Online Safety

All the children in our schools use the Internet on a regular basis as part of their learning. It is vitally important that we teach them how to remain safe online and we do this regularly with different activities.  It is also essential that you as a Parent/Carer know how to keep your child safe online. 

It is inevitable that children will occasionally find themselves with unsupervised access to the internet at home.  We would ask for the protection of your children that you follow the tips below to ensure your child is safe at all times.

We do not support our children having Smartphones - there is much evidence to say that they are not developmentally ready and that close-up use of phones for more than 20 minutes can damage eyesight, as well as the emotional impact of possibly seeing harmful material. At Nar Valley Federation, we do not allow children to bring Smartphones to school - if your older children (Y5 or Y6) are travelling to school by themselves, then we are happy to store any other kind of communication device that is not a smartphone, such  as a mobile phone without the internet. 

Most social media apps like Snapchat, Whatsapp etc  have a minimum age limit of 13; our pupils should NOT be using them. We strongly advise that you never release personal information about your children (where they can be found, locations and ages), or other children from the school community on any of these sites.

Please also note that we have a zero tolerance approach to social media and online comments about staff from across our schools.  Negative and slanderous comments will not be tolerated, will be reported to the Trust and in certain circumstances will be referred to the police.  Should you have any concerns or queries, do not post them online as no-one can tackle them then, but instead please raise them with the Head of School,  thank you. 

We have a weekly online safety column in our newsletter for up to date information and sources of support. Please let us know if there is anything you would like to see in future editions of this column. 

Here are some tips and useful links to help you to keep your children safe online:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Know what connects to the internet and how. So many home electronic devices now connect 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 settings 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. 

If you have any further questions or concerns please do talk to your child's teacher as soon as possible.