Online Safety

Technology provides children with exciting opportunities to learn, communicate, create and explore. At Honilands, we want our pupils to enjoy those opportunities while developing the knowledge, confidence and judgement they need to use technology safely, responsibly and positively.

Online safety is an important part of our wider safeguarding culture. We recognise that children's online lives extend beyond the school day, so effective online safety depends upon school, children and families working together.

Online safety at Honilands

Online safety is taught throughout school and revisited regularly as children's use of technology develops.

Children learn about online safety through Computing, PSHE and Relationships and Health Education, assemblies, safeguarding activities and everyday conversations with staff.

Teaching includes:

• keeping personal information and passwords secure

• understanding privacy and digital footprints

• communicating respectfully with others

• recognising and responding to online bullying

• understanding that people online may not always be who they say they are

• knowing what information, photographs and videos are safe to share

• recognising inappropriate, harmful or upsetting content

• understanding advertising, persuasion, scams and manipulation

• questioning the accuracy and reliability of information online

• recognising misinformation, altered images and AI-generated content

• understanding age-appropriate risks associated with gaming, messaging and social media

• knowing how to block and report inappropriate content or contact

• knowing when to stop and ask a trusted adult for help.

Our aim is not simply to give children a list of rules. We want them to become thoughtful and responsible digital citizens who can make increasingly safe choices as they become more independent.

How we keep children safe in school

We use a combination of education, supervision, filtering and monitoring to help provide a safe digital environment.

School devices are used for planned learning under the direction and supervision of staff.

We use LGfL web filtering to restrict access to inappropriate and harmful websites and content.

We also use SENSO monitoring to help identify concerning or inappropriate activity on school devices. Alerts can be reviewed and, where necessary, followed up through our safeguarding procedures.

Staff receive safeguarding and online-safety training and understand their responsibility to report concerns.

Filtering and monitoring are important safeguards, but technology alone cannot keep children safe. Teaching children how to recognise risk, make sensible decisions and ask for help remains central to our approach.

Learning together

Online safety changes quickly. New apps, games, trends and technologies can create opportunities but also introduce new risks.

We therefore provide opportunities for children, staff and families to learn about current online-safety issues.

These include:

• online-safety teaching and assemblies for pupils

• Safer Internet Day

• workshops and assemblies led by specialist speakers

• parent information sessions

• our Online Safety Coffee Morning, giving parents and carers an opportunity to ask questions and explore practical ways to keep children safe at home.

We have also welcomed specialist online-safety speakers such as The 2 Johns, former police officers who work with children, schools and families to raise awareness of online risks and help adults better understand children's digital lives.

These opportunities are important because some of the most effective online-safety conversations happen when children and adults are learning and talking about these issues together.

Online safety at home

Parents and carers play a vital role in helping children develop safe and healthy online habits.

You do not need to be a technology expert. One of the most effective things you can do is to take an interest in your child's online life and keep conversations open.

Ask your child:

• What games do you enjoy playing?

• Who do you talk to online?

• What apps or websites do you use?

• Can you show me how it works?

• What would you do if somebody said something unkind?

• What would you do if somebody you didn't know contacted you?

• What would you do if something appeared on your screen that worried you?

• Who could you ask for help?

Regular, calm conversations make it much more likely that children will speak to an adult if something goes wrong.

Practical steps for families

We encourage parents and carers to:

• explore games, apps and websites with their child

• check the age ratings and requirements of games and social-media platforms

• use appropriate parental controls on home broadband, devices, games consoles and apps

• check privacy, chat and location settings

• know who their child communicates with online

• talk about the difference between online friends and people children actually know

• agree family expectations about when, where and how devices are used

• remind children not to share passwords or personal information

• talk about photographs and videos before they are posted or shared

• discuss how online actions can affect other people

• encourage a healthy balance between online and offline activity

• regularly review settings as children grow and their use of technology changes.

It is also important to remember that many games include chat, messaging, purchasing and contact with other users, even where the game itself appears suitable for younger children.

Social media and messaging

Many popular social-media and messaging services have minimum age requirements.

We encourage parents to understand the apps their children use rather than relying solely on whether an app appears popular amongst their friendship group.

If your child uses an online platform, we recommend checking:

• who can contact them

• whether their profile is public or private

• whether location sharing is enabled

• who can see photographs and videos

• whether strangers can join games or conversations

• how content or users can be blocked and reported.

Children should understand that once something has been shared online, it can be very difficult to control where it goes next.

Artificial intelligence, misinformation and deepfakes

The online world is changing rapidly.

Children increasingly encounter content that may have been created or altered using artificial intelligence. Photographs, video, audio and written information can appear convincing without necessarily being genuine.

We teach pupils to question what they see online and to consider:

• Who created this?

• Why was it created?

• Is the source trustworthy?

• Could the image, video or information have been altered?

• Can the information be checked somewhere else?

Developing these habits helps children become more thoughtful and critical users of technology.

If something goes wrong

Children need to know that asking for help will not get them into trouble.

If something online makes your child uncomfortable, frightened, embarrassed or worried:

1. stay calm and listen

2. reassure them that they were right to tell you

3. stop further communication where appropriate

4. do not share concerning content with other people

5. preserve useful evidence, such as usernames or messages, where appropriate

6. use the platform's block and report functions

7. contact the school if you need advice or if the issue may affect your child in school.

If your child is in immediate danger, call 999.

Concerns about online sexual abuse, exploitation or grooming can be reported directly to the CEOP Safety Centre.

T

rusted online-safety advice

We recommend the following trusted sources of information for parents and carers:

CEOP Education – Parents and Carers
Advice from the National Crime Agency about helping children stay safe online, including online relationships, gaming, image sharing and what to do if you are worried about your child.

CEOP Safety Centre
Use this to report concerns about online child sexual abuse, exploitation or grooming.

UK Safer Internet Centre – Parents and Carers
Practical advice about devices, games, social media, parental controls and current online-safety issues.

Internet Matters
Detailed guidance for families, including advice by age, online issue, app or device, as well as step-by-step parental-control guides.

Childnet – Parents and Carers
Advice and activities to help families talk about online safety and support children to use technology positively and responsibly.

NSPCC – Keeping Children Safe Online
Advice about parental controls, online wellbeing, inappropriate content, online relationships and how to respond when something goes wrong.

Reporting concerns

If you are worried about your child's online safety, please contact the school so that we can offer advice and safeguarding support.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

Concerns about online sexual abuse, exploitation or grooming can be reported directly through the CEOP Safety Centre.

You can also find further information about our wider safeguarding arrangements on our Safeguarding page.