Online Safety

Online safety is an important part of our computing/PSHE curriculum. In school, our Internet provider (BT Lancashire) operates a filtering system that restricts access to inappropriate materials. Unfortunately, these restrictions are not  in place outside school on devices such as mobile, phones, tablets, laptops and iPods etc.  As children are increasingly using the internet at a younger and younger age, we, as teachers and parents/carers, need to be proactive, teaching them how to use the web sensibly and be safe online.

In the Autumn Term, at the start of each school year, the children begin their computing curriculum with online safety. The skills taught in these first few weeks in school are then constantly revisited throughout the year, especially when carrying out research, using emails and blogs or during themed weeks such as Safer Internet Day.

Our Online Safety Posters are displayed in every classroom and are revised regularly with the children. The Acceptable Use Agreements are also revisited regularly over the school year. These can be downloaded below:

• KS1 Pupil Acceptable Use Agreement
• KS2 Pupil Acceptable Use Agreement
• KS1 Internet Safety Poster
• KS2 Internet Safety Poster

Our children follow these SMART rules when thinking about keeping safe when using the internet.  Have a read through them and talk about them with your child. 

St. Philip's Internet Safety Top Tips

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Watch Thinkuknow 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.

If you have any questions feel free to contact school and we will help you if we can.

It is worth looking at the Lancashire guidance for all of the up to date resources.

Lancashire Online Safety guidance

The latest app which Parents need to know about and be aware of is 'Tik Tok'.    Please click on the links below to find out more.

https://www.learningliftoff.com/what-parents-should-know-about-the-tik-tok-musical-ly-app/

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/parents-ultimate-guide-to-tiktok

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Click on the logo below to visit Lancashire's PREVENT website for information aimed to reduce the likelihood of young people becoming radicalised

Click on the link below to access the victvs website for a parental guide regarding extremism and radicalisation

Parents-Guide-to-Extremism-and-Radicalisation

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