Online safety is the duty of parents and staff who should work with the children to ensure that all users of the "virtual" or digital world are safe and that the same standards of safe and acceptable behaviour that apply in our communities is also applied online.

As a community we need to recognise and guard against bullying, intimidation, discrimination and exploitation of vulnerable users amongst the online users we know but more importantly from "stranger danger".

Online safety is an important part of keeping children safe at Birchwood Junior School. We have extensive security measures and safe working practices in place in school, which are monitored both internally and externally, to help safeguard pupils from potential dangers or unsuitable material.

In school children are taught how to stay safe and behave appropriately online. Adults should, as you would in the real world, educate children on what to do when they encounter danger and how best to deal with it. As a school, online safety incidents are dealt with in accordance with our policies and sanctions applied to deal with unacceptable behaviour.

We can only be successful in keeping children safe online if staff and parents work together to ensure the online safety message is consistent. It is important that adults speak to their children about how they can keep safe, teach them how to behave appropriately online, set rules and deal with bad behaviour.

If you have any questions then please don't hesitate to contact the school. We may be able to help or direct you to get advice about keeping you and your children safe whilst online.

Help! What should I do?

To keep yourself safe when using the internet and mobile devices use these simple rules:

Never give out personal details to online ‘friends’. Use a nickname when logging on and don’t share full name, email address, mobile number, school name and any photos – any picture or video online can be changed or shared without permission.

Be aware of "stranger danger". People online can pretend to be someone else to gain your trust and confidence. Don’t keep online experiences secret - share your online experiences with family or friends - remember your real friends can help

Beware of what you share (i.e. no inappropriate words, images or videos). 

Think: “Would I be embarrassed if my family or friends saw this?”

Learn how to respond to negative words, messages, images or video that upset you. Tell a trusted adult and then take steps to avoid this being repeated…

Delete spam, junk emails and texts are not true. Don’t reply or send them to anyone else. When in doubt ask a trusted adult how to deal with it.

Don’t open files sent from people you don’t know. They could contain a virus, or worse – an inappropriate image or film.

Talk to a trusted adult before responding to any suggestions that make you feel uncomfortable. An online ‘friend’ is anyone you have not met in real life; no matter how long you have been friends with them.

Remember that online 'friends' can lie and will try to convince and influence you 'to do things that you would not normally do'.

Keep online ‘mates’ online. Never meet up with any online ’friends’ without an adult you trust.

Know how to block or “unfriend” anyone who makes them feel unhappy online and report any behaviour that you feel uncomfortable with.

REMEMBER:

It’s never too late to tell someone when someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable.

Don’t blame, support the victim and give them your trust.