Interactive Zone

Keeping our children safe online

It has been brought to our attention that the use of social media and online gaming is becoming increasingly prevalent amongst our pupils. Whilst the internet provides many benefits, including supporting children with their learning, we would like to take this opportunity to remind parents that many social media sites such as Facebook, have minimum age restrictions of 13. This is to safeguard children from the risks these sites pose.

Now that the internet has become an integral part of our daily lifes, it is essential  we ensure our children have an awareness of the potential risks and the knowledge to access the internet safely. We will be discussing this topic within school throughout the year however we would also encourage parents to have this conversation at home to. Below you will find age related links to the 'ThinkuKnow' website which provides fun and interactive internet safety information for you to enjoy and access with your child at home.

E-safety support in school

                                      Connect with Respect 

We are delighted to be able to offer the 'Connect with Respect' project within school, in conjunction with Fylde Coast Women's Aid.

Connect with Respect is funded by BBC Children in Need and promotes positive messages about healthy relationships as well as aiming to raise childrens' expectations so that they can recognise harmful and risk taking behaviours. 

These sessions take place in the form of targeted group work and can be undertaken on a 1:1 basis if required. 

NSPCC 'Speak Out, Stay Safe' School's Programme

Every year we welcome Chris Dunn and his mascot Buddy from the NSPCC for their 'Speak Out, Stay Safe' school's programme which focusses on keeping children safe not only online but offline too. We have welcomed Chris into our school on a number of occasions to meet with our year 5 and 6's however this year all of our children from Reception up to Year 6 had the opportunity of meeting Buddy and discussing important child safety topics.

In his sessions Chris shares important messages in an age appropriate, fun and interactive way - helping children to understand what abuse is and who they can turn to for help if they need it. The morning consists of a Key stage 2 assembly led by Chris and Buddy, followed by a further assembly for key stage 1. The children in years 5 and 6 then attend a more interactive workshop which explores topics such as online safety; gaming and social media in more depth.

It was reassuring to hear the children talk openly about who their trusted adult was and who they could speak to if they were worried about anything. The children discussed ways in which they kept themselves safe and asked many questions about issues which were important to them.  Although the children were able to demonstrated some good knowledge on the topics raised it is vital that this message is revisited on a regualr basis and reiterated at home too. For this reason the NSPCC, in collaboration with O2, have devised a guide for parents called 'Your child's online world', which offers advice and tips for parents so that these discussions can be continued at home. These guides were sent home with all year 5 and 6 children at the NSPCC's last visit however you can also access further information via the following link, www.nspcc.org.uk/onlinesafety or by calling 0808 8005002. Please take the time to access the resources available and to discuss this important subject with your children further. 

Visit from our local PCSO Mike Duff

On Tuesday we welcomed our local PCSO Mike Duff to our school to disuss the issue of Internet Safety. He visited each class individually and spoke to the children about the dangers of speaking to strangers online and how we can keep ourselves safe. The children in Year 5 and 6 also watched a short video which demonstrated the risks and they discussed these further with Mike. The children in each class had lots of questions and it was reassuring to hear so many of them discussing ways in which they can keep themselves safe.

Thanks again to Mike for taking the time to meet with all our children and we look forward to welcoming him again in the near future

Year 6's internet safety presentation 

The use of the internet and social media is now an integral part of all our lives, and whilst it has numerous benefits, including supporting our children with their learning, we must also remain acutely aware of the risks it can pose. With this in mind we must all take responsibility for ensuring children receive the appropriate guidance and knowledge to keep themselves safe online.

Time was spent with the children explaining the risks; educating them on the steps they could take to ensure their own safety online; and answering any questions they had. Topics of discussion included; social networking; online gaming; security settings; the importance of age restrictions and why these are in place; potential risks such as grooming; and how we report anything which makes us feel uncomfortable. 

It was reassuring to hear the children engaging so positively in such an important topic of discussion; they asked many questions and spoke openly about the security measures they have in place at home.