Scroll down for more information and links about staying safe online for parents, families and children.

National Online Safety

The online world is posing an ever-increasing risk to children, and it is important that schools, parents and carers work together to take an active role in teaching children about online dangers and how to act safely when using the Internet.

We are therefore delighted to announce that Park Road Academy Primary School have shown our commitment to protecting our pupils online and have worked with the National Online Safety Centre to deliver an interactive online workshop for all our parents & carers. 

The course can be taken online at your own convenience and covers:

• Information about online dangers and the newest platforms

• What online risks to look out for and how to protect your child

Please click here to register your account.

You will need to complete your details and select “I am a: Parent/Carer” from the dropdown:

Once you have registered, you will be able to access the “Online Safety for Parents and Carers" course and National Online Safety’s Resources (which includes parent guides on the latest social media channels and games, including Snapchat, TikTok and Fortnite). This aims to help empower parents with the knowledge to protect their children from the dangers of the internet. I have attached to this email some examples of the resources available to those who sign up.

Your participation in this training will also count towards the school being awarded an accreditation that demonstrates our commitment to keeping children safe online!

Today at Park Road Academy, we are celebrating Safer Internet Day 2019. The theme this year is '‘Together for a better internet".

Today (and over the course of this week), children will be taking part in a number of activities and class discussions regarding staying safe online and what we can all do to help make the Internet a safe and respectful environment for all.

eSafety Pupil Pledges

During the first meeting of the 2017/18 Digital Leaders, the new team produced 2 eSafety pledges for pupils at Park Road to sign and agree to. The first pledge was aimed at children in KS1 & LKS2. The other pledge was produced for children in UKS2 and goes into more detail about the use of email (a privilege not available to children lower down the school). The Pledges were given out to every child in Year 1 - Year 6 and are expected to be signed by pupils and parents to signal their agreement.

You can view the different pledges on our Digital Leaders page (click here).

We have a winner!

The results of the nationwide Staying Safe Online poster competition have been announced. A massive congratulations to Yomna (Y4) whose design came 3rd overall in the country! Yomna bagged herself an impressive £75 in Amazon vouchers and the school received a prize of equal value. We will be spending the money on some new iPad resources!

Staying Safe Online Poster Competition 2017

We recently announced the winners of our school’s eSafety poster competition.

Congratulations to Yomna, the KS2 winner, and Isabel, the KS1 winner. All entrants received a certificate and the winners each received a Polaroid hand-held video recorder!

Check out the winning entries:

Safer Internet Day 2017

Kidsmart.org.uk is an online resource for children, dedicated to improving eSafety and educating children on how to stay safe online and use the Internet effectively. They have resources covering a variety of topics:

Safe searching: Kidsmart gives top tips, including how to use search engines efficiently, for example by ensuring the search term is clear and specific. It also notes that not all content on the Internet is reliable. Anybody can create a website that says anything they choose. In the classroom, I always advocate for children to compare different sources and consider how the opinion of the writer may affect what was been written. 

Digital footprints: It is important that children understand the fact that every time they use the Internet, they leave a trail of information of where they have been. Once a picture is uploaded onto a public website, it is impossible to then remove the picture from the Internet. Children should also be aware that everything they search for on the Internet is recorded and this can affect elements such as the advertisements you see on a webpage.

Online chat: Online chat, along with social media, has often made the headlines for negative reasons rather than positive. Online communication is often a medium for cyber-bullying as some people feel protected from behind a computer. In fact, very real damage is being done and Kidsmart reminds children that they need to show respect to individuals online, the same way they would in real life. Online chat also has the potential for children to be talking to strangers, or people who are not who they say they are. Children are implored to involve an adult if they are ever made to feel uncomfortable online.

Social networking: Kidsmart advises children to check the privacy settings on their accounts to ensure they are secure. It also warns of the potential for unmoderated video and image content that may be unsuitable for children. Children should also make sure that their profile does not make too much personal information public.

The UK Safer Internet Centre has produced some good resources aimed at educating parents/carers about protecting children using different technologies.

Parents Guide to Smartphones

Parents Guide to Gaming Devices

Parents Guide to Tablets

Parents Guide to Smart TVs

Internet Watch Foundation

The IWF is the UK version of an Internet Reporting Hotline. The foundation deals with various types of Internet content, including child abuse, material that incites racism and obscene or criminal materials.

Find out more here.

CEOP

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre is part of the Police that aims to tackle child sex abuse in all of its forms. The agency also offers eSafety advice for staying safe online.

Find out more here.

Kidscape

Kidscape is a UK charity that works with children and their families, keeping them safe from bullying and child sexual abuse. They provide training programmes for children to equip them with important skills they need to keep safe.

Find out more here.