The internet is essential in 21st century life for education, business and social interaction. As children move up through the school, their access to various types of technology increases and it stands to reason that their exploration and curiosity increases too. The positives of a digital word far outweigh the negatives but children, schools and parents need to be aware of various risks online. At St. James’ we do significant work in school on internet safety, but we can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work together with parents to ensure the online safety message is consistent. Hopefully this page will be useful to help with any concerns you may have about online safety, and where you can find additional advice.
To help you make choices about the appropriateness of games and apps for your child, most platforms will include a rating based on the app of games content. Unfortunately, different platforms and manufacturers can use different ratings. This link will take you to Internetmatters.org which will explain these for you.
Childnet is a great site which provides information and resources to ensure your child is staying safe online.
Parent Zone provides information and advice on raising resilient and respectful citizens of the digital world. They work with national and international companies as well as the Home Office to educate pupils for a digital future.
ThinkUKnow provides simple advice and links to further information on the Internet Safety Zone. This is part of the CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre). There are sections for different age groups and for parents and teachers.
ThinkUKnow 4-7 years KS1
ThinkUKnow 8- 10 years KS2
Please note, that no search engine is ever 100% safe but below you can find some child friendly search engines:
Google offers a safer option for children searching on the Internet. You can find out how to do this by downloading the instructions at the bottom of the page.
CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the abuse and exploitation of children in the real and ‘e’ world. Often it is referred to as an online 999. By clicking on the link, young people and parents can get advice on a range of issues such as viruses, hacking and dealing with bullying online.
We tell children it’s good to share – but sharing online is different. In fact sometimes it can be dangerous and that’s why we’re asking parents to be Share Aware – to keep children safe online.
Share Aware is for parents and carers of children aged 8-12 providing straightforward, simple advice to help untangle the web, understand what their children may be doing online, and feel confident in talking to them about how to stay safe.
Vodafone have produced a Digital Parenting Magazine which informs parents about the various technologies children are accessing today. There is information on Facebook settings, Xbox 360 settings, Blackberry settings, jargon busting and many more ‘How to Guides’. They are well worth a read and some are attached at the bottom of the page for you to download. https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/digital-parenting
Below you will find links to helpful documents from the National Online Safety website to inform you of current issues regarding online safety for your children.
For full parent guide documents, please click this link .
Thank you for helping us work together to keep our children safe in the digital world.
A guide to Instagram.
Potential ways to start a conversation with your child about their online safety, and more information besides
Cyberbullying is real and could happen to your child. Find out more about it here.
Download a ‘Family Agreement’ to help everyone at home stay safe online.
User friendly site to help you understand more about the internet and keeping your children safe.
Click to see a walkthrough of the recommended settings for an iPad that may be accessible to primary age children.
Tips and advice for keeping children safe on Minecraft - if you don’t know your creepers from your griefers, that’s okay. This guide is designed to help you keep children safe from the risks they might face.
Being a parent in the Digital Age – online magazine with a range of information
General guidance and information from the NSPCC to support you to help your child stay safe on social networks, apps and games.
Simple and effective advice from the NSPCC to support your conversations with your child to help keep them safe from abuse.
Detailed information website about e-safety for parents.
