Online Safety
For most people the internet is an integral part of life and has many benefits. For young people, the internet is an inexhaustible supply of entertainment and information. As they grow, they will find themselves using it even more especially when it comes to higher education.
Nevertheless, it is important to teach our children (and our parents) about the underpinning knowledge and behaviours that can help to navigate the online world safely and confidently regardless of the device, platform, or app.
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 is a checklist for parents to help their children stay safe which you can download here. Or you can engage with your children regarding their use of the internet while at home. Here are some conversation starter ideas from childnet.
- 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
At School
As part of your child’s curriculum and the development of computer 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.
At the start of the school year, each class discusses how we can all stay safe online and the dangers we may face on the internet.
Policies
Federation Online Safety Policy
Federation Remote Learning Policy
General information
Here are quick links to a range of Internet safety sites that you may find useful too...
Parental Controls
Here is a checklist for parents to help their children stay safe which you can download here.
NSPCC information on parental controls
Childnet information on parental controls
Privacy settings are an important part of keeping our young children safe and you can find out more information about them here
Parent Fact Sheets & Guides To Popular Social Media
Click on the following links to find some useful parental guides to the following social media
Key Stage 1
Jessie and friends can show parents the latest information on how to keep their 4-7 years old's safe on line, please click here
Smartie the Penguin can also share information on keeping safe on-line
Digiduck stories have engaging online safety stories for young children aged 3-7
Smartphone Safe
If you would like to know more information on how to keep your child safe when they are using a smartphone here is a very useful and informative link here