To report incidents of cyberbullying, see the 'Thinkuknow' website for advice, or click the image below to report to CEOP.

Online safety newsletters

ZIPIT APP

The app that helps you get chat back on track, which has been designed with you in mind is there to help you to take control of your chat game.

Our school is committed to educating children to create digital citizens who contribute to the online world in a positive and considerate way.  Here are some resources and links to websites that may be of interest to you.

Social Media

You can find some practical guidance for parents and carers whose children are using social media by clicking here. 

Facebook is the most popular Social Networking site on the internet.  It was launched in 2004 and has an estimated 1.94 billion users.  You can find more information about how protect yourself online, how to report issues and how to deactivate your account here. 

Instagram is photograph and video sharing application and is particularly popular with children and teenagers.  For further guidance of how you can stay safe when using Instagram, how to report any issues or how to deactivate your account click here.

Misical.ly allows users to create, share and discover new videos.  It allows users to create short videos of them dancing, performing or lip-syncing to music and share them online via their app.  As with other social media sites users can set their profiles to private or public.  You can access more information about musical.lyby clicking here. 

Snapchat is a messenger app that allows you to send photos, videos, text and drawings.  The unique feature of Snapchat is that the message only stays on the recipient’s phone for a matter of seconds.  Further guidance on where to find privacy settings, report abuse and deactivate your account can be found here.

Whatsapp is a free messenger app that enables users to send messages, images, video and audio using the internet and is popular amongst children.  Further information on how to restrict access to whatsapp can be found here.

Online Gaming

Online gaming has changed the gaming world for our children, they can now play against other gamers at any time.  This world can be scary for parents who don’t necessarily access these games themselves.  Practical advice for parents can be found here. 

It is worth noting that games are subject to similar age ratings as films are.  The system for rating games is called the PEGI rating, we would encourage you to familiarise yourself with these ratings which can be found here.       

Roblox is becoming an increasingly popular gaming site for children & teenagers.  This site is a ‘user-generated’ site, meaning all of the games on the site have been created by users themselves.  They have produced a parent’s guide with tips for keeping children safe while using Roblox – this is available here.

Minecraft is another site that is hugely popular with children and teenagers alike but do you know your ‘Griefers’ from your ‘Creepers’?  The NSPCC has produced a helpful guidance tool to familiarise parents with the different elements of the game and advise how to protect your children when they are playing, this is availablehere.

Reporting

There may be occasions where you need to report incidents that happen while online, this could be due to online bullying or another form of abuse.  If you need to make a report to CEOP (who are a command of the National Crime Agency) this can be done here:

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/ 

If you need to report something to a social networking site or a gaming provider, this could be due to inappropriate language being used on a site you can find the contact details of most of the popular social media and gaming providers by clicking here. 

Further Support & Guidance

Parent Zone, a not-for-profit organisation, offers Parents information to help understand the digital world and raise resilient children: www.parentzone.org.uk  

Parent/Carer support from the UK Safer Internet Centre: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers

Childnet, provides information and advice for parents and carer, including a printable sheet available in 12 languages: www.childnet.com/resources/supporting-young-people-online  

Want to speak to an expert?

Childline and O2 have teamed up to offer a free helpline for parents for any queries you may have regarding online activity, this could just be simple queries about online gaming or parental controls.  The free phone number is 0808 800 5002.

Staying Safe Online – Top Tips

• Always ask a grown up before you use the internet. They can help you find the best thing to do.
• Don’t tell strangers where you live, your phone number or where you go to school. Only your friends and family need to know that.
• Don’t send pictures to people you don’t know. You don’t want strangers looking at photos of you, your friends or your family.
• Tell a grown up if you feel scared or unhappy about anything.
• Ask a grown up to help you put the Hector’s World Safety Button on your computer. This will mean you can press it if anything makes you scared or unhappy.
• You can also call ‘Childline’ on: 08001111 to talk to someone who can help.

Who can I talk to?

If you feel upset about anything you have seen on the computer or if someone has said something which makes you feel bad or funny inside – you need to tell your mum, dad or whoever looks after you at home.

If you want to talk to someone else you can call ‘Childline’, which is a place where people who are nice can help you. They won’t tell anyone that you have called and it’s free. You can phone them on: 0800 1111.

You can also talk to your teachers if anything is upsetting you and they will help you.

The most important thing is to remember is to tell a grown up you like and trust if you are unhappy or scared about anything.