Article 34 - Children have the right to be free from abuse.

Article 36 - Children have the right to protection from any kind of exploitation.

Article 36: Every child has the right to be protected from doing things that could harm them.

“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” Luke 6:31

A guide to online safety 

Each week The National Online Safety releases guidance for parents and carers relating to various platforms that our children have access to. These guides are updated each week. Please visit www.nationalonlinesafety.com for further guides, hints and tips for adults. 

At Colsterworth Primary, we use National Online Safety to help keep our children safe online. National Online Safety is an independent online safety training provider. Their mission is to educate and empower trusted adults with the information they need to engage in meaningful dialogue between children and young people about the online world, their online activities and the ever-evolving risks that they are exposed to. They focus on both general online safety risks and platform specific risks to provide adults with easy to follow information which enables conversations between adults and children.

National Online Safety provides online CPD for parents/carers, staff and governors. Specific training relating to E-Safety is also available for Designated and Deputy Safeguarding leads and SENCOs. This training is provided annually.

National Online Safety also provides us with monthly webinars on trending topics to help keep staff up to date with online issues. We also receive weekly parental guides (Wake Up Wednesday) which we upload onto the school websites to help keep parents/carers up to date with online platforms, devices, apps and websites their child may be using.

National Online Safety responds to the current DfE statutory guidance around online safety including the revised ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ and links to ‘Education for a Connected World.’

It also provides with e-safety curriculum which is based on the ‘Education for a Connected’ framework. We have e-safety lessons every term that has an introductory video and some activities to complete with a teacher.

Our e-safety curriculum was based upon planning from National Online Safety, the ‘Education for a Connected World’ framework, teaching online safely in schools guidance and RSE statutory guidance.

Our progressive planning is from National Online Safety and they use the ‘Education for a Connected World’ framework. This framework describes the skills and understanding that children and young people should have the opportunity to develop at different ages and stages. It highlights what a child should know in terms of current online technology, its influence on behaviour and development, and what skills they need to be able to navigate it safely.

We also use the DfE guidance of ‘Teaching online safety in schools’. We know that the online world develops and changes at great speed and that it is difficult for schools and parents/carers to stay up to date with the latest devices, platforms, apps, trends and related threats. It is therefore important to focus on the underpinning knowledge and behaviours that can help pupils to navigate the online world safely and confidently regardless of the device, platform or app. 

Underpinning knowledge and behaviours include:

• How to evaluate what they see online
• How to recognise techniques used for persuasion
• Online behaviour (what is acceptable and unacceptable)
• How to identity risks
• How and when to seek support

These are covered through our curriculum and particularly during our managing online information, privacy and security and copyright and ownership strands.

We also have ensured that our e-safety curriculum is in line with new RSE statutory guidance.

Over the year we focus on each of the 8 different topics including:

• Self-image and identity (September)
• Health, well-being and lifestyle (October)
• Online Bullying (November)
• Online Relationships (January)
• Online Reputation (March)
• Managing Online Information (April/May)
• Privacy and Security (June)
• Copyright and ownership (July)

Each year we also take part in Safer Internet Day in February.

Pupils take an active role in their own and their peers’ learning of online safety. E-Safety Champions ‘team teach’ with the class teacher to help children learn about e-safety. They also take part and lead Collective Worships throughout the year and are heavily involved with Safer Internet Day and the school council.

There is one e-safety champion per class and they help to remind children that they can report any problems to an adult or on the website/game they are on.

Although we believe that empowering children with the underpinning knowledge and behaviours as a way to keep safe in the modern world, we know that children are the first people to discover apps, new games and problems. By having e-safety champions and regular meetings, staff get to hear about the latest trend/app to potentially be aware of and the pupils have a voice throughout school.

The opportunities that Computing gives our young people as they grow are both wide and fantastic. Even as little as ten or fifteen years ago the technology being used today would seem amazing. With this ever changing world comes ever changing challenges. It is important that all children are kept safe from things which could make them upset or put them at risk. At school we help the children to think about their use and behaviour of using iPads and computers. In discussions with them and using government advice we can minimise the risks.

The children at Colsterworth School know that they can talk to someone from their ‘safe hand’ if they have a worry or a concern about something online. We follow the rule of ‘zip it, flag it, block it’ in school, and encourage this at home too. 

Zip it: When you’re online, always keep your personal information private and think about what you say and do. Remember, people aren't always who they say they are.

Flag it: If you see anything that upsets you online or if someone asks to meet you, flag it up with someone you trust. If you are worried or
 unhappy about anything you see online, tell a parent/carer or an adult you trust and they can help you.

Block it: Think about blocking people who send you nasty messages and don’t open unknown links and attachments. Always delete emails from people you don’t know, and don’t open attachments from people you don’t know. They might be nasty or contain a virus that can stop your computer working.

Safer Internet Day

What is it?

Safer Internet Day is a global celebration with theme: Together for a Better Internet. More than 2,000 organisations and schools participate in this day every year. It aims to inspire a national conversation about using technology safely, responsibly, respectfully and creatively.

Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre the celebration sees hundreds of organisations get involved to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people. Find out more at www.saferinternetday.org.uk.

The UK Safer Internet Centre is a partnership of three leading charities – Childnet International, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and the South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL) - with a shared mission to make the internet a better place for children and young people. Globally, Safer Internet Day is celebrated in over a hundred countries, coordinated by the joint Insafe/INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission, and national Safer Internet Centres across Europe.

What did we do?

KS1 began with a Collective Worship all about an alien called Zap! The story was all about asking for permission to do things online and about the choices we can make about what personal information we give away about ourselves. KS2 discussed the idea of consent such as organisations asking for consent and sharing photos online. Our wonderful mini e-cadets and e-cadets participated in Collective Worships through collecting ideas, giving opinions and reading a prayer.

The children in Reception drew what they thought the internet looked like and Year One played ‘keep it safe or give it away’ linked to keeping personal information private. Year Two used their
reading skills to answer questions about an e-safety story called ‘Penguinpig’ and thought about what Zap should do if he received another message asking to give his mobile phone number away.

KS2 completed a survey and made a permission pledge about what they have learnt from Safer Internet Day. The key message from today is ‘our internet, our choice’ which we will remember and continue to think about when we use the internet.

One Day Creative Workshops

KS1 and Reception – Cyber Heroes!

Focusing on the world of online gaming, this fun and interactive workshop investigated the potential dangers and pitfalls of the internet whilst in a secure and creative environment. We explored issues such as online bullying, age appropriate content and in-game chat. Our children created their own positive strategies to ensure that they stay safe online and that they could share with parents/carers. The children invented their own “cyber-hero” identities to spread the message that being savvy and sensible means that the internet stays safe and fun for everyone!

This workshop was particularly brilliant for showing children how pop-ups can be persuasive or fake. We had to try and dodge the pop-ups and not get distracted by them! Great job Key Stage One!

Tarran said, “I loved pretending to be a pop-up. Mine was trying to get people to buy coins for a game really cheap. No one in my class was distracted though, they all stayed away from me”

KS2 – Cyber bullying

This workshop explored how social media, the internet and in particular online gaming are an integral part of our life today, but there can be a darker side. We focused on highlighting the positives of the online world as well as areas to be aware. It introduced KS2 to the ways that online bullying can manifest. In a safe and open environment, the children also explored the wider themes of online privacy, digital footprints and online grooming in an age appropriate way.

Parent/Carers Computing and E-Safety Workshop

After our fantastic One Day Creative workshops there was a parent/carer workshop called ‘The Cyber Generation Game’

We know that for children the internet is a constant part of their everyday lives. However, for some adults, it is still a dizzying maze of websites, games and apps with all manner of potential problems attached to each one.

This workshop gave parents and carers the information needed to navigate their way into a safer online experience. It ensured parents/carers had the appropriate information they needed to begin those tricky conversations at home with their children about staying safe.

We explored online security, passwords, parental controls, cyberbullying, peer pressure, online gaming and how to approach difficult conversations around online safety.

One of our parent/carers said, “I already know lots about parental controls and cyberbullying. This workshop helped to put my mind at ease that I knew about this. The most important part of the workshop that I will take away with me is how to begin a conversation with my children about online safety. Thankyou.”

Internet Safety Poster Competition

The mini e-Cadets and e-Cadets led a Collective Worship inviting the children to have a go at designing a poster to promote being safe online. The mini e-cadets and e-cadets found it very hard to choose a winner!

Lola Miller won the poster competition. She included keeping personal information private, being kind and respectful online, talking to an adult if something worries you, ‘Zip it, Flag it, Block it’ and safe use of the iPads on her poster.

Her poster is now in and around our school and she also won an e-safety story called #Goldilocks. Well done, Lola!

Useful Links

These websites will give you and your child more information about staying safe online.

• www.thinkuknow.co.uk - The police's Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) website which has been designed and written specifically for children, young people, teachers, parents and carers.

• www.getsafeonline.org A beginner's guide to using the Internet safety, including a quiz and some video tutorials about how to ‘stay safe’ on-line.

• www.kidsmart.org.uk - Kidsmart is an award winning internet safety website for parents and those working with children. It has been developed by the children's internet charity Childnet International and has excellent information on many of the technologies used by children, with guidance on how to ‘stay safe’ online.

• www.bullying.co.uk - One in five young people have experienced bullying by text message or via email. This web site gives advice for children and parents on bullying.

• http://parents.vodafone.com/ - Vodafone have developed this website in conjunction with mumsnet. It is very accessible and provides information and guidance to parents with understanding their child’s digital world and get more involved. There is even an on-line test to see how much you know!

https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/directory/16/stay-safe-partnership/category/69 - Advice for Parents and Carers working at home.