Evaluation of e-safety materials for initial teacher training; meeting the needs of primary phase trainees

This paper reports on the development of an e-safety resource to be used with primary trainees. The teaching of e-safety to trainee teachers needs careful consideration and be underpinned by the principles of the Byron Report (2008, 2010), Every Child Matters (DfES, 2004d), “safe-guarding” and the professional standards (DfES, 2007). Due to the ease by which some children will give out personal information, the anti-social behaviour of others and the actions of predatory adults, safeguarding and child protection in schools is requiring of teachers to be ever more vigilant with regard to the behaviour and experiences of the children in their care. The Byron Review (2008) in the UK makes explicit the steps that need to be taken to protect internet users and recommends that new teachers entering the profession are equipped with e-safety knowledge and skills. This ‘research and development’ project scopes, designs and evaluates e-safety materials suitable for training primary phase trainee teachers