Online Safety 

Online safety is an important part of keeping children safe at Willington Primary School and as such we would like to share some helpful advice to help you consider how you can keep your family safer online at home.

Online Safety Advice

Discuss and agree as a family how the internet will be used in your house at a level that is appropriate to your children’s ability and age.

Discuss with your children what they think is and isn’t acceptable to do online.

Decide on what information should be kept private online, such as contact information, photos in school uniform, and agree rules for making and meeting online friends.

Set clear boundaries relating to use of webcams, video chat, live streaming and live voice on different devices; even when children are talking to people they already know, they can still experience risks.

Explore how to create strong passwords and discuss how to keep passwords safe, for example not sharing them with their friends or using the same password for several accounts.

Consider your own use of the internet and lead by example. Think about how much time you spend online and consider the information you are sharing on your social networks about your children and who can see it.

Share quality time together. Consider nominating ‘tech-free’ areas or times, such as your child’s bedroom or dinner time, where you can give each other undivided attention and share offline experiences, like reading a book together.

Parental Controls

Make the most of the parental controls on your children’s internet enabled devices and games consoles to help restrict access to inappropriate content. They can also help you manage how much time your child spends online. - Do your research and select the tools which are most suitable to you, your child and the technology in your home. Find more information on parental controls at:

KS1 (Ages 5-7)	KS2 (Ages 7-11)

Click on the link for the Net aware website which allows parents to check sites, games and apps that have been reviewed by parents and others.

Click this link for advice on setting up parent controls, it is easier than you think!

An e-safety quiz for young children which checks their current understanding about how to stay safe and helps to build on their knowledge.

An excellent resource for parents of children aged 6-12, parents can help their children with a quiz, learn to sing an online safety song or watch videos.

Read “The Adventures of Smartie the Penguin” together and access a range of other fun things to do to help your children learn how to stay safe online.

Documents:

Paper copies of all documents and policies are available by request from the school office.

Tips for staying safe online:

· Make sure you keep new online friends strictly online. If someone you don't know asks to be your online friend you must ensure an adult knows about it.

· Know how to use the CEOP Button and how to report it to the CEOP Centre if you are concerned about someone’s online behaviour towards you.