Our Online Safety leads are Mrs Jones, Miss Watson and Miss Maybury
Please see our policy for how we ensure the safety of your children whilst in school on our Documents page
We always start the academic year with an online safety topic in Computing skills. We aim to model and share how to keep safe online for all pupils. This is a vital skill in today’s ever-growing technological world. As we are moving to online learning more for everything from homework to bubble closures, we need to ensure our children are as safe as possible.
A good way to start this is with an agreed usage charter at home – stick it on your fridge where everyone can see it! Here is a fantastic example from childnet…
Another great tool is an agreed usage timetable with limited time online so children have time to communicate with others in the home and to get fresh air. Another great policy is to ensure no electronics in bed, just reading books.
If ever you are unsure of what age limit is set for a particular game/app, the National Online Safety website is fantastic and gives lots of brilliant advice for parents on what each game/app has involved and how to ensure your child stays safe… Or follow on X @natonlinesafety – they post new posters each week for brand new games/apps/consoles.
As children age, they will, no doubt, want to use tablets/phones to be social with friends online. The best advice for this is to always communicate and make sure you are aware of your child’s login details and who they are speaking to. Do not allow them to have private accounts that you cannot access. Have an open and honest approach to online safety and your child will keep you informed of anything they are worried about.
They must be told about digital footprint and how what they post is always available to someone online. Technicians who work for apps/websites will be able to access whatever you post online, even when deleted.
Follow the link below for how to stay safe on popular apps…
https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/social-media-guides
If you would like any support with any specific apps/websites your child is accessing, please speak to Mrs Trickett, Mrs Selby or Mrs Jones on the gate in the morning/after school or call school/email school: 01226 286510 or wardgreen@hcacademytrust.education.
Let’s work together to keep all children safe. If used correctly and safely, the internet is an amazing rescource!
