Online Safety

At All Saints’ Church of England Primary School, we recognise that technology plays an important part in children’s lives and provides exciting opportunities for learning, creativity and communication. Alongside these opportunities, children need the knowledge, skills and confidence to navigate the online world safely and responsibly.

Rooted in our Christian vision — “Rooted in faith, growing through learning, enabling all to flourish” — our approach to online safety encourages children to treat others with kindness and respect, make responsible choices and seek help whenever something does not feel right.

Teaching Online Safety

Online safety is taught progressively and in an age-appropriate way throughout the school. It forms an important part of our Kapow Computing and PSHE curriculum and is reinforced through safeguarding education, assemblies, discussions and other areas of the curriculum.

The Department for Education states that pupils should be equipped with the knowledge they need to use the internet and technology in a safe, considered and respectful way. Online safety is therefore taught through statutory Relationships and Health Education as well as the Computing National Curriculum.

Artificial Intelligence and a Changing Digital World

Technology continues to develop rapidly. Our curriculum therefore supports pupils in developing the critical-thinking skills they need to respond to new and emerging technologies.

This includes age-appropriate discussion of artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-generated content. Children are encouraged to think carefully about whether information, images and other digital content are genuine, accurate and trustworthy, and to understand the importance of protecting personal information when using digital services.

The Department for Education’s current filtering and monitoring standards address risks associated with generative AI alongside schools’ wider responsibilities for keeping children safe online.

Safeguarding, Filtering and Monitoring

Online safety is an integral part of safeguarding at All Saints’.

The school has appropriate filtering and monitoring systems in place to help protect pupils from harmful and inappropriate online content when using school technology. These arrangements form part of our wider safeguarding provision and are reviewed to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of our pupils and school community.

Staff remain vigilant when children use internet-connected technology and pupils are regularly reminded that if they see, hear or experience anything online that worries, frightens or upsets them, they should tell a trusted adult.

Any online safeguarding concerns are dealt with through the school’s established safeguarding and child protection procedures.

Working in Partnership with Families

Keeping children safe online works best when school and families work together.

We encourage parents and carers to talk regularly with their children about what they do online, including the games they play, videos they watch, websites and apps they use and the people they communicate with.

Open, non-judgemental conversations can make it easier for children to tell an adult when something has gone wrong. Families can also support children by establishing appropriate boundaries around devices, using privacy and parental-control settings and modelling positive and balanced use of technology.

Our aim is not simply to protect children from online risks, but to develop confident, responsible and thoughtful digital citizens who are able to enjoy the opportunities technology provides while making safe and informed choices.

Children learn about:

• using technology safely, responsibly and respectfully
• keeping personal information private and understanding passwords and security
• recognising safe and unsafe online relationships
• appropriate and respectful online communication
• cyberbullying and what to do if they experience or witness it
• online reputation and the potential consequences of sharing information
• recognising inappropriate or harmful content and knowing how to report it
• evaluating the reliability of information found online
• misinformation, disinformation and persuasive online content
• healthy and balanced use of technology and screen time
• how games, apps and websites may encourage users to remain online or make purchases
• understanding that people online may not always be who they claim to be
• knowing when and how to ask a trusted adult for help

Useful Links for Parents and Carers

UK Safer Internet Centre – Parents and Carers
https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers

NSPCC – Parental Controls and Online Safety
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/parental-controls/

Childnet – Parents and Carers
https://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers/

Internet Matters
https://www.internetmatters.org/

CEOP Education – Parents and Carers
https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/

Report to CEOP
https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/

Worried about something online?

Children should always tell a trusted adult if something they see, hear or experience online makes them feel worried, uncomfortable or unsafe. Parents and carers can also contact the school if they have an online safeguarding concern.