Online Safety
Online safety is an important part of keeping children safe. Extensive security measures are in place, which are monitored both internally and externally, to help safeguard pupils from potential dangers or unsuitable material. Online safety is taught in every year group so that children know and can demonstrate how to stay safe and behave appropriately online.
Digital Leaders are active around school and will report any issues to teaching staff. They join teachers, who lead Computing, in meetings and discuss what is going well in school and what could be improved. They support the use of technology, particularly iPads and Chromebooks. They enjoy sharing their knowledge with others, learning new skills, and promoting the use of all things digital throughout the school. Our Digital Leaders will be taking on more responsibilities throughout the year, including during Anti-Bullying week and Safer Internet Day.
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. We ensure that we update and support our parents by emailing relevant and up to date information from www.nationalonlinesafety.com
It’s essential to be realistic – banning the internet or technology will not work and it often makes a child less likely to report a problem. Our children are growing up in a technological world and education around safe use is essential.
Keeping Children Safe Online
Keep your child safe online – information taken from GOV publication – Keeping Children Safe Online Supporting Parents/Carers
It is important to have regular conversations about staying safe online and to encourage children to speak to you if they come across something worrying online.
Talk to your child about the importance of creating a safe online environment, including keeping any log-in details and passwords safe.
These resources will support you to talk to your child about a range of online safety issues, set up home filtering in a child-friendly way and set up age-appropriate parental controls on digital devices:
Online Safety – Support for Children
- Childline – Free and confidential advice for children on any issue, including online safety.
- UK Safer Internet Centre – Report and remove harmful online content via the national reporting centre.
- CEOP Safety Centre – Report online child sexual abuse directly to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command.
Online Safety – Parental Support
- Childnet Toolkit – Practical resources to help parents start conversations about online life and find support.
- Common Sense Media – Independent reviews, age ratings, and guidance on media, apps, games, and more.
- Government Advice – Official guidance on protecting children from online harms including abuse, sexting, and cyberbullying.
- Internet Matters – Age-specific safety checklists, parental control guides, and practical tips for digital wellbeing.
- Marie Collins Foundation – How Can I Help My Child? – Support for parents of children affected by online sexual abuse.
- London Grid for Learning – Online safety tips and presentations for parents, including guidance for primary-aged children.
- Stop It Now – Lucy Faithfull Foundation – Resources for parents concerned about sexual behaviour, including early intervention and support.
- CEOP Education Resources – Guidance and tools for parents to help protect children from online sexual abuse.
- ParentZone – Help and advice for parents navigating the digital world with their children.
- Children’s Commissioner Guide – A guide to help parents talk to children about online sexual harassment and harmful content.
Our Digital Leaders
Stay Safe ‘SMART’
The Stay Safe ‘SMART’ screensaver appears on all staff devices in school. Children are taught the SMART rules in Year 3 & 4 and revise them in Year 5 & 6. Our Digital Leaders teach EYFS and KS1 what they have learned. They visit classes to remind them of the rules and feedback to the Computing Lead (Miss Tillson) of how classes understand and implement these.
More information on what each year group has been learning about can be found here: https://www.hartelwickfederation.org.uk/elwick/computing/
Useful Links
Think-U-Know
A website which is intended to provide you with support and resources to help you learn about online safety at home with your child. You can find parent help sheets and age appropriate activities to support online safety at home. This is updated fortnightly when new content is added. Everything you need can be found HERE
Internet Matters
A website (similar to Think-U-Know) with the same focus of keeping young people safe when using the internet. There is a wealth of advice and also guides on how to set up safety controls on many different devices. Click HERE to access website.
#StaySafeStayHome
Any clubs, websites, agencies and organisations listed on this webpage outside of St Peter’s Elwick CofE Primary School are independent of the school.
