Online Safety

Being online can be fun but it can come with some serious risks and dangers for all of us, especially for children. Being aware of these and knowing some top safety tips can help you to keep your child safe at home.  

If you are concerned about your child’s online safety, please speak with our Designated Safeguarding Lead and Headteacher, Cat Washbrook, and we can offer advice and support.  

Here are some Top Tips for online safety from the NSPCC:  

1. Start with the positives 
Being online can be a great way for children to learn, be creative, and stay connected with friends and family. Recognising these benefits helps keep conversations balanced and encourages confident, safe use of technology. 

2. Find the right time and place 
Choose a calm moment to talk, such as during a walk, car journey, or shared activity. Avoid starting the conversation when emotions are high or during a disagreement. 

3. Use child-facing resources and advice 
Support your conversation with age-appropriate tools, videos, or guides. These can help children understand key messages and make the discussion more engaging and relevant to their stage of development.

4. Ask about their experiences 
Use open questions like:  

• ‘Have you seen anything online that made you uncomfortable?’ 

• ‘Who do you chat with online?’ 

• ‘Are they people you know offline?’ 

• ‘How do you feel when using certain apps or games?’ 

5. Make it part of everyday life 
These chats don’t need to be formal or one-off. Regular, relaxed conversations help children feel supported and more likely to speak up if something worries them. 

Parental controls 
You can set up parental controls on your children’s devices, which can help you to: 

• plan what time of day your child can go online and how long for 

• filter upsetting and inappropriate content 

• manage the content different family members can see. 

Find out how to set up parental controls here.