1. E-Safety Advocates:
working with young people
to raise awareness
EMMA HADFIELD
LEARNING RESOURCES MANAGER
THOMAS ROTHERHAM COLLEGE
emma.hadfield@thomroth.ac.uk

2. E-Safety & Young People
 84% of 5-15 year olds use the internet at home
 22% of 8-11 year olds/68% of 12-15 year olds
have a social networking profile
83% of 8–11 year olds/91% of 12-15 year olds
are confident they know how to stay safe online
however……
Ofcom (2013) Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/media-literacy/october-2013/research07Oct2013.pdf
 6% of 8-11 year olds have profiles that can be
seen by anyone
 33% of 12-15 year olds have profiles that can
be seen by anyone and 3 out of 10 of their
‘friends’ they have never met
53% of 12-15 year olds know how to block
messages and 41% know how to change privacy
settings on social networking sites

3. E-Safety & Education
OFSTED
◦ “[institutions should] provide an age-related, comprehensive curriculum for e-safety that
enables pupils to becomes safe and responsible users of new technologies”
◦ “[institutions should] develop…e-safety procedures, including training, to ensure…a
positive impact on pupil’s knowledge and understanding” (Ofsted 2014 Inspecting E-Safety in Schools)
CILIP
◦ “librarians and information professionals, especially school librarians and children’s
specialists in public libraries, have a vital role in teaching children effective and safe use of
the internet” (CILIP 2014 Librarians’ Unique Role in Teaching Skills to Stay Safe Online)

4. E-Safety & Thomas Rotherham College
2011: E-Safety Focus
◦ E-Safety Policy
◦ E-Safety Officer
◦ Risk Assessments
◦ Inductions
2012: E-Safety Advocates Pilot
2013: CEOP Ambassador
2014: Whole Staff E-Safety Training

5. The E-Safety Advocates Project
Outline:
◦ trains students to deliver lessons about online risks to pupils in primary
schools
Goal:
◦ young people gain new skills, work experience and e-safety knowledge
◦ primary pupils gain e-safety knowledge

6. Setting it Up
Collaboration:-
◦ Local Primary Schools
◦ The Police
◦ Local Government Agency
Yorkshire Humber Grid for Learning (YHGfL)
“YHGfL was originally set up to meet the Government target of connecting
all schools in the region to broadband. Now adds value to the region by
becoming a strategic partner to the Government and to other relevant
agencies to provide a range of eLearning and eSafeguarding services and
resources for local authorities” (www.yhgfl.net)
Key People:-
◦ In-House Project Co-ordinator
◦ Primary School Contacts

7. The Students
 Application process/enrolment
 Work in groups of 3: mix of boys/girls
 CRB checked
 Expectations: work independently, professional approach, commitment, willing to travel
 Reasons for involvement: teaching career, work experience, build skills

8. Training
External Speakers
◦ Police: online risks, legal aspects
◦ Primary Headteacher: working in a primary school
Internal Project Co-ordinator
◦ E-safety
◦ Copyright
◦ Classroom management / lesson planning
◦ Presentations

9. School Visits
3 schools – key contact at each
Minimum of 2 visits prior to teaching
Build confidence and rapport with pupils / gain understanding of classroom structure
Discuss ideas with Primary Teacher

10. Preparation of Teaching Material
Independent work
Liaison with Project Co-ordinator
Guidance from schools on topics
 social networking, gaming, cyberbullying, stranger danger
 presumptions challenged
Team working skills put to the test
Work Produced by TRC Students (2014)

11. Time for Reflection
Practice run
Opportunity to make mistakes in friendly environment
Peer feedback
Reflect and improve

12. Delivery of Lesson
Team teach – one hour lesson
Teachers in the making
 Q&A, group work, individual study
 good classroom management
 inventive activities: bingo, word searches, posters, quizzes
Clear evidence of learning
Work Produced by Primary School Pupils (2014)

13. The School’s Response………
Enjoyable and relevant sessions
Provided a different voice to engage children
Added value – children respond well to teenagers
Stronger message - young people able to communicate risks
in a new way
Raised awareness / improved understanding

14. Evaluation/Celebration Event

15. The Student’s Response…….
Dramatic increase in skill sets – confidence, communication (speaking skills, ability to communicate
information to others), team working, organisational, decision making, leadership, presentation,
research skills (ability to search for information)
“with the skills I have learnt doing the project it will help me going forward”
Asserted career choices
“I have had a more realistic look into teaching”
“it has made me want to be a teacher even more”
Effectively educated younger generation
“primary pupils learn about e-safety from people who are the main age using social networking”

16. Improved Digital Literacy
Gained e-safety knowledge and increased confidence about safe online behaviour
Changed privacy settings
Deleted ‘friends’ they don’t know
Identified reliable online information
Awareness of copyright

17. Impact
For the Students
E-Safety Advocates for life
 Increased ability and willingness to continue to educate others in the future
 More likely to engage in e-safety conversations with peers/family members
For the College
Identified in whole College Self-Assessment Review
“The college is a pioneer in ‘e-safety for learners’,
leading on an E-Safety Advocates programme with local primary schools”.
Identified in Ofsted Report – February 2014 - College graded ‘Good’ overall
“The college is very proactive in relation to ‘on line’ safeguarding,
which is included in every student’s induction programme”.

18. What next………
Sustainable project
Positive effect on children and young people
Next cohort to be recruited in September
Prospect of similar initiatives in other schools/colleges