A Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety (CR-IS) badge has been developed by Digital Schools Award NI to help schools keep pupils safe online.
The badge is backed by tech companies HP, Microsoft and RM Education, with support from ICT in schools network C2K, and the Department for Education.
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CR-IS will be available to all schools “that demonstrate a strategic approach to cyber-resilience and internet safety”.
Digital Schools Awards validator, Dr Victor McNair, said: “ Schools are ideally placed to provide progressive and relevant activities that help pupils build enduring and adaptable cyber-resilient skills.
“Teachers will instantly recognise the language used in the self-review framework and they will benefit from the local and national resources provided to help them develop classroom activities, partnerships and professional learning opportunities.”
Schools are ideally placed to provide progressive and relevant activities that help pupils build enduring and adaptable cyber-resilient skills.
– Dr Victor McNair, Digital Schools Awards
Karen Irwin, UICT co-ordinator at Ballyclare Primary School, said, “Pupils are very much at the heart of our internet planning and strategy and we encourage an open dialogue between pupils, teachers and parents.
“Our Digital Leaders group which meets weekly is represented by pupils from each year group and together we work on creative projects and ideas to help everyone stay one step ahead in an ever-changing cyberworld.”
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The Digital Schools Awards programme launched in Northern Ireland in 2015 and has been completed by over 70 nursery, primary and secondary schools.
The programme is free for all schools to participate. For more information and to register for the new CR-IS badge, visit www.digitalschoolsawards.co.uk