With the continual increase in technology usage the issue of cyber bullying impacts more and more children. A survey, conducted by Vodafone and YouGov  found a fifth of respondents had experienced cyber bullying and over half felt it was worse than face-to-face bullying. Over a fifth of victims surveyed admitted to skipping school due to cyber bullies. But what can schools do to prevent and help solve the issues cyber bullying presents?

Cyber bullies are present in their victims’ lives constantly; the sanctuary of the home is no longer a comfort for victims when they are being pursued at any time, through a range of sources and often anonymously.

Issues that occur outside of school can still be investigated by teachers; for instance, the DfE has given teachers the power to search for and delete inappropriate images or files from electronic devices. However, prevention is always better than cure and in-school measures still hold the key to helping to prevent cyber bullying.

Pupils should be clear of the consequences cyber bullying has, on both victims and bullies alike. E-safety is increasingly becoming a vital part of the Computing curriculum, ensuring today’s children become safe online citizens as their use of the internet continues to grow. At Turn IT On we offer e-safety training as a part of our Teaching Expert Sessions,  providing the perfect opportunity to assess your school’s existing e-safety provision and how you could develop it further.

The filtering and monitoring of pupils’ searches and how they use the internet is essential in tackling cyber bullying and ensuring pupils are safe online. Turn IT On’s broadband  offering meets the filtering requirements of the DfE but also allows you to have the control to quickly and easily tailor the rules to suit your schools individual needs. With new legislation in the pipeline we are constantly working to ensure the filtering offered is the most up-to-date and effective way to keep your pupils safe.

By providing relevant, comprehensive e-safety education, schools are able to support their students in being good online citizens in school and outside the school gates.