SAFER INTERNET DAY 2024

 Safer Internet Day 2024 will take place on the 6th February 2024, with learning based around the theme ‘Inspiring change? Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online’.

Each year Safer Internet Day covers an online issue or theme that speaks to the things young people are seeing and experiencing online. Created in consultation with young people across the UK, this year Safer Internet Day will be focusing on change online, including:

•  Young people’s perspective on new and emerging technology

•  Using the internet to make change for the better

•  The changes young people want to see online

•  The things that can influence and change the way young people think, feel and act online and offline

Online Safety

At Olton Primary, we know how important it is to stay safe online, and we know you are always keen to promote ways to stay safe at home, too. On this page, we have highlighted some top online safety tips for you to use.

E-safety is a key part of our curriculum for both Computing and Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE). As teachers and parents, we are aware of the ways in which the use of social media, online gaming and the internet have become part of young people’s lives. Although we fully embrace the educational and social benefits of these new technologies, we also encourage responsible internet use. We take online safety seriously at Olton and ask for your parental support that children, accessing these apps, are supervised adequately and that security settings are in place.

Children are advised to:

• Not join any social networking sites if they are below the permitted age (13 for most sites including Facebook and Instagram)
• Tell their parents if they are using the sites, and when they are online
• Be aware how to report abuse and inappropriate content
• Not access social media on school devices, or on their own devices while they’re at school
• Not make inappropriate comments (including in private messages) about the school, teachers or other children

Parenting support

Often, parents and carers express frustration at not being able to resolve social media issues with their children. Solihull parenting team, with Barnado’s, offers support courses, understanding your child’s behaviour, both at centres and online. Although more general, the course can be helpful in helping parents find strategies in dealing with issues with their children. The courses are open to all parents with children up to age 16. Contact bsmhft.parenting@nhs.net or ring 0121 301 2773.

USEFUL WEBSITES

For parents and carers:

• Internet Matters – a not-for-profit organisation set up to empower parents and
  carers to keep children safe in the digital world. Their support for parents includes a range of downloadable guides covering subjects such as transition to secondary school, Vlogging & livestreaming, online gaming and cyberbullying.
• NSPCC – includes a range of resources to help parents keep children safe when they’re using the internet, social networks, apps, games and more.
• Parent Info – from CEOP and Parent Zone, Parent Info is a website for parents covering all of the issues amplified by the internet. It is a free service which helps schools engage parents with expert safety advice, endorsed by the National Crime Agency’s CEOP command. This website provides expert information across a range of online harms.
• Parent Zone – offers a range of resources for families, to help them meet the challenges of the digital age, including parent guides on the latest digital trends and platforms.
• UK Safer Internet Centre - a partnership of three leading organisations: Childnet International, Internet Watch Foundation and SWGfL, with one mission - to promote the safe and responsible use of technology for young people.
• Safer Internet Day - Safer Internet Day 2021 - Tuesday 9th February -  An internet we trust: exploring reliability in the online world

Most social media networks also have their own guidance and support available.

• Facebook parents’ portal (www.facebook.com/safety/parents)
• Instagram help centre (help.instagram.com/)
•  YouTube polices and safety (www.youtube.com/intl/enGB/yt/about/policies/#community-guidelines)
• Get Safe Online – 10 to 12 years old
• Get Safe Online – 6 to 9 years old
• NSPCC and O2  Online safety advice for everything you need to keep children safe online.

For pupils:

• Thinkuknow E-safety website pages for 8-10 year olds. CEOP provides training and education resources to use with children and young people to increase their understanding of online safety.
• BBC Own It – Support for young people to take control of their online life, including help and advice, skills and inspiration on topics such as friendships and bullying,safety and self-esteem.
• Childline – includes information for pupils on gaming, grooming, bullying,sexting,relationships.
• Bullying Uk – Highlights how to report and spot signs of cyber bullying

Children – How to stay safe online

The internet is great fun but it does have dangers and we want you to be safe online. When you join a chatroom you’ll find people are very friendly but the person you are talking to might not always be who they say they are.

People can pretend to be your age and unfortunately there have been cases where adults have pretended to be teenagers and lured young people into meeting them in dangerous situations. Some of these cases have ended up in court in the UK.

Bullying UK has had experience of young people using the internet who have been persuaded into dangerous situations by adults. This is an offence called ‘grooming’.

Internet safety tips:

• Never give out your real name
• Never tell anyone where you go to school
• Only meet someone from a chatroom in a public place with one of your parents or another adult. If they are genuinely who they say they are they will be happy to do this
• Never give out your address or telephone number
• Never agree to meet anyone from a chatroom on your own
• Tell an adult if someone makes inappropriate suggestions to you or makes you feel uncomfortable online

Danger signs

• If the person tries to insist on having your address or phone number
• If the person emails you pictures which make you feel uncomfortable and which you would not want to show to anyone else
• If the person wants to keep their chats with you secret
• If the person tells you that you will get into trouble if you tell an adult what has been going on
• If the person emails you pictures which make you feel uncomfortable and which you would not want to show to anyone else
• If the person wants you to email them pictures of yourself or use a webcam in a way which makes you feel uncomfortable
• If the person shares information with you and tells you not to tell anyone else about it
• If the person wants to meet you and tells you not to let anyone know
• If you find any of these danger signs it’s important that you tell your parents or another adult.

http://www.bullying.co.uk/cyberbullying/how-to-stay-safe-online/

CEOP – ONLINE PROTECTION CENTRE

http://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

Click on link above to report abuse to CEOP

CEOP works with child protection partners across the UK and overseas to identify the main threats to children and coordinates activity against these threats to bring offenders to account. CEOP protect children from harm online and offline, directly through National Crime Agency led operations and in partnership with local and international agencies.

Key to promoting online safety is open and honest discussions about the sites we are using and the ways we are using them. Keep talking to your children about their internet use. Here are some short guides for parents/carers who want to know about how to keep their children safe on various devices:

Online Safety Squad

From November 2022,  children from KS2 have met on a  half-termly basis to review ideas together on how we can ensure online safety is being promoted within the school. The children have discussions with the class about staying safe online and any current online issues within their class/year group so that the school can provide further guidance on these areas.