At Grovelands Community Primary School, we welcome and encourage the use of digital technologies and aim to use them, when they are appropriate, to support children enhancing their work.  We recognise our responsibility to take all reasonable measures to ensure that the risks of harm to children’s welfare are minimised; and, where there are concerns about young people’s welfare, to take appropriate actions to address those concerns.

The knowledge and skills children need to remain safe online are taught throughout the year and to all year groups in an age appropriate way across the curriculum.  We have a Designated Safeguarding Lead for Online Safety, Mr Williams, and also have a number of Year 6 Digital Leaders, who promote digital wellbeing and online safety across the school.

If you are worried about online abuse or the way someone is communicating online, you can contact CEOP's Child Protection Advisors directly by clicking the link below:

If you are experiencing online bullying or something else online has worried you please speak to an adult you trust, or you can talk to Childline at any time on 0800 1111 or at www.childline.org.uk.

The internet is a revolutionary resource which allows children connect, communicate and be creative in many different ways than ever before. However, the internet is always evolving, and being able to keep up to date with your children’s use of technology can be a challenge. 

Below are some online resources to support parents and carers with talking about issues relating to online safety at home:

The following links offer further guidance on specific websites, APPS and games.

Content

Some online content is not suitable for children and may be hurtful or harmful. This is true for content accessed and viewed via social networks, online games, blogs and websites. It’s important for children to consider the reliability of online material and be aware that it might not be true or written with a bias. Children may need your help as they begin to assess content in this way. There can be legal consequences for using or downloading copyrighted content, without seeking the author’s permission.

Contact

It is important for children to realise that new friends made online may not be who they say they are and that once a friend is added to an online account, you may be sharing your personal information with them. Regularly reviewing friends lists and removing unwanted contacts is a useful step. Privacy settings online may also allow you to customise the information that each friend is able to access.

If you have concerns that your child is, or has been, the subject of inappropriate sexual contact or approach by another person, it’s vital that you report it to the police via the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (www.ceop.police.uk). This can be done through the link above. If your child is bullied online, this can also be reported online and offline. Reinforce with your child the importance of telling a trusted adult straight away if someone is bullying them or making them feel uncomfortable, or if one of their friends is being bullied online.

Commercialism

Young people’s privacy and enjoyment online can sometimes be affected by advertising and marketing schemes, which can also mean inadvertently spending money online, for example within apps. Encourage your child to keep their personal information private, learn how to block both pop ups and spam emails, turn off in-app purchasing on devices where possible, and use a family email address when filling in online forms. Make your child aware of scams that may seek to gain access to their accounts, and advise them to be wary of following links or opening attachments in emails that appear to be from organisations such as banks and service providers.

We ask all of our parents and carers to support us in educating children early in the importance of using social media responsibly and taking care of their digital footprint. Adults should role model appropriate online behaviours by not using social media to negatively discuss or share images of any of our learners, other parents/carers or teachers. 

We would ask that if you ever have any concerns, please address these directly with the school.