Online Safety
Online Safety is an important part of keeping children safe at St Nicholas Primary School. We have extensive security measures in place in school, to help safeguard children from potential dangers or unsuitable material. Any online safety incidents are recorded and managed. Online safety is taught to all pupils explaining and demonstrating how to stay safe and behave appropriately online.
Throughout school we aim to teach children:
- about the impact of cyber-bullying and what to do if they have been affected.
- to be vigilant when communicating online recognising that people may not always be who they say they are and to be sensible about what they share.
- to tell an adult they trust if something is upsetting them.
- to question the reliability of information given through a web based source.
- to search responsibly for information while using internet browsers.
Pupil voice - Can you think of some ways you could stay safe online?
Year 1- Don’t talk to anyone you don’t know. Tell an adult of you see anything that worries you. Don’t share any of your private information.
Year 2- Don’t share your address or other personal information. Tell somebody you trust if you see something scary. Always ask permission to share people’s photos.
Year 3- Don’t talk to strangers, don’t share your private information, only play games that are suitable for your age.
Year 4- Don’t share your address or your name online.
Year 5- Don’t talk to people you don’t know, tell your parents if you are worried or if something doesn’t feel right, stick to an age rating, ask a grown up if it is okay to download something first.
Year 6- Only play games which are age appropriate, don’t always use the same password, don’t talk to strangers or share private information.
We follow the SMART rules:
Click here for our Monthly newsletters
Remember our Online Safety updates are shared on our monthly newsletter to support all our families at home.
These newsletters have hints, tips, guidance and useful research to support you keeping your children safe online at home.
Online Safety tips for Parents
Put yourself in control - Make use of the parental controls on your home broadband and any internet-enabled devices. You can find out how by visiting www.internetmatters.org/controls/interactive-guide/. This guide gives you step-by-step guidance to setting parental controls across many different devices, including those used for gaming.
Search safely - Use safe search engines such as swiggle.org or kids-search.com. Safe search settings can also be activated on Google and other search engines as well as YouTube.
Agree boundaries - Be clear what your child can and can’t do online - where they can use the internet, how much time they can spend online, the sites they can visit and the type of information they can share.
Explore together - The best way to find out what your child is doing online is to ask them to tell you about it. Talk to your child about what they like doing online. Use the Conversation Starter guide (see below) to help you start a conversation with your child, so you have a better understanding of what they do online and how you can protect them.
Check if it's suitable? - The age ratings that come with games, apps, films and social networks are a good guide to whether they’re suitable for your child. The minimum age limit is 13 for several social networking sites, including Facebook and Instagram. Visit https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ to find out age ratings and reviews of games, apps, movies and TV shows.
For further advice, visit these useful websites -
CEOP
CEOP is here to keep children safe from sexual abuse and grooming online.
You can make a report directly to the CEOP Safety Centre by clicking on the CLICK CEOP REPORT' if something has happened online which has made you feel unsafe, scared or worried. This might be from someone you know in real life, or someone you have only ever met online. CEOP take all reports seriously and we will do everything we can to keep you safe.
As well as making a report to the CEOP Safety Centre, the CEOP Education website has information and advice to help you if something has happened to you online.
Are you being bullied?
CEOP are unable to respond to reports about bullying but if you’re being bullied and would like to talk to someone in confidence right now you can speak to Childline on 0800 1111 or talk to them online – no worry is too big or too small.
Useful Guides
For more information please see our Online Safety Policy