Barley Croft Primary School
Staying safe online
Dear Families,
We know that keeping children safe online is of vital importance to yourself as much as it is to us as a school. Digital technologies have become integral to the lives of us all and especially to children, both within and outside school. All children are entitled to be safe whenever they access the internet and at Barley Croft Primary School we take active steps to embed online safety in our curriculum and children’s learning. We also want to help parents and carers improve their own understanding of online safety, so that they can support their children to use the Internet and digital media in a safe and responsible way.
With that in mind we are going to be sending out each Wednesday, via ParentMail, a weekly online safety newsletter called #WakeUpWednesday which will give you specific information about what to look out for when using a particular aspect of digital technology and how to support children to be safe when using it themselves.
15/06/2022 - Twitch is a livestreaming service which tends to focus on gaming. Users can publicly broadcast their gameplay and commentary online for other users to watch. It's a community-driven platform where viewers can support their favourite streamers’ channels through PayPal donations, "Bits" and more. Each streamer or group creates their own community for fans to interact with each other. Twitch has more than 15 million daily active users and includes non-gaming topics such as music, cooking and art. Anyone can create a channel to livestream or watch videos.
In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as inappropriate content, private chat rooms and strangers.
08/06/2022 - This week’s online safety guide is about the Metaverse.
‘Metaverse’ is a relatively new term to many, however the concept has been around for some time. Videogames, for example, use many aspects of the metaverse; avatars, digital currency, mini-games, and open communication. A metaverse can also take many forms; Fortnite can be seen as a metaverse, as is Roblox. Put simply, a metaverse is an online environment where people interact, play games and express themselves. Away from traditional videogames, there are newer and more ‘dedicated’ metaverses such as Decentraland, The Sandbox and Somnium Space which are akin to Second Life.
In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as anonymity, psychological impact and unsafe areas.
20/05/2022 - This week our Online Safety guide focuses on - 10 top tips for respect online: a digital world for everyone.
Our ability to communicate to communicate with anyone in the world, at any time, via the internet has grown at breakneck speed. For teachers and parents, it can feel impossible to keep up. Worrying about our young people is understandable, and not unjustified: in 2020, for example, one in five 10- to 15-year-olds experienced bullying online. Our tips highlight ways that adults can support young people’s positive online behaviours: by adopting and following ‘netiquette’, we can show them how to avoid getting into difficulty as they learn to negotiate the continually evolving digital landscape.
In the guide, you'll find a number of tips such as protecting yourself, replying wisely and being forgiving.
13/05/2022 - This week’s Online Safety guide - What parents need to know about…YouTube Kids
Wednesday 4th May 2022 - This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide is all about…What’s App
In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as scams, strangers and location sharing.
Wednesday 27th April 2022
What Parents Need to Know about Group Chats
A free online safety guide on group chats.
Occurring through messaging apps, on social media and in online games, group chats are among the most popular ways that young people engage with their peers online. Involving, by definition, three or more individuals, these groups allow users to send messages, images and videos to everyone in one place. While they are useful for helping friends, people with shared interests or members of a club to communicate and coordinate activities, they can also leave young people feeling excluded and bullied – as well as providing opportunities for inappropriate content to be shared and viewed.
In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as bullying, inappropriate content and unknown members.
Online Safety Advice for Parents from NSPCC
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/#