Whether children are accessing images, online games, social media platforms or just surfing the web, as part of their homework, they need to remain safe and have good mental health and well being. We hope the information that follows on this page will support you and your children to have those important conversations.
We have extensive security measures in place in school, which are monitored both internally and externally, to help safeguard pupils from potential dangers or unsuitable material.
Any online safety incidents are recorded and managed in accordance with our online safety policy and online safety is taught to all pupils as part of our PSHE programme explaining and demonstrating how to stay safe and behave appropriately online. We also regularly post online safety guides on our Facebook page.
Some useful websites:
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/ - 'Since 2006, Thinkuknow has been keeping children and young people safe by providing education about sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. Thinkuknow is unique. It is underpinned by the latest intelligence about child sex offending from CEOP Command. Thinkuknow aims to ensure that everyone has access to this practical information – children, young people, their parents and carers and the professionals who work with them. Alongside the Thinkuknow website the programme provides educational resources, including films, cartoons and lesson plans, to help professionals raise young people’s awareness.'
https://www.o2.co.uk/help/nspcc - contains articles and useful information for keeping your children safe online.
#StaySafeStayHome - Helpful Online Resources | Internet Matters - Internet matters is a not-for-profit organisation to empower parents and carers to keep children safe in the digital world. They have some easy-to-use instructions on using parental controls to help prevent children from accessing unsuitable content online and lots of other resources.
Online Safety for Children - Tips & Guides | NSPCC
The NSPCC has free online safety resources from setting up parental controls to advice on sexting, online games and video apps. There is also advice on how to start talking to your child about online safety and how to make sure they know they can turn to you about anything that worries them.
Useful resources:
Below you will find some information booklets to help parents' keep their children safe online. They have been produced by O2 and the NSPCC and Vodafone. They contain some vitally important information when it comes to child safety online.
whatsapp-guide-for-parents.pdf
yellow-thinkuknow-parents-guide.pdf
youtube-thinkuknow-parents-guide.pdf
snapchat-thinkuknow-parents-guide.pdf
musically-guide-for-parents.pdf
instagram-thinkuknow-parents-guide.pdf
facebook-guide-for-parents.pdf
ONLINE SAFETY - September 2023 update
From reception to the end of primary school, children’s digital journey changes a lot.
At a younger age, they might engage more with videos and tablet games. However, at the primary school age, children might talk more with family and friends or play online games. With more online interactions, they experience more risks and opportunities.
Internet Matters have produced a guide called ‘Discovering digital at primary school’ which will help prepare you for the new school year with insights into the online safety issues primary children might face.
Get Britain Talking
You might have seen the adverts on TV regarding the Get Britain Talking campaign which has launched a unique homework task designed to help young people open up about the hardest subject of all: what’s on their minds. The strength of this homework is that it offers a powerful nudge and a simple tool to facilitate children’s questions. Here’s the homework should you like to open up this conversation with your children.
Lego have created some wonderful activities for children aged 6-9 years covering different topics which are designed to help children navigate the online world safely, including conversation starters. All the activities and resources are free and can be found here:
Build and talk - Sustainability - LEGO.com
With everything that is going on around the world at the moment, it's important that parents know how to minimise the negative impact of what their children may be seeing. The Mental Health Foundation have put some advice together which you may find useful:
Talking to children about scary world events | Mental Health FoundationI'm sure you will have heard of ChatGPT - the capabilities are extraordinary but some parents may not be aware of it so Childnet have put together an informative blog for parents/carers to explain AI and ChatGPT, what it can/can't do and importantly, the safety considerations. You can find the blog here:
