Internet safety

Advice for parents and carers.

Online Safety

E-safety is an integral part of children’s education in today’s digital world and is embedded in their learning at school.

You can download the DofE advice for parents on cyberbullying here

It’s important to remember that the legal age to have an account on most social media – Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Youtube, Snapchat – is 13 years old.

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.

Or you can engage with your children regarding their use of the internet while at home. Here are some conversation starter ideas from www.childnet.com.

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

Parent Resources

To try and help parents with the fast moving and changing world of internet and social media we’ve suggested a few internet sites below which are fantastic resources. They contain information on different types of social media and how to help keep children safe.

www.childnet.com
www.thinkyouknow.co.uk/parents (Provides activities for children to learn about online safety)
www.internetmatters.org
www.net-aware.org.uk (This site allows you to look up apps and games to see their risk factors)
www.saferinternet.org.uk (This provides resources to talk about online safety woith your child)
www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
Childnet also produce a leaflet for parents which you can download here.

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 and monitering system that restricts access to inappropriate materials.

Every February, the children take part in ‘Safer Internet Day’, where they participate in activities linked to staying safe online.