Being Safe Online

One of the most common questions and concerns we hear relates to parental engagement and what they can do to support what the academy is doing in terms of supporting children when they are online. Arguably it is one of the most frustrating aspects as academies are having to deal with the issues that are happening outside of the academy, taking up valuable time and resources.

This section will hopefully address some of these issues and provide practical advice, along with suggestions and guidance about how to approach a range of issues linked to being safe online.

The resources are flexible enough and written in such a way that you are able ot dip in and out as required and take the sections / areas that you need. The same issue is often covered more than once, but approached in a different way. This allows you to adopt the strategy thst is most appropriate for your needs.

IMPORTANT: You are not alone when dealing with these issues and we are here to help in any way that we can. Please feel free to contact your child's Head of Year/ in the first instance and they will be. happy to support in whatever way they can.

Parent Online Safety Guide

There are so many reasons why it can be difficult to engage with your child, but having been involved in this field for many years and some of the main concerns I've heard from parents are:

• My partner is a technical whiz.
• My children are too sensible.
• I'm scared of what I'm going to hear
• I rely on my kids to teach me.
• It’s up to the school to teach my kids.
• Time.

A Parent Guide To Apps - Positives & Negatives

It can be difficult to know how to start talking to your child about what they’re doing online or who they might be speaking to. But talking regularly, like you would about their day at school, will help your child feel relaxed and mean that when they do have any worries, they’re more likely to come and speak to you. It can help to: 

• reassure them that you're interested in their life, offline and online. Recognise that they'll be using the internet to research homework as well talking to their friends.
• ask your child to show you what they enjoy doing online or apps they’re using so you can understand them.
• be positive but also open about anything you're worried about. You could say "I think this site's really good" or "I'm a little worried about things I've seen here."
• ask them if they're worried about anything, and let them know they can come to you.
• ask them about their friends online and how they know they are who they say they are.
• listen for the reasons why your child wants to use apps or site you don't think are suitable, so you can talk about these together.
• ask your child what they think's okay for children of different ages so they feel involved in the decision making.