Online Safety
At Rainford CE, we are committed to ensuring that all of our community are safe, sensible and ethical users of the internet and electronic devices. With an ever-growing technological world, it is vital that we teach our children the skills needed to keep themselves safe online; we achieve this through an online safety curriculum that is taught alongside our computing curriculum as well as through our PSHE curriculum and educational visits.
We also have a strong partnership with parents and work together with them to ensure the online safety message is consistent both at home and at school. It is important that parents speak to their children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online.
What can I do if I have an online safety concern?
If you ever have any concerns or worries about something that happens online, you can speak to Mrs Shawcross (Designated safeguarding lead), Mrs Thompson (Deputy designated safeguarding lead and online safety lead) or your class teacher.
Alternatively, you can use the CEOP report it link where you can report any online issues. https://www.ceop.police.uk/ceop-reporting/
Follow the SMART rules to support your child in keeping safe online:
S – Stay safe and don’t give out personal information online.
M – Never meet up with anyone you’ve met or talk to online.
A – Don’t accept files or downloads from people you do not know.
R – Use reliable websites to source information.
T – Tell a trusted adult if you have any concerns or worries about something that has happened online
Keep your child safe online
Talk to your child about what they do online and get them to show you the apps and games they use
Encourage them to tell you if they see anything online that upsets them
Know who your child is talking to online
Set rules and agree boundaries
Make sure that content is age-appropriate
Help develop your child’s understanding of their digital footprint
Be vigilant!
Additional guidance for parent, carers and professionals:
The NSPCC offer a helpline to support parents about online issues and further guidance about inappropriate and explicit content. The NSPCC also provide great advice to parents about a range of online safety issues and particularly when using social media. They also give guidance on how to support pupils with SEND about talking to people online
The UK Safer Internet Site provides advice for parents about a range of online issues.
The following website gives parental guides for common apps that children might be using: http://esafetytraining.co.uk/parents/
Thinkuknow by National Crime Agency-CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) provides resources for parents and carers and children of all ages to help keep children safe online
Childnet has developed guidance for parents and carers to begin a conversation about online safety, as well as guidance on keeping under-fives safe online
Parent Info is a collaboration between Parent Zone and NCA-CEOP, providing support and guidance for parents and carers related to the digital world from leading experts and organisations
If you are concerned about cyberbullying, you can find government advice and information about how you can protect your child and tackle it if it happens.