Ty Isaf Infants School of Pontymister, Risca, has been awarded the nationally recognised Online Safety Mark. The prestigious Online Safety Mark is only awarded to those schools that have demonstrated best practices in safeguarding their children online, through achieving the national benchmark levels in 360 Degree Safe. The school has won praise from their local MP Chris Evans who welcomes this achievement and commends the efforts of Ty Isaf teachers to teach children about the importance of online safety at such a young age.
In 2020, the ONS found that 9 in 10 children aged 10 to 15 said they went online every day. Mr Evans maintains it is, therefore “essential that children are taught how to safeguard themselves before they begin to engage with the online world on their own terms.”
360 Degree Safe is used by 15,000 schools across the UK and since its release in 2009, only 400 schools have received the award.
The MP for Islwyn said:
“I would like to congratulate Ty Isaf Infants School on their achievement in receiving the nationally recognised Online Safety Mark. The rigorous yet rewarding Online Safety Mark, awarded by the charity SWGfL, recognises only those schools who have demonstrated the very best practice in protecting children online.”
“The school is one of only 400 across the UK who has received this coveted recognition and I am thrilled that they have been rewarded for their work. I hope Ty Isaf Infants School can act as an example for other schools in the region looking to improve their online safety provision.”
These efforts must be met with accompanying support from the Government in order to ensure the online world is safer before they engage with it. This is why the Labour Party are calling on the Government to implement the proposed Online Safety Bill that would establish “a duty of care on companies to improve the safety of their users online, overseen and enforced by an independent regulator.”
Chris Evans MP said:
“The long-awaited Online Safety Bill must tackle legal but harmful content and put in place a robust framework so that everyone can use the internet safely – particularly children and the vulnerable.
“The onus of safety must not only be on our children’s teachers and parents but also the Government. It has a responsibility to protect our future generations, and the passing of this bill is paramount in that effort.”
