Staying Safe Online

At Avonwood Primary School we take the mission of staying safe online very seriously. We look to provide children with the knowledge and skills to safely use the internet. We will regularly signpost and share lessons, resources, videos and links to help parents to address this area. 

Whilst there are enormous benefits for children using the internet at home and at school, there are potential dangers for children using the net unsupervised;

• What sort of things do your children like doing on the Internet ?
• What sort of concerns do you have about your children’s use of the Internet ? 
• How do you monitor what your children are doing online?
• What measures do you take to keep your family safe online?

We encourage Avonwood parents to always be inquisitive regarding the online activity of their children. Our safeguarding mantra is 'it could happen here' and we urge parents to operate similar protective curiosity at home.

Please take the time to have a look at the websites and videos below which will explain the risks children face when using the internet and what you can do to help keep your child safe.

Mobile Phones

At Avonwood Primary School we urge parents to give significant thought to the important decision of when to provide your child with a smart phone. As much as we endeavour to provide robust e-safety education, we frequently experience children struggling with anxiety, mental health concerns and friendship issues caused by exposure to age inappropriate apps including WhatsApp (Pegi 16+), Fortnite (Pegi 12+) and YouTube (Pegi 12+). If a mobile phone is required for security purposes, we strongly recommend an old fashioned style non-smart phone such as the one below which can be purchased for less than £20:

Nokia 105 (4th Edition) 1.77 Inch UK SIM Free Feature Phone (Single SIM) – Black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

We urge all parents to make sure appropriate filtering is added to mobile phones, following the simple steps in the link below:

Parental Controls on Smartphones & Other Devices - Internet Matters

A copy of the recent letter sent home to parents about the use of smart phones can be found here: click here