Keeping Safe Online
Keeping Children Safe Online
Technology is an important part of children’s lives and learning. At Etwall Primary School, online safety is an important part of safeguarding. We teach children how to use technology safely, responsibly and respectfully, how to recognise when something may be wrong and, importantly, how and where to ask for help.
Our online safety teaching is progressive, so that pupils revisit important messages as they move through school and develop the knowledge and skills appropriate to their age.
Our safeguarding curriculum shows this development from using devices with adult support in EYFS through to evaluating advertising, misinformation, AI and chatbots, gaming pressures and the use of personal data in Years 5 and 6.
The Four Areas of Online Safety
🖥️ CONTENT - What children see
💬 CONTACT - Who children communicate with
👥 CONDUCT - How children behave
💳 COMMERCE - Money, advertising and financial risks
Content | What children see online
Children may come across information, images or videos that are upsetting, harmful, misleading or unsuitable for their age. We help pupils think carefully about what they see online, question whether information is reliable and know what to do if something worries or upsets them.
Children may come across information, images or videos that are upsetting, harmful, misleading or unsuitable for their age. We help pupils think carefully about what they see online, question whether information is reliable and know what to do if something worries or upsets them.
Contact | Who children interact with online
Online games, apps, social media and other services can enable communication with other people. Children learn about safe online relationships, appropriate boundaries, grooming and exploitation, and the importance of involving a trusted adult when an online interaction makes them uncomfortable or concerned.
Online games, apps, social media and other services can enable communication with other people. Children learn about safe online relationships, appropriate boundaries, grooming and exploitation, and the importance of involving a trusted adult when an online interaction makes them uncomfortable or concerned.
Conduct | How children behave online
We teach pupils that the way we behave online matters just as much as the way we behave face to face. This includes respectful communication, cyberbullying, sharing information and images, protecting privacy and knowing how to block, report and seek help.
We teach pupils that the way we behave online matters just as much as the way we behave face to face. This includes respectful communication, cyberbullying, sharing information and images, protecting privacy and knowing how to block, report and seek help.
Commerce | Money and influence online
Children encounter advertising, purchases, subscriptions, in-game spending and other commercial pressures online. We teach pupils to recognise these influences and, as they get older, learn about issues including scams, fraud, phishing, gambling and financial exploitation.
Children encounter advertising, purchases, subscriptions, in-game spending and other commercial pressures online. We teach pupils to recognise these influences and, as they get older, learn about issues including scams, fraud, phishing, gambling and financial exploitation.
What do we teach children?
Our online safety education includes learning about:
- cyberbullying and respectful online relationships
- social media and online communication
- online grooming and exploitation
- gaming
- scams, fraud and financial risks
- misinformation and disinformation
- AI-generated and manipulated content
- privacy, passwords and personal information
- online reputation
- how to report something that is harmful, worrying or inappropriate.
Our wider safeguarding curriculum progressively develops children's online safety and media literacy. For example, younger children learn simple rules, personal-information safety and how to tell an adult about upsetting content; older pupils develop their understanding of digital identity, reporting, misinformation, AI/chatbots, gaming pressures and data use.
Supporting Your Child at Home
Talking regularly with your child about their online life is one of the most useful things families can do. Encourage your child to tell you about the games, apps and websites they enjoy, as well as anything they find confusing, uncomfortable or worrying.
A helpful message for children is:
Stop | Don't respond | Save/report if appropriate | Tell a trusted adult
Children should know that asking for help when something goes wrong online is always the right thing to do.
Worried About Something Online?
If you or your child are worried about something that has happened online, please contact the school so that we can offer advice and consider whether further safeguarding action is needed.
You can also find specialist support from:
- CEOP Safety Centre for concerns about online child sexual abuse or inappropriate online communication.
- UK Safer Internet Centre / Report Harmful Content for help reporting harmful material online.
- Childline for confidential advice and support for children and young people.
How We Protect Children Online in School
Internet access and digital technology support children's learning, but they must be used in a safe and appropriate environment.
Filtering and monitoring are part of our safeguarding arrangements.
The school has filtering and monitoring systems in place and assigns responsibilities for managing these arrangements. Our systems are designed to block harmful and inappropriate material without unreasonably restricting the educational opportunities that the internet provides. The effectiveness of these arrangements is reviewed at least annually.
What does filtering and monitoring mean?
Filtering helps prevent access through the school's systems to harmful or inappropriate online material.
Monitoring helps the school identify online activity that may indicate a safeguarding concern.
Where technology identifies something that may represent a safeguarding concern, this is considered and acted upon through the school's safeguarding procedures as appropriate. The school's policy states that online concerns are treated as safeguarding matters where appropriate and recorded on CPOMS. [
Staff also receive information and training about online safety and their responsibilities in relation to filtering and monitoring.
Our arrangements reflect the Department for Education's filtering and monitoring standards, including:
- named roles and responsibilities;
- regular review of filtering and monitoring;
- blocking harmful and inappropriate content without unreasonably affecting teaching and learning; and
- monitoring arrangements that meet safeguarding needs.
Filtering and monitoring do not replace education. We want children to develop the knowledge, judgement and confidence to make safer choices for themselves, both in school and when using technology elsewhere.
Technology in School
Mobile Phones, Smart Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Technology develops quickly and our approach develops with it. We want pupils to benefit from technology while learning to use it safely, responsibly and appropriately.
Mobile Phones and Smart Technology
Etwall Primary School is a mobile phone-free environment for pupils throughout the school day.
Pupils must not use mobile phones or other personal smart technology during lessons, transitions, breaktimes, lunchtime, clubs, visits or other school-supervised activities unless a specific authorised exception applies.
Our approach is intended to protect safeguarding and privacy, support calm and purposeful learning and reduce distraction and online harm.
Pupils must hand all mobile phones and wearable devices in to their class teacher or to the school office on arrival at school. Phones must not be kept in bags or in pockets, or anywhere where there is free access to them.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence is becoming increasingly common in everyday life. We therefore believe children should develop the knowledge and critical-thinking skills they need to understand it and use technology responsibly.
Pupils learn about safe, responsible and ethical AI use, including privacy and data protection and the importance of checking the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated information.
We also teach children that AI can be misused. This includes helping pupils understand that AI can be used to deceive or impersonate people, while our safeguarding arrangements recognise risks from harmful AI-generated material, including deepfakes and impersonation.
Children are taught not to enter personal, sensitive or confidential information into generative AI tools.