Online Safety
Children are growing up in a world with a bigger range of online activities than ever before and it is sometimes very hard for both children and adults to know how to stay safe.
Online safety is not just about protecting children from some of the dangers of the internet – it is also about helping them manage their use of technology. It is important to set parental controls or maximum time limits on devices and apps. See Internet Matters, NSPCC or ParentSafe for advice on how to do this. Remember to find a balance between the time your child uses their device with family time, hobbies and in-person activities.
Teaching children media literacy is an essential part of the online safety curriculum. Being able to critically analyse and evaluate information found online, requires skills, knowledge and understanding. This will help to empower our children to navigate the online world safely. Quality online safety education is key to safeguarding children online.
Throughout your child's time at Vittoria Primary School, we ensure that the Computing Curriculum contains advice and support so that your child can stay safe online. We follow a strict Online Safety Policy and teach children how to be responsible Internet users during ICT lessons. Children receive an internet safety session every half term, linked to their computing unit. They also receive regular reminders about online safety whenever they access laptops in lesson time. Please see our Computing Curriculum page for more information.
LGFL Parent Safe Website
At Vittoria Primary School, we use the LGFL resources to support us in keeping your child safe online. LGFL has a wealth of information and support for parents as well. You can find a wide range of resources to support you and your child by following this link:
Raising concerns:
If you have any concerns you can of course contact us at school but you may also want to report these through CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command) which is part of the National Crime Agency. This has been developed to support parents and professionals in dealing with and reporting online crime related to children.
CEOP have also created some helpful sites to look at as a family to support you in teaching your child online safety:
The best way to keep children safe online is to be armed with information so please use the links below to find out all you can to help protect your child at home when using the Internet.
General support for parents:
- https://www.internetmatters.org/
- https://parentsafe.lgfl.net/
- https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
- https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/
- Age-based reviews and ratings of apps, films and more- https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews
- An interactive game for children to learn how to be safer, more confident explorers online- https://www.parents.parentzone.org.uk/legendaryparent
- Conversation tips for talking to your child about staying safe online- https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/guide-to-encourage-kids-to-share-their-digital-lives/
- Help, support and advice to help children to be safe online https://www.bbc.com/ownit
- Safer Internet Day Handout
Guidance on parental controls:
- Parental controls for Apple, Android and other devices
- Entertainment (Netflix, iPlayer Disney+ and others)
- Broadband and Internet access (including mobile networks)
- Social media guides (including Whatsapp, Instagram and TikTok)
- Video games, consoles & platforms
You can find our Online Safety Policy by visiting our School Policies page.
