Online Safety

E-safety is an integral part of children’s education in today’s digital world and is embedded in their learning at school. We also want to help our parents and children improve their own understanding of e-safety issues so they can learn to use the internet and all digital media in a safe and secure way.

At Home

As a parent you'll know how important the internet is to children - they use it to learn, play, socialise and express themselves.  It's a highly creative place of amazing opportunities.  But the technology children use every day can seem a bit daunting and you might worry about the risks your child can face online - such as bullying, contact from strangers or the possibility of them seeing illegal or inappropriate content. 

Here are some conversation starter ideas from www.childnet.com

• Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing online.
• Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?
• Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use.
• Encourage them to help. Perhaps they can show you how to do something better online or they might have a friend who would benefit from their help and support.
• Think about how you use the internet as a family. What could you do to get more out of the internet together and further enjoy your lives online.

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, always contact 999 for police assistance.

Think U Know: www.thinkuknow.co.uk

The National Crime Agency Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (NCACEOP) have a website which is suitable for children aged 5-16 and has a section just for parents/carers with advice and information.

NSPCC: www.nspcc.org.uk/onlinesafety The NSPCC have produced resources for parents. Their website covers excellent advice for parents about issues such as online grooming, nude image sharing and cyberbullying, as well as specific advice for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Childline: www.childline.org.uk

The Childline website has a wide range of information and advice on both online and offline safety for children. There is information about online gaming, grooming, and the Zipit App which helps children feel empowered when confronted with inappropriate chat online. They also provide a helpline for children to get advice over the phone: 0800 1111

UK Safer Internet Centre: www.saferinternet.org.uk

UK Safer Internet Centre provides a wide variety of advice and guidance to help you discuss online safety with your children. There are useful checklists for privacy settings on social networks and suggestions to consider before buying devices for your children.

Childnet: www.childnet.com Childnet has resources, including videos and storybooks, to help you discuss online safety with your children. It includes advices on setting up parental controls, cyberbullying and setting up a family agreement for safer internet use.

Internet Matters: www.internetmatters.org

Internet Matters bring you all the information you need to keep your children safe online. It has a tool which guides you through how to set up parental controls on all the different devices in your home to protect your children.

Parent Guide Tik Tok

16+ WhatsApp's minimum age in the UK

58% Kids aged 3-17 who use WhatsApp

37% Kids under 13 who use WhatsApp

1 Review privacy settings WhatsApp has a range of privacy and security settings to keep users safe. Customise groups, app access, live location and more.

2 Customise contacts Show your child how to report and block unwanted contacts. Then, work with them to add their friends and family. Review and talk about their contacts regularly.

3 Talk about personal information Make sure your child understands what personal information is. Talk about the importance of keeping that information private on WhatsApp.

4 Show them where to get support If something goes wrong or they see something worrying on WhatsApp, make sure they know to come to you, and talk about other sources of support.

5 Check in regularly Once you've done all of the above, check in with them regularly to review settings and how they use WhatsApp. 4 Show them where to get support If something goes wrong or they see something worrying on WhatsApp, make sure they know to come to you, and talk about other sources of support.

At School

As part of your child’s curriculum and the development of ICT skills, we provide access to the internet only in teacher supervised lessons. We strongly believe that the use of the web and email is hugely worthwhile and an essential tool for children as they grow up in the modern world. But because there are always concerns about children having access to undesirable materials, we have taken positive steps to deal with this risk in school. Our school internet access provider operates a filtering system that restricts access to inappropriate materials. 

Please note that no search engine is ever 100% safe but below provides some links to some “safer” search engines:

Research searching

nICE
CBBC
Kids Yahoo

Google offers a safer search option for children searching on the Internet. You can find out how to do this by downloading the instructions at the bottom of the page. 

Image searching

Pics4Learning
picsearch

NEW E-SAFETY PORTAL FOR PARENTS AND SCHOOLS - INTERNET MATTERS

Internet Matters is a new online portal designed for parents to access simple, easy and practical advice about online safety for their children, right through from pre-school to teens. It provides tips on protecting children from online grooming, cyberbullying, privacy and identity theft and inappropriate content. Internet Matters is a not-for profit organisation set up by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media. 

There is also a link to a list of picture books that can be used to teach children about being safe online.
Online Safety Storybooks (166KB)

Please find below the school's online safety policy:
Download Online-Safety-Policy-September 2023