Online Safety Information

Welcome to our online information page which will give you advice and support for any online/ internet safety issues. Please do not hesitate to contact the school for any advice or concerns you may have about your child or support needed as a family.

Online Safety Group

Mrs Hayley Bennett  – Senior Leadership Team

Mrs Allison Griffiths – Teacher Governor

Mr Matthew Ace  – Parent Governor

PC Skyrme  – School Police Liaison Officer

Ms Amber Charalambou – Community Family Liaison Officer

Digital Superstars/Champions – Class pupils- Pupil voice

Online Safety at Home – Activities

Children are accessing technology and the internet at a younger age than ever before. It’s never too early to talk to your child about what they do online and who to tell if they come across anything online that makes them feel worried, scared or sad. Click on the link to access the activity.

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Using Parental Controls

Parental controls are a good tool for keeping your children safe online. Find out how you can use them more effectively.

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/Parental-controls/

What do parental controls do?

These controls are designed to help you manage your child’s online activities. Parental controls can set online time restrictions for your child and create content filters to manage the content they see. Parental controls can be used across your broadband, Wi-Fi, apps, games consoles and personal devices including mobile phones and tablets.  There are various types, some of which are free but others which can be bought.

However, nothing is totally fool proof so they shouldn’t replace the need for you to support and advise your child on online safety.

5 actions for setting parental controls

1. Set up home broadband parental controls and make use of controls on your home broadband.

2. Set controls on your search engine; encourage your child to always use child-friendly search engines and activate and lock the safe search settings on the browsers and platforms they use.

3. Use privacy settings on apps and devices; activate the safety measures offered by different sites. Social networking sites like Facebook have privacy settings that will help prevent your child from sharing too much personal information or from seeing unsuitable advertising.

4. Block pop-ups. If you’re worried about your children accessing inappropriate content though accidentally clicking on adverts in pop-ups, follow the advice from Tech Advisor on how to stop these.

5. Have open conversations with your child about online safety and reassure them that they can talk to you or a trusted adult whenever they need to. By talking to your child about their interests you can help them find suitable sites to visit and apps to use. Review these sites as they get older.

How can I use parental controls? 

Accessing device controls can vary according to the manufacturer. Controls can offer differ types of protection. From filtering out adult content in search results, to preventing your child from buying things when playing games. You can find instructions on how to set controls on the manufacturer’s website or to find specific guidance for your device, network or platform use this online tool from Internet Matters.

Control settings will apply whether the device is being used in your home or outside. It’s also easy for controls to be switched off, so make sure your child understands why the settings are in place.

What are some examples of parental controls? 

Games consoles

Most games consoles come with settings, which can be put in place for either the device itself or the games platform. It’s easy to forget that games consoles allow players to connect to the internet and talk to people all over the world, So setting controls on devices and on the platform itself is important.

Broadband and network

Broadband and network controls can be used to prevent inappropriate material from being accessed. For example, restricting anything with a horror or sexual content from being accessible via your home broadband. Instructions for accessing these filters can be found on the service provider’s websites. Look at the bottom of the page to find the “help” or “security” page.

Online controls

Search engines such as Google allow users to filter out certain types of search results. This means you can reduce the risk of your child seeing adult content like pornography, or set limits on the time they spend online. Look for the cogwheel “settings” symbol where you will find the options for each provider. You can also encourage your child to use safer search facilities, such as SafeSearch Kids from Google.

Social media and other websites

As with search engines, social media and sites like YouTube have privacy and security settings. These can prevent your child from being contacted by strangers or from seeing inappropriate material. It is important to remember that content filters can’t prevent other people from sending offensive or inappropriate messages or comments to your child’s account. So controlling who can contact your child is a key step.

Paid controls

It is also possible to buy filter programmes. These can be either solely for filtering purposes, but some virus protection software also offer filtering options.

Concerned about your child?

If you are concerned about your child and need further help or advice, click on the link.

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Concerned-about-your-child/

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Get-help/

Helpsheet

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/home-activity-worksheets/

Parents and carers:

Primary school children – 8 steps to support your child to be safer online
1. Explore together. Ask your child to show you their favourite websites and apps
and what they do on them. Listen, show interest and encourage them to teach
you the basics of the site or app.

2. Chat little and often about online safety. If you’re introducing them to new
websites and apps, talk to them about how to stay safe on these services and in
general. Ask if anything ever worries them whilst online. Make sure they know
that if they ever feel worried, they can get help by talking to you or another
adult they trust.

3. Help your child identify trusted adults who can help them if they are worried.
This includes you and other adults at home, as well as adults from wider family,
school or other support services. Encourage them to draw a picture or write a
list of their trusted adults.

4. Be non-judgemental. Explain that you would never blame them for anything
that might happen online, and you will always give them calm, loving support.

5. Supervise their online activity. Keep the devices your child uses in communal
areas of the house such as in the living room or kitchen where an adult is able to
supervise. Children of this age should not access the internet unsupervised in
private spaces, such as alone in a bedroom or bathroom.

6. Talk about how their online actions affect others. If your child is engaging with
others online, remind them to consider how someone else might feel before
they post or share something. If they are considering sharing a photo/video of
somebody else, they should always ask permission first.

7. Use ‘SafeSearch’. Most search engines will have a ‘SafeSearch’ function,
allowing you to limit the content your child can access online. Look out for the
‘Settings’ button on your web browser homepage, often shaped like a small cog.

8. Parental controls. Use the parental controls available on your home broadband
and all internet enabled devices in your home. You can find out more about how
to use parental controls by visiting your broadband provider’s website.
www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents

Other recommended resources
NSPCC PANTS. A simple way to keep children safer from abuse, by teaching them to
remember the 5 rules that spell ‘PANTS’. www.nspcc.org.uk/preventingabuse/keeping-children-safe/underwear-rule/
Internet Matters. A useful tool showing how to set parental controls across a range
of devices and websites. www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/interactiveguide/
Follow us on social media
For up to date information and advice:
@CEOPUK on Twitter
Click CEOP on Facebook
www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents

 

Reporting to  CEOP- ( Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre)

When should I report?

If you’re worried that your child is being groomed online or sexually exploited you should report your concerns to CEOP.

It is not always easy to spot the signs of online grooming and sexual exploitation so if you have any concern at all about someone your child is in contact with, you should get in touch.

You should always report if your child is or has been in contact with someone who is:

  • Chatting online to your child about sex
  • Asking them to do sexual things on webcam
  • Asking to meet up if they’ve only met them online
  • Requesting sexual pictures
  • Forcing them into sexual activity
  • Making them feel unsafe

CEOP is part of the National Crime Agency and can investigate what is happening – with the assurance that the safety and wellbeing of your child is paramount at all times.

If you are concerned that your child is in immediate danger, call 999. 

How do I make a report?

You can make a report to CEOP using the CEOP Safety Centre.

You will need to complete an online form which will ask you for your contact details and information about what has happened. It will ask:

  • What happened?
  • Who did it happen to?
  • What do you know about the suspect involved?

You should complete the form as fully as you can but don’t worry if you don’t have all of the details.

Do I have to give my name?

When completing a CEOP report you are reporting suspicions of crime to law enforcement so we can’t receive anonymous reports.

If you want to discuss your concerns with someone first then call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000.

Who receives the report and what happens next?

All of the reports are reviewed by our Child Protection Advisors. They will:

  • Read the report and assess the risk to your child
  • Look to make contact with you to discuss next steps
  • Give safeguarding advice and support

Supporting your child

It is important to remember that it can be difficult for a child to come forward and tell an adult what has happened to them – they are often embarrassed, fear adults won’t understand, scared they will get into trouble or that adults will over react. Ensure you tell your child that whatever has happened, it is not their fault and you are on their side.

Finding out your child has been sexually abused can be a traumatic experience. You may need additional support to come to terms with what has happened to your child.

Useful Links

These resources will support you to talk to your child about a range of online safety issues, set up home filtering in a child-friendly way and set up age-appropriate parental controls on digital devices: