Our Online Safety Lead is Mrs.Fellows
We’re delighted to let you know that Ridgefield Primary School has become a member of The National College – a multi-award-winning online training provider for staff and parents.
What does this mean for you?
As part of our membership, The National College provides dedicated training and resources for parents and carers – particularly, around online safety and keeping children safe online.
Online safety advice on any topic
Of course, staff will continue to teach children about the risks online. But with the internet so readily accessible, the most effective approach to online safety needs everyone involved, including parents and carers.
That’s why you’ve now got access to hundreds of courses, explainer videos and online safety guides to support your awareness of the online world. Topics range from understanding apps like TikTok and Instagram to recognising the signs of online harm and what you can do to help.
Sign up is easy
Signing up to the platform is simple. Just follow https://nationalcollege.com/enrol/ridgefield-primary-school and complete your details. Once you’re set up, you’ll be able to choose ‘Parent/Carer’ as your user type and get instant access to all training and resources.
Download the app for free
Another fantastic benefit of The National College is its National Online Safety app, which you can download for free. It gives you access to all their parent and carer resources on the go, whenever you want.
You can download the National Online Safety app from whatever App Store you use – just search “National Online Safety”
They’re always here to help The National College has a brilliant support team if you have any questions. Their help centre provides a comprehensive bank of answers to most FAQs, but if you still can’t find the answer you’re looking for, you can always get in contact with them.
I hope you’ll sign-up and make the most of their resources.
This outlines the responsibilities and strategies that the school will implement to keep children safe whilst they work online. It also outlines the responsibilities of the children and the parents.
In school we teach age appropriate online safety lessons that make clear to them how they can keep themselves safe. At the start of each academic year the children discuss the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) again agreeing to abide by the rules to keep us safe.
Talk to your child about what they’re up to online.
Be a part of their online life; involve the whole family and show an interest. Find out what sites they visit and what they love about them, if they know you understand they are more likely to come to you if they have any problems.
Encourage your child to go online and explore!
There is a wealth of age-appropriate sites online for your children. Encourage them to use sites which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
Keep up-to-date with your child’s development online.
Children grow up fast and they will be growing in confidence and learning new skills daily. It’s important that as your child learns more, so do you.
Set boundaries in the online world just as you would in the real world.
Think about what they might see, what they share, who they talk to and how long they spend online. It is important to discuss boundaries at a young age to develop the tools and skills children need to enjoy their time online.
Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a family space.
For children of this age, it is important to keep internet use in family areas so you can see the sites your child is using and be there for them if they stumble across something they don’t want to see.
Know what connects to the internet and how.
Nowadays even the TV connects to the internet. Make sure you’re aware of which devices that your child uses connect to the internet, such as their phone or games console. Also, find out how they are accessing the internet – is it your connection, or a neighbour’s wifi? This will affect whether the safety setting you set are being applied.
Use parental controls on devices that link to the internet, such as the TV, laptops, computers, games consoles and mobile phones.
Parental controls are not just about locking and blocking, they are a tool to help you set appropriate boundaries as your child grows and develops. They are not the answer to your child’s online safety, but they are a good start and they are not as difficult to install as you might think. Service providers are working hard to make them simple, effective and user friendly.
Contact your service provider and learn how to set your controls.
As a school, we take seriously our responsibility to educate children about and protect children against the risks associated with the internet. Staying safe online is part of the computing curriculum and the school also regularly sends online safety updates to parents and carers via the school newsletter.
If you have any questions about online safety, please contact the school office.
Please find some helpful websites below that explain to parents/ carers and children how to stay safe online.
For children:
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/
http://www.safetynetkids.org.uk/personal-safety/online-safety/
For parents:
https://nationalonlinesafety.com/guides
http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/net-safety.html#
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/
CEOP is a command of the National Crime Agency, and is dedicated to tackling the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and young people. CEOP is here to help young people (up to age 18) who have been forced or tricked into taking part in sexual activity with anyone online or in the real world. We also offer advice and links to support in response to other online problems young people might face, such as cyberbullying or hacking. For information, advice and to report concerns directly to CEOP, visit the Safety Centre by clicking on the Click CEOP button:
UK Safer Internet Centre – advice re safety tools and parental controls
Cambridgeshire ICT Service advice for parents