Online Safety

The online safety leader at Bridlington Nursery School is Mrs Sarah Welbourne.

What is Online Safety?

Online safety is the safe use of information systems and electronic communications, including the internet, mobile phones and games consoles. It is important that children and young people understand the benefits, risks and responsibilities of using information technology.

Online safety:

• concerns safeguarding children and young people in the digital world.
• emphasises learning to understand and use new technologies in a positive way.
• is less about restriction and more about education about the risks as well as the benefits so we can feel confident online.
• is concerned with supporting children and young people to develop safer online behaviours both in and out of school.

Online safety forms part of our curriculum and pupils are regularly reminded of how to stay safe online. 

Using the Internet safely at home

Whilst many Internet Service Providers offer filtering systems to help you safeguard your child at home, it remains surprisingly easy for children to access inappropriate material including unsuitable texts, images and movies. Parents/guardians are advised to set the security levels within internet browsers with this in mind.

Locating the device to access the Internet in a family area will enable you to supervise children as they use the Internet. However, don’t deny your child the opportunity to learn from the wide variety of material and games available on the Internet. Instead, set some simple rules for keeping them safe and make sure they understand the importance of these rules.

Simple, suggested rules for keeping your child safe

• ask your permission before they use the Internet
• only use websites you have chosen together or a child friendly search engine
• only email people they know (perhaps an address book would be useful)
• ask permission before opening an email sent by someone they don’t know
• do not use Internet chat rooms
• do not use their real name when using games on the Internet (perhaps encourage them to create a suitable nick name)
• never give out a home address or personal contact details
• never tell someone where they go to school
• never send an image of themselves, their home or school
• never arrange to meet someone they have ‘met’ on the Internet
• only use a webcam with people they know
• ask them to tell you immediately if they see anything they are unhappy with

Social Media

The more you know about the kind of social networking sites your children belong to and what information they like to share, the more likely you’ll be able to keep them safe:

• The age limit to join most social networking sites is 13
• The most popular social networks include Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok and Snapchat; sites aimed at younger children, like Club Penguin and Moshi Monsters, also have a social networking element
• Many sites include an instant message function that allows private conversations between site members
• You can create ‘privacy settings’ on most social networking sites, so only close friends can search for your children, tag them in a photograph or share what they post
• Most social networking sites have an app, which means your children will have access to the social network from their (or your) smartphone or tablet
• Facebook, for example, has a setting that allows your children to approve or dismiss tags that people add to their posts
• Information shared between friends can be easily copied and may spread widely
• It isn’t easy to take back information once it’s online, and it can be impossible to recover after someone has shared it
• Not everyone your child meets online will be who they say they are
• Chat rooms and forums are one of the places that online groomers visit to connect with children; they can also be places where people use a lot of sexual language and engage in online flirting

Here is some guidance to support you to keep your child safe. 

• NSPCC Great advice on internet enabled toys.
• Internet Matters Some accessible advice & stories for very young children
• Smartie the Penguin An online safety story for 3 to 7 year olds
• Think you know Some useful materials that support young children to stay safe on the internet

We never want to think the worst but sadly horrible things can and do happen via the internet, even to young children!

Some further links to additional guidance and information:

Childnet.com

Safer Internet

Are you worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with you or a member of your family? If so you can make a report to one of CEOP's Child Protection Advisors on the link below

Press here to Make a Report