ONLINE Safety

The internet offers our children a gateway to the rest of the world; a place where they can play, collaborate, research and contribute. It's an exciting world out there and we need to ensure our children know how to get the most out of it safely.

Online Safety is taught throughout every year group addressing issues appropriate to age. Our online safety curriculum is based on Kapow's scheme for online learning, which highlights what a child should know in terms of current online technology, its influence on behaviour and development and what skills children need to be able to navigate it.

In 2018, we were awarded the Online Safety Mark, which highlights our commitment to ensuring our pupils are safe and responsible internet users.

Children in Early Years are currently taught about pop ups and in app purchasing, cyberbullying and inappropriate websites through an EBook: Smartie the Penguin. In Early Years, Key Stage 1 and 2 children are taught about self image and identity, online relationships, online reputation, online bullying, managing online information, health well-being and life style, privacy and security and copyright and ownership. We support our delivery with project evolve resources throughout the school.                            

As part of our commitment to Online Safety, we have reinstated E-Safety Ambassadors from September 2023, who will regularly meet with the Online Safety Committee. These children play an important role in keeping members of the committee up to date with gaming trends, raising areas of concern and helping to plan and deliver e-safety assemblies and lessons.

As part of Safer Internet Day this year, pupils will be using the theme 'Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online' to create a whole school display showing their activities, discussions, understanding and work.

As educators and parents, it is increasingly difficult to stay up to date with the latest apps, games, websites and the risks they pose. However this website: commonsensemedia has done the job for us. If you are not sure about an app that your child is using, simply type the name of the app in the search bar. The website will give you a parent overview of the app, age recommendations, user reviews and a great section named 'Families can talk about' that provide you with the information needed to have a conversation with your child about the app.

Internet matters is a fantastic website that offers advice on how to: lock down your devices; set up parental controls on your router; set up safe searching on google and much more.

We encourage our pupils to speak to an adult if they see or experience anything that upsets them online. If you believe a child is at risk of sexual exploitation. it can be reported by clicking on the click CEOP button here:           

Another brilliant resource that supports parents can be found on the Virgin Media website. This webpage supports parents and children with their knowledge of online safety and provides adults with tips, tricks and articles that will encourage productive conversations around the use of technology in a modern world.

Our Online Safety Policy can be viewed here.