Pupil safety fears over internet lessons in schools

From next year teaching internet and "e-safety" will become mandatory in schools in an attempt to control the way in which pupils use social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and Twitter.

However Julie Lodrick, the principal at the Mount School in York, believes more needs to be done to train parents about the dangers young people face when surfing the web and the damage it can do to their social skills.

Research has found that almost a fifth of eight- to 17-year-olds using the web have come across inappropriate content and a third said their parents do not monitor their online activities.

Miss Lodrick said: "While encouraging that child internet safety is on the Government's agenda, highlighting the risks to young people must be a partnership between school and home. It is vital that parents have the skills to identify potential dangers from using the internet so they can work with schools to educate their children.

"Just as they teach their children how to be safe when they begin to venture out of the home on their own, parents must be able to do the same when allowing their children to use the internet."

She also believes the increased use of social networking sites could damage pupils ability to communicate face-to-face.

Miss Lodrick said the Mount would focus on getting pupils to understand the implications of posting information on a public forum which is open to strangers.

She also wants the school to keep pace with technology and trends to ensure the next big thing does not leave the school behind.

"It is important to be forward-looking. We can't just think right we have got on top of how young people use Facebook because in a few years something else will come along. As technologies converge it is important that schools think about what communication skills young people will need and what the world they will grow up in will look like."

The Government's Click Clever, Click Safe strategy was launched by Gordon Brown last month with industry and charities signing up.

From 2011, primary school children in England will receive compulsory lessons in internet safety, where they will be told not to share information with strangers over the internet, to block e-mail contact from those they don't know and highlight anything suspicious.

Miss Lodrick said: "While making internet safety part of the curriculum is a step in the right direction, it doesn't go far enough to protect young people against the risks of advancing technology.

"We must think beyond current technology and ensure children and young people are able to safely navigate their way through new technologies as they emerge."

However, the head of the country's only all-girl Quaker school believes the traditional setting of a boarding school is ideally placed to tackle this 21st century problem.

Miss Lodrick said: "As technology advances, we are at risk of losing social skills, and we must ensure that our children are emotionally as well as 'digitally' intelligent. This is where modern boarding can play an important part.

"Social networking sites such as Facebook provide a way for children to relax, chat to friends and exchange news. At home, this often happens in the isolation of a bedroom but in a boarding house, it is real time, live, face-to-face interaction that takes place. Being part of a group, children eat together and participation in communal activities and trips provides a balance to the time spent at the computer, which boarders are able to do at appropriate times.

"We don't believe in banning things outright as children will always find a way of circumventing this but we allow them to use things like social networking at set times and in a controlled environment. Children need down time as well. They can't be expected to be constantly on the go and it is in this time where they can use the internet to interact with their friends."

Software offers pupils a safe environment for networking

Primary schools in Yorkshire are trialling new software developed in the region which will provide pupils with a site which stores their work and allows them to "social network" in a safe environment.

Robin Hood Primary School in Leeds, St Anne's Catholic Primary in Keighley, Eastburn Junior and Infants, near Keighley, and Our Lady of Victories Primary in Bradford have all agreed to use the Student Jotter programme.

It has been developed by Keighley software firm WebAnywhere to be used in schools.

Pupils can write blogs, post messages on each other's "walls" and upload pictures and documents using Student Jotter in a style similar to Facebook. They can also add friends to their pages from within their own school. However, the site will also be used to allow pupils and their parents to access their schoolwork.

Sean Gilligan, who founded WebAnywhere from a makeshift office in his parents' bedroom five years ago, said: "Recent research has shown that there can be a negative side to social networking sites, for example bullying, and the decision to start teaching internet safety to children reflects this.

"But we have worked hard to make Student Jotter completely safe, so schools can enjoy the many positive points of a social media platform in the knowledge that their pupils are protected."