Online Safety
Children are growing up in a world with a bigger range of digital devices and online activities than ever before. These offer fantastic experiences and opportunities but it is sometimes very hard for both children and adults to know how to stay safe. We have put together this page to assist you in finding information to help you support your child with their digital wellbeing and online safety.
Parents/Online Safety Information
Most parents will want to reduce the risks to their children. Keeping up to date with guidance and knowing how to set parental controls, age restrictions and time limits etc. can reduce the online safety risks to children and young people. Online Safety forms an essential and regular part of our ICT and Health and Wellbeing curriculum. Class lessons and assemblies, sometimes with visitors from outside agencies, develop our children’s understanding of how to stay safe online and behave appropriately in the digital environment. Our local police officers speak to older children to explain some of the laws and responsibilities that come with using social media and mobile phone apps. In addition, we have a focus each year on Safer Internet Day. Online safety incidents are treated in the same way as any other pastoral concern and recorded by our staff in accordance with our policies.
The pace of change can be hard to keep up with. There are many websites that help you keep up to date with the latest information relating to online safety. Below are some links to such websites and links to helpful guides created by National Online Safety.
If you have any other concerns/worries or would like support relating to online safety, games or apps then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the school office.
Information & Advice Websites
- NSPCC Online Safety Pages: Their main page for information and advice on a range of topics.
- CommonSenseMedia: advice by parents and children about all media, apps, games etc. They have a great guide to parental controls
- Childline online safety pages: a great source of information and advice including videos and moderated forums.
- Ofcom Media Use & Attitudes Report 2023: stats and insights into parents and children’s relationship to being online.
- UK Safer Internet Centre
- Parent Zone Has lots of useful articles and information about online safety. Below are a few that are particularly helpful.
- Smartphones and Tablets
- Setting up New Tech
- Smart Watches and Fitness Trackers
Support for you and your child
- If a child is in immediate risk of harm, call 999.
- NSPCC Helpline: If you’re worried about the welfare of a child then call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email Help@nspcc.org.uk
- CEOP: If you’re concerned about someone making inappropriate or sexual contact with a child, report it to Child Exploitation and Online Protection
- Report Remove: Children can report nude images or videos of themselves to be taken down from the internet using the IWF and ChildLine’s Report Remove tool
- org.uk: dedicated information on gambling for young people. Includes a 24hr livechat service.
Guides
More to follow.
