Epsom College Embrace Internet Safety

Epsom College promoted internet safety and the safe and responsible use of technology as part of Safer Internet Day.

Epsom College were recently crowned winners of Parent Zone’s Digital School of the Year award. For Safer Internet Day 2017, the college organised a whole range of activities for pupils, parents and staff. This included a social media campaign as well as events where young people had the opportunity to have their say about the digital issues that affect them.

What is Safer Internet Day?

Will Gardner, director of the UK Safer Internet Centre and CEO of Childnet, said: ‘Safer Internet Day provides an opportunity for everyone across the UK and globally to unite for a better internet.

‘Whether you are a young person, parent, carer, school or organisation, we can all “be the change” and take positive actions to make the internet a better place. Hundreds of schools and organisations pledged their support for Safer Internet Day and it is this collaboration that helps ensure the day has such a positive impact, reaching 40 per cent of UK children in 2016 and growing year on year.’

The Epsom College community discussed recent news articles related to the theme like the national rugby team coach’s announcement that mobile phones would be banned during training sessions. Students also discussed the pros and cons of a total digital detox during the entire period of Lent.

Helen Keevil, director of welfare at Epsom College, said: ‘I am delighted with how enthusiastically the pupils and staff explored the power of online images this week.’

A-level photography students set up a photo booth in the library while lower-sixth peer mentors surveyed younger pupils during their lunch hour about their online behaviour, comparing it to their habits when they were that age.

Dr Aric Sigman spoke to Year 9 and lower school pupils about regulating their screen time, both in terms of their academic work and recreational use.

What’s more, the catering department provided an eye-catching display of orange and blue cookies with matching balloons to complement the various posters around campus.  The library also put together a selection of suitable reading material for half term on the topic of social media, including Dr Mary Aiken’s The Cyber Effect.