Staying safe online

Internet safety learning is an essential part of our children's lives today. Children use many different devices which are linked to the Internet and have the potential to be exposed to material, which is not appropriate for their age. This page gives you an insight into how we promote and develop children's knowledge of Internet Safety in school and lots of guidance for parents in keeping children safe online and on APPS.

These guides / websites include the NEW supervised parent options on YouTube, gaming such as Roblox, TikTok advice (age rating 13+) and protecting children from grooming and inappropriate image sharing.

Latest guidance suggests that parent and children's answers to surveys and questionnaires on Internet Safety Use are often very different. To give you an idea of children's screen use in the UK, here are some of the latest statistics supplied by Ofcom 2022:

With the use of technology increasing ever further into Secondary school, it is important to ensure both parents and children know how to use technology safely and are aware of dangers and what to do if faced with inappropriate material or a situation they are not safe in.

'Safer Internet Day' in February is an annual national campaign to build awareness of children's online safety. Each year there is a different theme which the children learn about in class through watching videos, activities and discussion in school. 2020-21 was a little different as the majority of children were learning from home, but there was never a more appropriate time to keeping our children safe whilst working, learning and playing online.

2020-21 theme was 'An internet we trust: exploring reliability in the online world'. In an increasingly digital world, it is easy to believe everything we read on the internet, but this year's activities were encouraging children to explore what they read and question and research the reliability of any articles, news or information they find online. Children were taught that although the internet is a priceless resource at their fingertips, not everything they read online should be believed!

2021-2022 theme was ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online’. From gaming and chat, to streaming and video, young people are shaping the interactive entertainment spaces they are a part of. Safer Internet Day 2022 celebrated young people’s role in creating a safer internet, whether that is whilst gaming and creating content, or interacting with their friends and peers.

For 2022-2023, the theme was ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online’. We conducted pupil and parent surveys to find out how children use screens and the experiences they have online.

i-vengers

To ensure our children are educated in Internet Safety, we include safety talks in our ICT lessons and within our PSHE curriculum. We also take part in Internet Safety Day every year and tailor the teaching and learning to our specific year groups and classes. Last year, we joined i-Vengers, a fully funded project to raise the profile of Internet Safety in schools. Our superb i-vengers team are our Internet Safety leaders. Last year, the team were extremely busy delivering an assembly to the whole school and designed and made an Internet Safety poster and video!

This year's team have reviewed the 12 top online safety tips and made some amendments.

See our video below and let the fantastic team tell you how to keep safe online:

i-vengers 12 top tips - stay safe!

The i-vengers Switch off and Sleep Well Mascot

Safety First to ensure fun is had online

Please find further advice added following the parent and child online survey. It is crucial that devices have appropriate parental controls and children are safe from harmful content.

Quiz for 7-11 year olds

Are you safe online? Would you know what to do in different situations? If you are in year 3, 4, 5 or 6, take this quiz to find out!

Quiz for 7-11s - UK Safer Internet Centre

Advice guides on apps and games children mention that have specific safety features or age restrictions

E-Safety online Parent workshop 2021-22

Parents Information Sheet.pdf

Below are links to websites and guidance to help parents keep their children safe on devices at home.

Lots of E-Safety tips and advice to explore on this site Primary School Resources on Online Safety | Internet Matters

and advice on screen time: Screen time advice hub for parents | Internet Matters

Gaming

www.taminggaming.com

Parent information – children with SEN

Children playing Grand Theft Auto / Call of Duty etc… Age-appropriate versions.

Online_Safety_and_Gaming_final_(for_screen) (swgfl.org.uk) - check out this helpful poster for advice, considerations and further support.

Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto (18+)

There are parent guides above for both of these games as to why children should not be playing them.

Roblox

Roblox is a recurrent issue for problems. Check out this checklist to make sure parental settings are right for your child and what to do if something goes wrong.

Roblox_checklist (swgfl.org.uk)

NEW* Supervised Experience on YouTube

How to set up a supervised experience for your child on YouTube - YouTube

YouTube - More choices for families from YouTube

Exploring Youtube Confidently

YouTube: Tips and tricks for child safety | Internet Matters

Parents guide to YouTube | The Dangers and YouTube Safety Tips (cpdonline.co.uk)

TikTok (age rating 13+)

Guardian's Guide | TikTok

TikTok-Family-Safety-Toolkit-NewZealand.pdf (netsafe.org.nz)

A Guide To TikTok For Parents | Safety Measures, Tips & Advice (cpdonline.co.uk)

TikTok app safety - What parents need to know | Internet Matters