice and support and intervention projects.
• Working closely with institutions such as Universities, Schools, Prisons, Health, Charities and faith establishments.
• Challenging terrorist ideology by working closely with other local and national agencies, partners and our communities.

PREVENT STRATEGY LEAFLET

Please read our Prevent Strategy information.

The RHC button is an asset of SWGfL, a charity working internationally to ensure all benefit from technology, free from harm.

The button has been developed to offer anyone living in the UK a simple and convenient mechanism for gaining access to reporting routes for commonly used social networking sites, gaming platforms, apps and streaming services alongside trusted online safety advice, help and support. It also provides access to an online mechanism for reporting online harm to the RHC service for those over the age of 13 where an intial report has been made to industry but no action has been taken. RHC will review content in line with a sites’ community standards and act in a mediatory capacity where content goes against these.

Children under 13 years of age are encouraged to tell an adult that they trust about what has happened and to ask for their help in reporting this going through our how we can help resource together.

Information technology is ever changing and ever evolving. The possibilities and opportunities presented through proper use are invaluable and unimaginable. As such, Online Safety is a crucial part of any schools key safeguarding duties. Alpha Trust has an ongoing commitment to safeguarding all children in our care and we encourage them to partake in and promote appropriate online behaviour and awareness of the risks associated with the use of Technology. We aim to educate students on how to manage these risks and provide them with a safe environment in which they can engage in educational online activities.

The main risks associated with the use of information technology can be categorised in to the ‘Three C’s’:

WHAT IS IN PLACE AT ALPHA ACADEMIES TRUST?

At Alpha Academies Trust we have systems and guidance in place to educate and help students to understand the importance of staying safe online, and to prevent harmful or inappropriate content from appearing or being accessed at school. We have an internet filter  that works to block websites that may be inappropriate or harmful whilst still allowing students to get the educational benefits available through use of technology.

As a secondary measure we also use a monitoring software that keeps a record of any ‘violations’ it detects, ranging from the use of racial, homophobic or extreme words in documents or on websites and the access of web pages with inappropriate names. In most cases websites will be automatically closed down as well as a ‘violation’ logged.

Additionally we have an Acceptable Use Policy in place and all staff, students and visitors sign an Acceptable Use Agreement that clearly defines the expectations when using technology or devices provided by the school. This policy and agreement is integrated with other key policies such as safeguarding, anti-bullying and behaviour.

We aim to train and educate the entire school community on Online Safety: