School pupils are regularly taught about how to stay safe online when using the Internet in dedicated tutor and assembly sessions but this usually refers to keeping themselves safe. Recently year 8 have been learning about keeping their personal data safe, how they can protect their data from being stolen, how to avoid identity theft and how to protect their accounts from being hacked. They have learnt about encryption, know how to identify secure websites and are learning how to spot suspicious emails and other activity. The students showed a good awareness of the importance of these life skills and we had some excellent discussions in class with everyone offering their opinions and experiences.
Pupils have also learnt about how barcodes and QR codes work and they were able to make an informational poster containing lots of QR codes they had created themselves on a topic of their own choosing. These make a colourful display and attract attention from pupils in other classes who then try to scan the codes to find out what the display is all about.
Wendy Banks, Head of ICT