Online Safety

Our pupils are growing up in a world of ever-changing technology. While we feel that the use of technology is a largely positive aspect of modern life, we cannot ignore the risks that can be associated.

Throughout school we aim to teach children:

  • about the impact of cyber-bullying and what to do if they have been affected.
  • to be vigilant when communicating online recognising that people may not always be who they say they are and to be sensible about what they share.
  • to tell an adult they trust if something is upsetting them.
  • to question the reliability of information given through a web based source.
  • to search responsibly for information while using internet browsers.

We understand that much of our pupil’s use of the internet will occur at home, away from the school filters.

Below are a list of useful websites, advice and resources that you may find helpful when navigating the issue of online safety with your child. At the bottom of this page are resources that your child can directly access as well to help them learn about online safety.

Useful resources and links

Thinkuknow http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk
Thinkuknow is an education programme from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command. Since 2006, it aims to ensure that everyone has access to this practical information – children, young people, their parents and carers and the professionals who work with them. 

Internet Matters https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/esafety-leaflets-resources/
A comprehensive web resource with a wide array of tips and advice on how to navigate the online world with your child. Some of their guidance we attach below but you can find even more by visiting the link. 

National Online Safety https://nationalonlinesafety.com/resources/platform-guides/
National Online Safety’s mission is to make the internet a safer place for children. They aim to do this by equipping school staff, parents and children with the knowledge they need to understand online dangers and how best to react should an incident arise. The link above provides up to date information about a wide variety of social media apps and platforms your child might be using.

NSPCC http://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/share-aware/
The NSPCC are the first to admit that the internet is amazing. Children can play, learn, create and connect – opening up a whole world of exciting possibilities. But with the digital world changing all the time, how can you make sure your child’s staying safe? That’s where the NSPCC come in. Whether you’re an online expert or you’re not sure where to start, their tools and advice will help you keep your child safe.

Childnet http://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers
Childnet International is a registered UK charity that aims to make the internet a safe place for children and young people. Packed with resources it is a great resource for parents.

CEOP http://ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) is part of the National Crime Agency and their website can be used to report if you are worried about online abuse or the way someone is communicating online.

BBC  https://www.bbc.com/ownit
The BBC have a website and app called Own It. The website has a lot of content for children to help them navigate their online lives, and the free smartphone app comes with a special keyboard which can intervene with help and support in the moments that children need it the most.

SafetoNet https://safetonet.com/
SafeToNet is technology that educates children “in-the-moment” as they use their device. It is a safeguarding assistant that helps them become responsible and safe digital citizens. Its power lies in a smart keyboard that detects risks in real-time. It steers children away from trouble by filtering harmful outgoing messages before they can be sent and any damage can be done.


A guide to Apps & Social Media

The number of apps and social media channels your child could be exposed to grow all the time, as does an app’s functionality. We recommend you visit Net Aware to read the latest and most current advice on over 70 apps to ensure you know what they do, how you can limit their features as well as recommended age restrictions.

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/

The apps included are:

  • Fortnite
  • Instagram
  • Snapchat
  • YouTube
  • Minecraft
  • Clash of Clans & Clash Royale
  • Kik
  • Friv
  • Dubsmash
  • Wink
  • YOLO
  • TikTok
  • And many, many more

Resources for children to use

Below are some links that children themselves can access for help when navigating the tricky subject of online safety,

Reception – Year 2

Below are a number of links that are tailored for children in the younger year groups.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/5_7/ 
https://www.netsmartzkids.org/
https://www.childnet.com/resources/smartie-the-penguin

Year 3 – Year 6

Below are links more suitable for older children.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/8_10/
https://www.nsteens.org/

St George’s Day

Crew Hamill loved having their picnic in class on St George’s Day! We used the afternoon to learn more about who St George was and why he was so important. We then focused on the British Values – democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance. For our activities, we had a Crew Focus on tolerance. We discussed what this meant, understanding that we all don’t share the same beliefs and values but that it is important to respect the values, ideas and beliefs of others whilst not imposing our own onto them. We then thought about what the term ‘tolerance’ actually means and identified things that can impact on our own tolerance levels. We created ‘tolerance cups’, filling our cups with all of the day to day things that can niggle us and lead to us having lower tolerance levels. Once we had done this, we thought about the things that ‘make us pop’ – those things that mean our tolerance has run out and we struggle to control our emotions. Finally, we thought about what we could do to calm our brains in these situations and allow ourselves time to top our tolerance back up.

Crew Shields – French

This week we have been looking at seasons and becoming more confident with dates in French. We started by looking at the four seasons, practising our pronunciation, before discussing which season each month of the year falls into.

We then spent time improving our speaking skills, as well as our listening and understanding skills, by asking our friends what their date of birth is. We used our knowledge organisers to help us construct the correct French translation to record their birthdays.

We then utilised our knowledge organisers again to translate a range of dates from English to French which supported practising to write in French.

Crew Hamill, Crew Thompson and Crew Mcloughlin – French

We began a new unit by looking at life in a French school. We watched a video clip to help identify any similarities and differences between school life in France and the UK.

We then looked at new vocabulary related to instructions given in the classroom. We practised our pronunciation and understanding by creating signals to match the French pronunciation. We then worked together to match the symbols to the correct written phrase for each instruction.

To finish, we played a game of Jacques a dit (a French equivalent to Simon Says). We had to listen carefully to the instruction given to us in French before showing either a gesture or doing that action depending on whether it was prefaced with ‘Jacques a dit’ or not.

Celebrating St George’s Day!

To celebrate St George’s Day in Crew Godley we participated in a number of fun activities! We began by enjoying our ‘British’ crew picnic where we sat together and ate sandwiches, sausage rolls and cakes. We then completed a carousel of art activities including, creating colourful shields, pointillism dragons and collage flags. We also discussed why we were creating the different pieces, who St George was and what he accomplished!

Earth Day – Seed Bombs

To celebrate Earth Day, we spent time in our XP Outdoors crew session making seed bombs!

We used flour, wildflower seeds, compost and water and mixed them altogether to create a mixture. We then took this mixture and rolled it into golf-sized balls and put them aside to dry. Once they are dry we will take some home but also plant some in our outdoor area at school. Seed bombs simply need to be dropped into soil and nature will do the rest. Over time they will turn into beautiful wildflowers!

St George’s Day Celebrations

Yesterday, we spent our afternoon celebrating St George’s Day in Crew MW! We begun the day by learning about who St George was and what he did to earn a special day in England. Some of us then decided that we wanted to make a shield just like St George had while we were in provision. We got to work cutting the shapes out of the cardboard (although this bit was tricky and we needed some help), and then decorated our shields using tissue paper, pompoms, coloured pencils and feathers.

At lunch time, we had a special picnic to celebrate! It was delicious!

In the afternoon, we chose to make fearsome dragons like the one St George defeated! We followed the steps to cut out the different pieces, then joined them all together to create our scary dragons!

Celebrating St George

In Crew this morning we discussed who Saint George was and why is is celebrated on 23rd April. We worked collaboratively to make a handprint dragon as part of our crew challenge.

At lunchtime we enjoyed our indoor picnic served in a union flag box!

Finally this afternoon we completed our St George’s Day quest. We had to complete three craft activities including pointillism dragons, collage shields and a London inspired Union flag. The children loved taking part in all the activities and collecting stickers when they completed a challenge.

What is democracy?

This afternoon, we celebrated St Georges day by looking into the story of St George. We learned that St George was a Christian who lived in Turkey. He became a Roman soldier at the age of 17. The ruler at the time wanted to punish Christians but St George stood up for them. Unfortunately he was punished for this but his bravery didn’t go unnoticed. He was rewarded and became a patron saint. We then looked at the British Values, in particular democracy. We found out that democracy means that everyone has a say and the right to vote. You have to be the age of 18 to vote but that didn’t stop us. We had 3 politicians who had a manifesto. We then went to the polling station and cast our vote on a ballot paper. Shelby won our vote by gaining the majority!