At St John’s, we teach the children about online safety through their computing lessons. The main emphasis for the children to TALK and SHARE their online world with their parents so they can be guided and dangers discussed and avoided. 

Above are the two SMART poster that we use at school and could help guide your conversation, as continually discussing and sharing  your child's social, online and gaming journeys is thought to be the best way to keep them safe and ensure they know the etiquette and their legal responsibilities when using the web from an early age. 

In school the curriculum has online safety embedded within it, but in addition to this we have three opportunities to push the message further and raise awareness.  In NOvember we use the NO part to raise awareness of things we don't want them to do. In February is National Safer Internet Day and then in the summer term we use May under the title of 'May The Force Be With You' to emphasis the child having the power to control their online world but that they are still 'padawans'. 

We are also part of the iVengers programme where a group of children are promoted to these online safety super heroes.  Their role is to lead not only the children, but also to involve the parents.  

The school itself ensures the children explore the internet safely by having a firewall, filters and specific logins appropriate for the children.   Below are some links to websites that can help parents put similar precautions on place on their home devices, also their are posters which guide you through some of the dangers that may present themselves on various common games and platforms.

Website that gives parents great advice on setting up devices:

https://www.internetmatters.org/

Posters that guide you through diffferent apps and games:

In addition to the posters you can also watch videos with your child which help with conversations.  The BBC have a range that you can watch to spark conversations.  We use these in school as well to get the children thinking and discussing important issues that may possibly affect them.

BBC OWN IT :     https://www.bbc.com/ownit/the-basics

Information to help keep your child safe online can also be found on several websites. The following we have found to be particularly useful:

Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP)

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) website is run by the National Crime Agency. It has links to various websites and information available for all ages of children. In addition, if you wish to report a concern relating to online safety, visit the link below.

Think U Know

The internet has changed all of our lives, particularly our children’s. For parents and carers this opens up a whole new world of things to be aware of. For many of us, this can all be a bit too much. You might be struggling to keep up with the things your child is doing online, you might wonder whether what they are doing is safe, and you might also be thinking how can I be as good a parent online as I am offline? This site aims to make online parenting simple!

Always be careful when you are using the internet. It can help you to keep in touch with your friends and help your education – but it can also cause harm – to you and to others.

Remember help is always available at school if you are having any problems online.

Don’t be afraid to talk to your teacher or another adult at school.

If you or anyone you know is worried about Child Exploitation, Online Protection or anything related to Internet safety please click the link below which will take you to the CEOP reporting website:

CEOP

https://www.ceop.police.uk/ceop-reporting/

Helpful links to look at with your family

Age 5-7

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/5_7/

Age 8-10

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/8_10/

Age 11-13

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/11_13/

Tips for staying safe online:

· Make sure you keep new online friends strictly online. If someone you don't know asks to be your online friend you must ensure an adult knows about it.

· Know how to use the CEOP Button and how to report it to the CEOP Centre if you are concerned about someone’s online behaviour towards you.

Need to talk to someone?

Sometimes it's easier to talk about a problem. That's why the NSPCC have set up there helpline, to answer any questions you or your child might have about staying safe online.

Whether you're after techy advice on things like:

• information about an app or service in general
• privacy setting on apps
• parental controls on your wifi

Or want help with more personal matters such as:

• how to stop online bullying
• what to do about who your child's messaging
• how to talk about sexting.

They're here to help.

Whatever you're worried about, big or small, give them a call on 0808 800 5002 for free, seven days a week. If your child's worried about you talking to us, you can call them together, and they'll reassure you both.

Links and Documents