Online Safety
Children have regular online safety lessons throughout the year and we hold an annual training for parents as part of our e-safeguarding policy. This is currently being updated and approved by Governors and will be called Online Safety. Below are links that you may find useful. These include websites for children to use and information on how to keep your children safe online.
Our lead for Safeguarding in school is Liz Holland who can be found in the hub. If parents/carers have any questions or concerns about online safety, you can also contact our Business Manager, Claire Stephenson or our computing Lead, Miss Sharp via the school office.
The online world is posing an ever-increasing risk to children, and it is important that schools, parents and carers work together to take an active role in teaching children about online dangers. Learning how to act safely when using the internet is an incredibly important part of safeguarding our children.
We are therefore delighted to announce that Westminster C of E Primary Academy have shown our commitment to protecting our pupils online by working with National Online Safety- providing resources for all parents and carers.
The resources include Parents & Carers courses (presented by Myleene Klass), online video resources and weekly guides covering a huge range of topics, including:
|
· Online Relationships · Fake Profiles & Social Bots · Online Bullying · Online Grooming · Child Sexual Exploitation · Sexual Harassment & Violence · Sexting · Live Streaming · Online Identity · Screen Addiction · Online Challenges · Overspending · Social Media Platforms
|
· Online Gambling · Radicalisation, Terrorism & Extremism · Age Inappropriate Content · Copyright & Ownership · Hacking · Fake News · Online Fraud · Online Reputation · Personal Data · Pornography · Targeted Adverts & Pop-Ups · The Dark Web · Games & Trends
|
To create your account, please follow https://nationalcollege.com/enrol/westminster-c-of-e-primary-academy and complete your details. When you’re set up, you’ll be able to set ‘Parent/Carer’ as your user type.
You can access National Online Safety online via any device- including via our brand-new smartphone app. To download the app, please go to:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/national-online-safety/id1530342372
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.nationaleducationgroup.nos
Alternatively, search for ‘National Online Safety’ in the App Store/Google Play Store.
Answers to frequently asked questions and customer service can be accessed at https://helpdesk.thenationalcollege.co.uk/helpcentre
Digital Parenting
How do I get my child off a device?
Setting Boundaries around apps and games — Digital Families Counselling
Information for foster carers
Enable Pathway | Digital Training for Foster Carers (enable-pathway.com)
Useful Links
Parent Information on E-Safety
For Parents - You Tube Restrictions
What is cyber security - expert advice to keep families safe online
Here are some parent information guides from the National Online Safety website
Social Media and Mental Health Parent Guide
Need to know about Group Chats - Parent Guide
Top Tips for Parents and Online Safety
- Talk to your child about what they’re up to online. Be a part of their online life; involve the whole family and show an interest. Find out what sites they visit and what they love about them, if they know you understand they are more likely to come to you if they have any problems.
- Watch Think U Know films and cartoons with your child. The Thinkuknow site has films, games and advice for children from five all the way to 16.
- Encourage your child to go online and explore! There is a wealth of age-appropriate sites online for your children. Encourage them to use sites which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
- Keep up-to-date with your child’s development online. Children grow up fast and they will be growing in confidence and learning new skills daily. It’s important that as your child learns more, so do you.
- Set boundaries in the online world just as you would in the real world. Think about what they might see, what they share, who they talk to and how long they spend online. It is important to discuss boundaries at a young age to develop the tools and skills children need to enjoy their time online.
- Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a family space. For children of this age, it is important to keep internet use in family areas so you can see the sites your child is using and be there for them if they stumble across something they don’t want to see. (Youtube)
- Know what connects to the internet and how. Nowadays even the TV connects to the internet. Make sure you’re aware of which devices that your child uses connect to the internet, such as their phone or games console. Also, find out how they are accessing the internet – is it your connection, or a neighbour’s wifi? This will affect whether the safety setting you set are being applied.
- Use parental controls on devices that link to the internet, such as the TV, laptops, computers, games consoles and mobile phones. Parental controls are not just about locking and blocking, they are a tool to help you set appropriate boundaries as your child grows and develops. They are not the answer to your child’s online safety, but they are a good start and they are not as difficult to install as you might think. Service providers are working hard to make them simple, effective and user friendly. Find your service provider and learn how to set your controls.
Parent guides to using the internet
Guides for Parents on Cyberbullying, Filtering and more (webwise.ie)
Online Safety Resource Centre - London Grid for Learning (lgfl.net)
