Online Safety
Thorpe C of E Primary is dedicated to helping our pupils grow into conscientious citizens of our society; an ever-growing part of living in our modern society is the digital world we use daily. It is vital that children grow up with a holistic understanding of the incredible uses of the internet, as well as the dangers that come with this. To use the internet and devices properly, children need to be given the skills to critically understand the internet and devices. Together, teachers and parents, can ensure that children demonstrate good practice on their devices and use them appropriately for their age.
On this page, we will keep you up to date with anything you need to be aware of to keep your child safe. Additionally, we will provide links to websites which can help you become more proactive about protecting, and teaching, your children about the being safe online.
Report
This is a link to a website which acts as a police reporting website for any concerns about how someone is communicating with you or someone you know/ or to report online sexual abuse: CEOP Police
Advice - useful websites for parents and children
Click here to download the Breck Foundation Presentation MP4 video file
Child Safety Guide: How to Keep Kids Safe When They're Home Alone
Things You Should Never Post Online but Probably Are
11 Photos You Should Never, Ever Post on Social Media
Search engines for kids:
In school, we use Kidrex for children to access filtered sites specifically for them Kidrex Search Engine
These are alternative search engines which you could use at home: 6-safe-search-engines-kids
Updates:
Snapchat maps - this allows children to share their location with anyone on their snap chat (possibly without knowing), which could have possible dangers with strangers. Please ensure your children are aware that they need to change their location settings and go into “ghost mode” on Snapchat.
Anonymous messaging apps - allow children and strangers to message each other 'anonymously'. However, children should be made aware that nothing is ever truly anonymous and if a situation was to become serious, the authorities would be able to track down whoever is sending messages. Examples: YikYak, Sarahah, Ask.FM, Kik, find out more here
Fakes news – online and on social media there is a lot of attention on fake news. If children are ever researching something at home, please ask them whether the site they are looking at is a reliable, trustworthy source and encourage them to question opinions and facts online.
Chain messages – last year there were a few reports of chain messages which were sent around and caused concerns to children. This messages sometimes involve making demands of children to carry out certain actions. Please ensure children have opportunities to discuss any worries and you are able to solve the problem together. If you notice any unusual behaviour please seek advice from the school, Professional Online Safety or the websites we have mentioned.