Parents and Carers Internet Safety advice and support
We understand here in school, supporting our young people on the internet to stay safe can be really tricky. Many of your children will be really very good at accessing things online.
At school we do teach them lots about e-safety. They will have lessons on this throughout their time at school. We also do some special lessons each year for selected young people we know are using the internet quite a lot.
We don’t want to scare the pupils or you! The internet is amazing. There are so many things you can use it for. To make friends and talk to people with similar interests. To find things out. To watch videos about things they enjoy. We don’t want to say- Do not use the internet, as we know it is part of the real world and something with loads on benefits.
However, we also know that many of them really do struggle to keep safe online. This can be by talking to people they don’t know, watching things that are not age appropriate, sharing information about themselves or buying things online.
They can also become quite fixated on the internet and limiting time on the internet can difficult. Most young people, and adults, love using devices to access the internet. However, looking at a screen for too long can be harmful for young peoples mental and physical health. It is therefore important both school and home work together to ensure our young people have a healthy interaction with this technology. This means them understanding dangers and not being on the internet too long.
It can be really hard to keep up to date with what our young people are accessing. New APPs are coming out all the time. New interests and groups are also forming and our young people become aware of them really quickly.
We also know that young people with Special Needs are particularly vulnerable to abuse online. They are also easily led and influenced. It is for this reason school and home have to be really aware of what children are accessing and watching. This means having high security settings and close supervision.
If you are worried about your child accessing things, they shouldn’t on the internet please do let us know here in school. We maybe able to offer some advice and support. You will also see below some links to some really good websites which are packed full of advice and support.
We use these sites a lot in school – please do have a look. There is a brief description of what is available on each site which will hopefully help you find what you are looking for.
CEOP - https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/
What is it?
Created by the National Crime Agency this site is full of information about how to keep children same online. If focuses on the risks of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse online. We have 3 CEOP Ambassadors in school who deliver training and support to staff and Pupils.
The CEOP Ambassadors are- Belinda Brookes, Heidi Alexander and Jo Mixer.
If you have any concerns regarding sexual exploitation or abuse online, please do reach out to these ambassadors.
It’s a really easy site to look round- there are sections broken down into ages and topics of interest. There is also a search function so you can search for key things too.
This is a really trustworthy site. All advice given on here is checked and verified.
What information is helpful on the site?
There is a section for parents and carers.
On this you can report if you are worried about something your child is accessing online, there is also a section with information for you to help keep your child safe. There are videos, articles and advice.
The site is broken down into age phases for advice. Be aware when looking at this it refers to young people who are neurotypical. Therefore, for your child who is neurodiverse – it maybe you look at an age lower than their biological age to ensure advice is appropriate to your child’s development.
There are links to ‘Think you know’ resources. We use these a lot in school. There are videos and resources for you to watch with your child. Some of the videos are quite mature with difficult messages. We advise you watch these first before showing your child to ensure they are appropriate to their age and developmental level.
We have included some resources from this site for you to look at with your child- conversation starters and activity ideas.
Internet Matters - https://www.internetmatters.org/
What is it?
This is a really useful site and is updated really regularly so all current issues and interests are on it very quickly.
It is completely trustworthy and used by CEOP and schools all around the country.
The advice this site offers is great and its really easy to navigate.
What Information is helpful on the site?
There are 4 main areas to the site-
- Set up Devices Safety Settings – this is great! If there is an app your child is using the safety settings information will be on here! Information on privacy settings, parental controls and any risks with using the App.
- Tackle online issues – We know there are risks associated with using the internet. Sadly sometimes children are taken advantage of, especially vulnerable young people. This part of the site has easy to read information about sexting to online scams. The site will give you information as to how to prevent these things happening as well as what to do if you think they are happening. We also would say if you are worried your child is at risk, please do let a CEOP ambassador know and we will be able to offer you some advice and support.
- Choose age-appropriate Apps -There are so many Apps these days! It is hard to keep up. This part of the site tells you all about different Apps, the good and the bad. You can then make a decision as to whether you feel it is appropriate for your child.
- Get tips to talk about online safety. Talking about online safety can be really difficult for parents and carers. This can be for a range of reasons- we worry we don’t know enough about the interests of young people; we worry we don’t know enough about the current internet trends and Apps. Added to this many of our young people struggle with communication due to their complex needs. This part of the site support parents knows what to say, what questions to ask and how to support young people. If you are struggling to talk to your child about things, please do reach out to school, we may be able to support with symbols or pictures to help communication.