Online Safety
Online Safety is an important part of keeping children safe. Any online Safety incidents in school are recorded and managed in accordance with our Online Safety Policy. Online Safety is taught in all year groups using the principles in the government 'Education in a connected world' document and using resources from Project Evolve. This focuses on educating children about three key areas: content, conduct and contact.
We can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work with parents to ensure the Online Safety message is consistent. It is important that parents speak to their children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online.
There is helpful guidance for parents and carers from the UK Safer Internet Centre here:
Safer Internet - guide and resources for Parents/Carers
We hope that the following parent guides from National Online Safety are useful in supporting you to keep your children safe online when at home. Please let us know if there is an area of online safety you would like support and advice in, and we will source the information for you.
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advice for children with new devices
download_for_offline
download_for_offlineadvice for children with new devices
- age ratings parents guide download_for_offline
download_for_offlineage ratings parents guide
- conversation starters for parents and carers about online content download_for_offline
download_for_offlineconversation starters for parents and carers about online content
- location tracking parents guide download_for_offline
↑download_for_offlinelocation tracking parents guide
- screen grabs parents guide download_for_offline
download_for_offlinescreen grabs parents guide
- whats app parents guide download_for_offline
download_for_offlinewhats app parents guide
- you tube parents guide download_for_offline
download_for_offlineyou tube parents guide
Mobile Phones
It is crucial that parents exercise thoughtful consideration before allowing their child to have a mobile phone.
It is important to consider the intended purpose of the device, for instance, if a child primarily needs a device for messaging and occasional calls, opting for a ‘dumb phone’ might be a more practical choice than a feature-rich smartphone.
Talk with your child about responsible phone use
- Discuss what is is okay and not okay to use their phone for
- Make time to talk with them about time limits and expectations about when and where their phone can be used, e.g. this could include charging their phone outside of their bedroom overnight
- Talk to your child about their ‘digital footprint’ and encourage them to be responsible and compassionate when using technology
Discuss what to do if something upsetting or worrying happens
- Give your child the strategies they need in case something concerning happens whilst they are using their device. This could be to lock the screen and tell an adult, make a report to a platform or to block a user
Explore parental controls
- Explore the controls available both on the device itself and on your home Wi-Fi
- Talk these controls through with your child so they understand why they are important. An open and honest dialogue with your child will help to keep them and their peers safe online.
Internet Matters provides invaluable guides designed to assist parents and carers in making informed decisions:
- age ratings parents guide download_for_offline