Online Safety
We are living in an increasingly connected world where, alongside the benefits of access to technology, come increased risks to children. Lack of guidance and learning in e-safety can mean children are unaware of the unintended consequences of their online behaviour or actions. It highlights the need to educate children and the school community about the benefits and risks of using internet technologies and electronic communications, and provide safeguards and awareness for users, to enable them to control their online experience.
Our vision is, through collaboration with parents and carers, to ensure the children at Church Cowley St James Primary School are safe and productive in the online world, with particular focus on protection against grooming, cyberbullying and becoming a positive e-citizen.
Throughout everything we do, using technology safely at home and in school is of paramount importance. Children begin to learn about consent and being critical of what they see, hear and read in EYFS, and come back to these ideas each year throughout the school.
Children learn about cyber-bullying and its effects, and how to apply the SMART rules to stay safe and get help in trhe different contexts of technology use.
We celebrate Safer Internet Week each February to coincide with Safer Internet Day, where children create informative projects and tools to support other children and we run workshops for parents and the community to ensure everyone knows their responsibilities, how to best support the children, and where to go if they are worried.
Click here to read our E-Safety Policy
EYFS
Work throughout the year on: Consent and saying ‘no’ to things; Private parts; Being critical of what they read, see and hear
Year 1
Introduction to E-Safety
Children learn about rules to stay safe when using technology and perform an assembly based on the rules they create
Year 2
Experts of E-Safety
Children make posters about how to stay safe online and how to get help when they find something that doesn’t feel right.
Year 3
Introducing the SMART Rules
Children learn the five SMART rules and create a quiz for other children in the school
Year 4
Online Safety Comic
Children learn about cyber-bullying, what it is and how it affects people, and how to find help if they are being cyber-bullied. They create comic strips which show how to stay safe and how to get help.
Year 5
SMART Rules Podcast
Children learn about the benefits and risks of sharing online, and use the SMART rules to learn ways of staying safe when sharing information. They create a scripted podcast to discuss these ideas.
Year 6
Online Safety Presentation
Children focus on cyber-bullying and its effects in more detail and learn techniques to avoid or deal with it. They create a cyber-bullying toolkit to support younger children, then create a news report-style presentation about cyber-bullying and online safety.
You can access further support through this parent guide: