Online Safety is an integral part of children’s education in today’s digital world and is embedded in their learning at school. We also want to help our parents and children improve their own understanding of Online Safety issues so they can learn to use the internet and all digital media in a safe and secure way.

You can download the latest DofE advice for parents on cyberbullying here
You can access the DofE online parents support website called Parent Info here
 
At Home

As a parent you'll know how important the internet is to children - they use it to learn, play, socialise and express themselves.  It's a highly creative place of amazing opportunities.  But the technology children use every day can seem a bit daunting and you might worry about the risks your child can face online - such as bullying, contact from strangers or the possibility of them seeing illegal or inappropriate content.
To help you to protect your children online and decrease the risks they face you can engage with your children regarding their use of the internet while at home.  Here are some conversation starter ideas from www.childnet.com

 

• Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing online.

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  Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?

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  Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use.

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  Encourage them to help. Perhaps they can show you how to do something better online or they might have a friend who would benefit from their help and support.

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  Think about how you use the internet as a family. What could you do to get more out of the internet together and further enjoy your lives online

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The internet is full of exciting things. Apps and technology are changing quickly, and it can be hard for parents to keep up. But it’s important you do. Because for children, online life can appear as real life. And just like real life, it comes with risks. That’s why O2 has teamed up with the UK’s leading children’s charity, the NSPCC, to develop an award-winning partnership to help parents understand their kids’ online world and how to keep them safe within it.

NSPCC | Internet Safety for Kids | O2

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Parent Resources

To try and help parents with the fast moving and changing world of internet and social media we've suggested a few internet sites on this page which are fantastic resources, they contain information on different types of social media and how to help keep children safe.
 

Childnet also produce a leaflet for parents which you can download here.

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At School

As part of your child’s curriculum and the development of computing skills, we provide access to the internet only in teacher supervised lessons. We strongly believe that the use of the web and email is hugely worthwhile and an essential tool for children as they grow up in the modern world. But because there are always concerns about children having access to undesirable materials, we have taken positive steps to deal with this risk in school. Our school internet access provider is Southend Borough Council and it operates a filtering system that restricts access to inappropriate materials.

At the start of the school year, each class discusses how we can all stay safe online and the dangers we may face on the internet.  We then ask every child to sign an Acceptable User Agreement so that we know they have read and understood our school's rules on staying safe.