Online safety at home

Creating a safe online environment for children at school is a responsibility we take very seriously and you can find more information on how we do this in our Online Safety Policy (available on our policies page). We know that parents or carers will also wish to create a safe online environment at home and the following information and resources may help if you are unsure how to go about this.

We strongly recommend you set age-appropriate parental controls on digital devices and use internet filters to block malicious websites. These are usually free, but often need to be turned on. The resources below or device instruction manuals will help you find information on how to do this for your devices.

Don't know where to start?

These resources support parents and carers to keep their children safe online:

• Thinkuknow provides advice from the National Crime Agency (NCA) on staying safe online
• Parent info is a collaboration between Parentzone and the NCA providing support and guidance for parents from leading experts and organisations
• Childnet offers a toolkit to support parents and carers of children of any age to start discussions about their online life, to set boundaries around online behaviour and technology use, and to find out where to get more help and support
• Internet matters provides age-specific online safety checklists, guides on how to set parental controls on a range of devices, and a host of practical tips to help children get the most out of their digital world
• London Grid for Learning has support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online, including tips to keep primary aged children safe online
• Let’s Talk About It has advice for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation
• UK Safer Internet Centre has tips, advice, guides and other resources to help keep children safe online, including parental controls offered by home internet providers and safety tools on social networks and other online services

Reporting concerns

If you have any concerns regarding a child's welfare, please report this via our Report a Concern form as soon as possible.

You can also report harmful or upsetting content found online as well as online bullying or abuse to, and seek advice from, other agencies in the following ways:

• report harmful online content to the UK Safer Internet Centre
• get government advice and trusted resources from Educate Against Hate on safeguarding from radicalisation, building resilience to extremism, and promoting shared values
• get advice on reporting online abuse from the National Crime Agency’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection command
• get advice and support from Anti-Bullying Alliance for children who are being bullied

Our Online Safety team

Mr Takolia our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, also leads on online safety. If you have any concerns about safeguarding in respect of online activities please report this to our safeguarding team or any staff member of our school. 

Online safety is taught in school as part of the curriculum, and is reinforced whenever children access the Internet. The use of the Internet in school is strictly filtered via local authority filters and monitored via Impero at all times.

We do however, recognise that parents are the single most important resource a child has, and want to support you.  We strongly recommend that parents monitor their children’s activity on the Internet, especially as many have access to personal connected devices like phones, gaming consoles, tablets and Smartwatches. We understand that as parents/carers you may need support 

Please as parents, carers and family members do read the information on the links below and take action to protect your children when they are online at home. If you require advice around parental controls, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Takolia. 

Online Safety Guide to the Internet

1. Always keep to the agreed times of day to be online, the length of time to be online, and the areas that you can visit.
2. Never give any passwords to anyone outside your family – even friends!
3. Never give out any of the following information during a ‘chat’ session or when accessing online forums or message boards:
   • Your real name (use a pseudonym – a false name)
   • Your parents’ or brothers’/sisters’ real names
   • Home address
   • Home telephone number
   • Parents’ work address/telephone number
   • The name, address or location of your school
4. Never send an online person any photographs or anything else without first checking with a parent
5. Never arrange for someone you meet online to visit your house
6. Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without parental permission. Any such meeting should be in a public place and at least one parent should accompany you. Your house should remain occupied during the meeting to prevent burglary.

Monitoring what your son or daughter does on the Internet can sometimes be a daunting task, but it is important to remember that (when used correctly) the internet can be a positive learning experience.

The following guidelines have been produced with this in mind.

• Check filtering of mobile data as well as broadband – but do not rely on this
• Make sure that you know the services your children use
• Keep the computer in a family room and ensure all devices are removed from the child’s bedroom at night.
• Go online yourself so that you are familiar with and understand the potential benefits and risks associated with Internet access
• Get to know your child’s ‘online friends’ just as you do their other friends
• Let them feel they can discuss any worries with you – even if they have made bad choices
• If you are concerned about your child’s online activities, talk to them about it
• Develop an agreed set of family Internet rules. Use ‘Family rules’ document for an example (see link).
• Make sure that your children are familiar with, and adhere to, your ‘Family Internet Rules’ which should be posted near the computer as a reminder
• Monitor your children’s compliance with these rules
• Should you become aware of the presence of child pornography online, report this immediately to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, on telephone number: 0800 800 500

Parent Controls Guidance - Produced by Knowsley CIC

This guide will help you set up parental controls and adjust privacy settings to provide your child with a safer online environment. Parental controls can help to protect your child from seeing something that they shouldn’t — although it is important to emphasise that no system is effective all of the time, so it is important to engage with your child and talk to them about their online life regularly. We are happy to support you to set up parental controls. Please contact the school main office to arrange. 

Access the Parental Controls guidance. 

Online Safety, Support and Gaming guidance

Broadband Parental Controls Advice from Internet Matters

The Internet Matters website has created a guide for parents to ensure that their children stay safe when using the internet. Setting parental controls for the internet can help you decide what you would like your children to be able to access online, it can reduce the chance of your child stumbling across inappropriate sites and you can also monitor what you child has been looking at online. There are step by step guides on setting parent controls for a range of Internet Service Providers and different devices you use within your home.

Facebook Support
Facebook Safety Centre

Online Safety
NSPCC and O2
Online safety helpline: 0808 8005002 

Online Safety
Get Safe Online

Instagram Support
Instagram Privacy & Safety

Facebook Support
Facebook Safety Centre