Northumberland ICT & eLearning
December 2023
Training highlights for Spring 2024
Meeting filtering and monitoring requirements
17th January '24 - 5.30-6.15pm, online.
Learn how filtering and monitoring works in Northumberland schools and get an overview of recent updated Dfe guidance.
Introducing the new Northumberland online safety audit and website
10th and 11th January '24 3.45-4.15pm, online.
Join us for a quick introduction to accessing and completing your online safety audit, and navigating the online safety support website.
Cyber awareness
5th February and 12th June '24 3.45-4.55pm, online.
This session will be delivered by Maria Bartley, a Force Specialist Cyber Protect & Prepare Officer with Northumbria Police. Maria will take us through the risks we should all be aware of and the key actions we can take to protect our personal accounts and our school network.
Annual online safety update
24th January and 1st May '24 3.45-5.00pm, online.
We recommend that all members of staff attend this session annually. In it, we'll cover key areas of risk and how to mitigate these. We'll then move on to cover recent trends, risks and key actions you can take as well as highlighting some new resources to ensure your team is up to date and prepared for the year ahead.
Online safety audit and support website - live!
The new Northumberland Online Safety Self Audit tool and Online safety support website are now live and available to all schools in SLA3.
The audit is designed to take you through six key areas of online safety in order to identify areas of strength and areas for future development. It includes a range of criteria including changes recently published in KCSIE 2023 and Meeting digital and technology standards in school and colleges.
The audit will help you to understand and demonstrate an awareness of what you're already doing well and what could be improved, so that you can identify clearly the steps you are taking to make improvements over time and monitor your progress.
The online safety support website provides guidance and resources linked to the six focus areas. Covering everything from curriculum guidance to details of how your internet connection is filtered and monitored.
Don't have access yet? Please complete the following form and we'll be in touch.
We have two remaining dates available for our 30 minute introductory session: 10th and 11th January, both 3.45pm, online. Please get in touch to reserve a place.
New resource: Online Misogyny
Internet matters have published a report exploring children’s exposure to online misogyny which reveals it is becoming increasingly difficult for parents and professionals to protect children from harmful influencers, such as Andrew Tate.
Please take the time to read this eye opening report and the guidance for teachers linked below which includes links to some brilliant classroom activities exploring online misinformation and spreading positivity online.
Some resources require an internet matters account but this is completely free to set up.
New Christmas devices?
Internet matters, along with Tesco Mobile, have produced a 'one-stop shop for all the things you need to set controls and privacy settings on new and old devices that your children use, with plenty of advice on how to deal with online risks. We’ve also made sure to include tips on how to make the most of their digital world, based on what they like to do.'
Parents complete a simple survey which takes around 8 minutes, and then receive a personalised digital toolkit packed with useful advice.
Safer Internet Day 2024
Safer Internet Day falls on the 6th February 2024 and is a brilliant opportunity to celebrate all of your year round efforts to ensure your pupils are resilient, critical and knowledgable users of the internet, while encouraging valuable conversations between pupils, teachers and parents.
There is a huge bank of resources and activities to choose from, plus our guidance around planning online safety activities using the guides and templates available in School360. See links below.
Christmas and New Year - be cyber aware!
Please remain vigilant as you complete your Christmas shopping and perhaps take part in the new year sales.
'Shoppers lost over £10 million to cyber criminals during last year’s festive shopping period, with 25–34 year olds most likely to fall victim.' - NCSC
The NCSC is urging shoppers to look out for:
Urgency: Are you told you only have a limited time to respond? Criminals often threaten negative consequences or costs.
Scarcity: Is the message offering something in short supply? Fear of missing out on a good deal can make you respond quickly.
Current events, such as Black Friday: Criminals will often exploit current news stories or specific times of year to make their scam seem more relevant.
Read the following article from NCSC for further details and see the top of this newsletter for details around our cyber awareness session running next year.
Do you know what Quishing is?
Quishing is the new phishing. It relates to the malicious use of QR codes to direct a user to a fake website or to download malware. You can read more about quishing and how to protect yourself in the handy NCC The Beat article.
Did you sign up for your free Microbits?
This is your reminder that you can claim free BBC micro:bit devices. Please register by following the link below. Once you have your kit, why not sign up to one of our micro:bit introductory sessions running on the 16th of January and the 13th of June next year? For further course details click HERE.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from all of us at the Northumberland ICT team! We hope you all have a lovely break and if you have any queries about the content of this newsletter or would like to arrange training or a date to discuss how we can support you in the New Year, please get in touch!