Online Safety

Online Safety during COVID-19

At Moorpark Junior School, we teach your children to be safe and to understand what to do if they are ever in a position when they feel unsafe.

During their time at home with you, we want to continue to support the children in making good decisions when it comes to their safety, particularly their online safety, as this is currently their main way of communicating with others outside your home and to continue with their learning.

In school, we teach your children to be SMART:

Keep SAFE – be careful not to give out personal information

Don’t MEET – don’t meet up with people who you have only met online

ACCEPTING – Accepting messages from people you don’t know or don’t trust can lead to problems.

RELIABLE – Is the information you are viewing true?

TELL – If you feel unsafe or are worried about what you see or hear, you must tell a trusted adult.

Whilst the children are at home with you, we are providing them with work from trusted websites. If the children work from those websites, they will not come across anything which makes them feel worried or feel unsafe, however, whilst using other websites or when playing online games where they are communicating with others, they may need your support in dealing with anything that makes them feel worried or unsafe. Below are some useful websites that can help you to support your child at this time.

Internet matters – for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
London Grid for Learning – for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
Net-aware – for support for parents and careers from the NSPCC
Parent info – for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
Thinkuknow – for advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online
UK Safer Internet Centre – advice for parents and carers

In School

When planning and teaching computing at Moorpark Junior School, we believe that it is an essential part of the curriculum; a subject that not only stands alone, but is woven within, and should be, an integral part of all learning.

Computing, in general, is a significant part of everyone’s daily life and children should be at the forefront of new technology with a thirst for learning about the wider world. Computing within our school can therefore provide a wealth of learning opportunities and transferrable skills whether taught explicitly within the Computing lesson or across other curriculum subjects.

Through the study of Computing, the children will be able to develop a wide range of fundamental skills, knowledge and understanding that will actually equip them for the rest of their life. Computers and technology are suc a part of everyday life that our children would be at a disadvantage if they were not exposed to a thorough and robust computing curriculum. Children must be taught ‘Computational Thinking’ in order to provide them with essential knowledge that will enable them to participate effectively and safely in the digital world beyond our gates.

Parents

As a parent or carer you play a key role in helping your child to tay safe online.

You don’t need to be an expert on the internet yo help to keep your child stay safe online.

Below are links to websites to support your child to use the internet safely, responsibly and positively.

NSPCC and O2 Parent Support

If you have a question about parental controls or concern about a social network your child uses, expert advisors at the NSPCC helpline are there to help.