Online Safety

Children have the right to enjoy childhood online, to access safe online spaces and to benefit from all the opportunities that a connected world can bring them, appropriate to their age and stage of development.

At Wrockwardine Wood Infant School and Oakengates Nursery Federation we believe it is essential to give children the knowledge, understanding and skills to keep themselves and their personal information safe when using the internet. Our developmental computing curriculum and our Online Safety Policy teach children to be safe, healthy and responsible digital citizens.

Online Safety Policy

Our Aims

We are committed to:

Having strong processes in place to ensure the online safety of children, staff, volunteers and governors
Delivering an effective approach to online safety that empowers us to protect and educate the whole school community in the use of technology, including mobile and smart devices
Establishing clear systems to identify, intervene and escalate any online safety incidents when appropriate

Understanding the Risks

Our approach addresses four main categories of online risk:

Content – Being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful material such as pornography, fake news, racism, self-harm and radicalisation

Contact – Harmful online interactions with others such as grooming, peer pressure or targeted advertising

Conduct – Online behaviour that can cause harm such as bullying or sharing explicit images

Commerce – Risks that include gambling, phishing, scams or inappropriate advertising

Using the Internet Safely in School

We use Senso, a content filtering and monitoring system that:

Blocks harmful and inappropriate content
Allows teachers to see what children are doing in real time using a live thumbnail view
Uses artificial intelligence to detect harmful or unsafe use

This gives staff peace of mind that children are using school devices responsibly and parents can feel reassured that children are safe when online in school or nursery.

Using the Internet Safely at Home

While many internet providers offer filtering systems it is still possible for children to access unsuitable material. Parents and carers are encouraged to:

Set browser security levels
Keep devices in family spaces where use can be supervised
Agree clear rules for safe use of the internet

Suggested rules for children

Ask an adult for permission before going online
Use websites agreed together or a child friendly search engine
Only email people they know
Ask before opening emails from someone they do not know
Never give out personal information or say where they go to school
Use a nickname instead of their real name in games
Never send images of themselves, their home or school
Tell an adult immediately if they see anything that makes them feel uncomfortable

Go through the rules with your child to make sure they understand them and check the websites they visit regularly by looking at the history or favourites list.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying happens when someone is bullied using technology such as social media, games, chat rooms or messaging apps.

Advice for staying safe

Think before you post online because once something is shared it cannot be taken back
Use strong passwords that mix letters, numbers and symbols and change them if anyone sees you log in
Sign out of accounts on public computers to protect privacy
Report abuse to the site or app and tell a trusted adult

Social Media Safety

Most social media platforms have a minimum age of 13
Use privacy settings to control who can see your child’s information and posts
Remind children that not everyone they meet online is who they claim to be
Help children understand that information shared online can easily spread and may be difficult to remove

Useful Resources for Parents

NSPCC – Online safety advice and guidance
ThinkUKnow – Safety information from the National Crime Agency
CEOP – Report concerns about online activity
Childnet – Resources for families and educators
Childline – Support for children and young people, call 0800 1111