Parent Hub
Online Safety
At Bessemer, we think Online Safety is extremely important. There are three main ways we aim to keep pupils safe online:
1) We ensure that within our school the Internet is filtered so that the risk of children accidentally finding inappropriate or upsetting content is low, while still enabling pupils to have access to content that enhances their learning. This is monitored every few weeks by the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
2) We enable pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe and protected against harmful content or activity online both through our PHSE curriculum and during Computing lessons (see Computing Curriculum Page), and is referred to during wider curriculum lessons where children access the Internet.
3) We share Online Safety messages to parents and the wider school community, for example through our weekly school newsletter.
For further information about Online Safety in the curriculum, you may wish to explore Education for a Connected World, a government publication created in collaboration with several organisation, which details key learning objectives at different developmental stages, from reception through to the end of Secondary school. This document guides what we teach in school, so that children have a broad and comprehensive understanding of a range of Online Safety topics.
Computing Ambassadors
At Bessemer, we have Computing Ambassadors, a group of children chosen from years 4-6, whose role it is to work with staff and pupils around the school, to raise awareness of online safety issues and provide support to others with the use of the hardware and software we have in school.
The new Computing Ambassadors have chosen a selection of online safety websites they feel children will enjoy using, which share important messages about staying safe online. We hope you enjoy using these at home!
Useful Sites for Parents
Being a parent and navigating how to respond to the challenges of the online world can seem daunting at times, but there are several really helpful websites you can visit, packed with useful advice on how to respond to a range of issues.
Internet Matters is a valuable resource of information about how to set controls on Social Media accounts, gaming sites, broadband, smartphones and entertainment and search engines. They also have sections for parents of different age groups with suggested activities, apps and games and advice grouped by age (pre-schoolers, 6-10 year olds and pre-teens).
The NSPCC also has lots of useful advice, including: how to set parental controls on devices, games or apps your child might be using, what you might need to know if you have a child with SEND, or what to do if you are worried about something online.
As well useful advice for parents about a range of online issues, Childnet also has some great animations explaining online safety for children aged 3-7 and aged 7-11.