Online Safety is pivotal part of keeping children safe at Riversdale Primary School. We have extensive security measures in place in school, which are monitored both internally and externally, to help safeguard pupils from potential dangers or unsuitable material.
The concept of online safety, or esafety as it is also known, is taught to all pupils across the school. At the start of each academic year, the children participate in a series of lessons designed by Google, with additional materials from Computing at School and the National Online Safety group, explaining and demonstrating how to stay safe and behave appropriately online. Topics covered include: kindness in the virtual world, fake news, privacy, and being “internet brave.” In addition, all staff undertake regular training on the benefits and dangers of online usage and how to identify potential warning signs relating to negative online experiences. Where online safety incidents occur, they are recorded and managed by the Senior Leadership Team and Designated Safeguarding Lead, all of whom have received specialised Online Safeguarding Training from the National Online Safety team.
Further details regarding the school’s online safety measures can be found in the Online Safety Policy, on the Policies section of the school website.
We can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work with parents/carers to ensure the online safety message is consistent. It is important that parents/carers speak to their children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online. To help you in doing this, we have developed this page, providing you with a place to visit for up-to-date information as well as links to external agencies for further support.
Each month, Riversdale Primary School shares with parents/carers a short fact file from National Online Safety about an online safety topic. These might be about mental health and wellbeing or details about a specific app/gaming platform. Please see the latest guides below:
October 2023 - What Parents and Carers Need to Know about Age Ratings
September 2023 - Spot the Online Safety Tips for Going Back to School
July 2023 - Online Safety for Under 5s: 10 Top Tips for Parents and Carers
July 2023 - What Parents Need to Know about Toddlers & Screen Time
June 2023 - What Parents and Carers need to know about Snapchat
June 2023 - What Parents and Carers need to know about WhatsApp
May 2023 - What Parent and Carers need to know about Artificial Intelligence (AI) Solutions
May 2023 - 10 Top Tips for Safely Using Smartwatches
April 2023 - Top Tips for Adopting Safe and Healthy Online Habits
April 2023 - 10 Top Tips for Stronger Passwords
March 2023 - 10 Ways Gaming Can Support Positive Outcomes
March 2023 - Tips for Encouraging Open Discussions about Digital Lives
February 2023 - What Parents and Carers need to know about TikTok
February 2023 - What Parents and Carers need to know about Twitter
January 2023 - Stay Safe on New Devices
January 2023 - 12 Top Tips for Building Cyber Resilience at Home
December 2022 - What Parents and Carers need to know about Social Media and Mental Health
December 2022 - What Parents and Carers need to know about How to Combat Online Bullying
November 2022 - What Parents and Carers need to know about Overwatch 2
November 2022 - What Parents and Carers need to know about Fifa 23
PLEASE NOTE: Some previous guides have been archived to keep this page as up-to-date as possible. If you have a query about a specific topic or app, please do get in contact with the school.
Here are some of the guides that parents/carers have requested:
What You Need to Know About... Age Ratings
What You Need to Know About... Gaming Disorder
How to Set Up Parental Controls to Limit Age-Inappropriate Content (iPhone)
How to Set Up Parental Controls to Limit Age-Inappropriate Content (Andriod)
How to Set Up Parental Controls to Protect Privacy – Android
How to Set Up Parental Controls to Protect Privacy – iPhone
Please note that no search engine is ever 100% safe, but below provides some links to some “safer” search engines that run ad-free:
Below are a series of useful/important links for parents/carers and children. You can access the websites by clicking the logos:
CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the abuse and exploitation of children in the real and ‘e’ world. Often it is referred to as an online 999. By clicking on the button, young people and parents can get advice on a range of issues such as viruses, hacking and dealing with bullying online.
Thinkuknow is an education programme from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command, with an excellent parent/carer support page.
Since 2006, Thinkuknow has been keeping children and young people safe by providing education about online abuse and exploitation. This website is unique as it is underpinned by the latest intelligence about online abuse from CEOP Command. The programme and accompanying advice web pages aims to ensure that everyone has access to this practical information – children, young people, their parents and carers and the professionals who work with them.
If you have any concerns regarding your potential online abuse and your child, do visit the site for further advice.
Internet Matters is a new online portal designed for parents to access simple, easy and practical advice about online safety for their children, right through from pre-school to teens. It provides tips on protecting children from online grooming, cyberbullying, privacy and identity theft and inappropriate content. Internet Matters is a not-for profit organisation set up by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media.
ParentINFO is a collaboration between ParentZone and CEOP. There are useful guides and articles on helping your child stay safe online.
Here's a quick link to some useful information for parents and carers, including home learning apps and the school's communication app.
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