Online Safety

The knowledge that the children have on online safety shows us just how important it is.
NSPCC representative and audience member – Farnham Green digital leader presentation 2023 

At Farnham Green, we believe that a strong relationship with families and the community is essential to being successful in keeping our pupils safe online. We enjoy opportunities to work with parents/carers to ensure that the online safety messages received at home and at school are consistent. We look forward to building on this collaborative relationship in the future. Our whole-school, cross-curricular approach aims to provide children with the knowledge and practical skills to apply in the future. As a school we have:   

• a trained workforce who are confident in online safety, identifying and responding to concerns
• resources to teach children and young people the skills to stay safe online
• resources and advice to share with parents and carers
• robust e-safety policies and procedures, IT infrastructure and support and regular reviewing of our online safety provision. 

Online Safety Policies 

• Acceptable Use 2022 2023
• KS1 AUP
• KS2 AUP
• Online Safety Infringements Sanctions 2023 2024
• Online Safety Managing the network and equipment 2023 2024
• Online Safety 2023
• Online Safety Data Security 2023 2024

If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s class teacher. In addition to newsletter, twitter and blog updates, as well as online safety reminders provided during sharing assemblies, please see the useful resources below for further information.

Please watch the below video of five simple tips for managing media devices for children of ages 3-8 years old

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 Please watch the below video about supporting young children online ages 6-10 years old

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What does online safety mean? 

At Farnham Green we are committed to the use of new technologies and recognise the internet as a valuable tool for learners of all ages. The internet is increasingly providing the focal point of educational content within the UK. With ever expanding new technologies such as blogs, social networking spaces etc children are using technology in a way never seen before. The increased use of technology at school/home exposes children to a number of dangers. In its simplest form e-Safety is about ensuring children use all devices in a way which will keep them safe without limiting their opportunities for learning.

Why the Internet and digital communications are important  

The Internet is an essential element in 21st century for education, social interaction etc. The school has a duty to provide pupils with quality internet access as part of their learning experience. Internet use is a part of the statutory curriculum and a necessary tool for staff and pupils.  

The use of the Internet will enhance children's learning  

The school Internet access is designed expressly for pupil use and includes filtering appropriate to the age of pupils. Pupils will be taught what Internet use is acceptable and what is not and given clear objectives for Internet use. Pupils will be educated in the effective use of the internet in research, including the skills of knowledge location, retrieval and evaluation. Pupils will be shown how to publish and present information to a wider audience.

We take the safety of our pupils very seriously including when accessing the internet. Whilst it is impossible to ensure that all pupils will not access such material, the school, in liaison with the London Grid for Learning, is taking all reasonable steps to minimise pupil access to unsuitable material. These include:

• Use of a filtered Internet Service to prevent access to internet sites with undesirable material
• The requirement that wherever possible, all internet access during school hours will be supervised by a member of staff or another responsible adult

Advice for home internet use

We want this approach to online safety to spread to the home online environment too and we are therefore sharing with you some tips and resources to help you guide your children and help you to keep up to date in a digital world. 

This site advises you to take four steps:

1. Have ongoing conversations with your children about staying safe online
2. Use safety tools on social networks and other online services, eg Facebook privacy settings 

3. Decide if you want to use parental controls on your home internet
4. Understand devices and the parental control tools they offer in our Parents' Guide to Technology