At Ditchling (St Margaret’s) CE Primary and Nursery the children regularly use the internet as part of their learning.  In school we regularly remind the children how to stay safe online through ‘e-safety’ activities.

At home, children are not always supervised when they are using the internet.  This can potentially allow children access to a whole world of information and online communities, some of which may be unsuitable for children to access.

Whilst the internet is a wonderful place, we need to make sure that our children are safe and responsible internet users.

We would like to share a brilliant new video aimed at parents and carers on supporting your children online. This 40 minute online workshop from the NSPCC, covers the following topics; online bullying, mental health, and social media, as well as signposting to resources and organisations for help and support.

We feel this is an informative, easy-to-understand and vital workshop that encourages ways to ensure that children can be online safely. It less about restrictions, but more about understanding and providing an open dialogue between you and your child. Please do take your time to watch it by clicking on the following link:

National Online Safety Poster

Here are some useful tips and links to keep your children safe online:

• Make sure your children use the internet in a shared area – Talk to your child about what they are doing online and, if possible, make sure that they access the internet in a shared area at home so that you can all share in the great sites that are available online.
• Talk about what you are happy for your child to do on the internet, and set up ‘ground rules’ for using the internet – Make sure that you talk with your child about what you do and do not want them to do on the internet, including who you are happy for them to communicate with using online chat forums etc.
• Explore E-safety sites – there are links to useful e-safety sites for children in at the bottom of this page. They are great fun to explore, so why not browse through them with your children?
• Social Networks have age limits on them – Sites such as Facebook, Bebo, Instagram and apps such as Snapchat have a minimum age limit of 13, so our pupils should NOT be using them.  These sites are also not moderated, and can allow your children a means of communication to people that they may not necessarily know.
• Don’t be afraid to ask! – There are always new websites, apps and social networks that the children are using.  Try to establish open lines of communication, where you can talk with your child about what they are doing so that you are aware of how and who they are communicating with.

Useful Websites

Think U Know – This site is produced by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre. You may have seen some of their video clips on National TV recently. There’s a lot of information here for both children and adults. Parents have their own area of the site.

• Kidsmart – An award-winning internet safety programme for children.
• Vodafone Parents – Vodafone have lots of fantastic practical advice for parents. You can also read their ‘Digital Parenting‘ magazine.
• Bullying UK – Information and advice about bullying for children, parents and schools.
• Kidscape – An organisation which helps to prevent bullying and child abuse.
• Childline – ChildLine is the free helpline for children and young people in the UK.

Childnet http://www.childnet.com/ Childnet International is a non-profit organisation working with others to help make the internet a great and safe place for children. There are sections designed specifically for parents and carers alongside pages for young people as well.

NSPCC https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/ Understanding what children do online and the risks they face will help you keep your child safe. The NSPCC has put together lots advice for parents on online safety, with tips, controls and conversations to help parents keep children safe on the internet and social networks.  They also have information and advice on issues such as cyber bullying.

Parent Zone https://parentzone.org.uk/Parent Zone have put together the best information they could find about a whole range of subjects including digital parenting.