Online Safety

The online world offers children exciting opportunities to learn, communicate and explore, but we recognise that it can also present risks. At Ellington Infant School, keeping children safe online is an important part of our wider safeguarding responsibility.

Keeping Children Safe Online

We take a whole-school approach to online safety. Children are taught how to use technology safely, responsibly and confidently, while staff are trained to recognise and respond to online safety concerns.

Our approach includes:

teaching online safety through the curriculum in an age-appropriate way
helping children recognise when something online makes them feel worried or uncomfortable
encouraging children to speak to a trusted adult if they see or experience something that concerns them
using appropriate filtering and monitoring systems on school devices and networks
supervising children's use of technology in school
regularly reviewing our online safety arrangements and responding to emerging risks
working in partnership with parents and carers to promote safe and responsible technology use.

Understanding Online Risks

Online safety risks are commonly considered in four areas:

Content – what children may see or access online.

Contact – who children may communicate or interact with online.

Conduct – how children behave and communicate online.

Commerce – risks including inappropriate advertising, scams and in-app or online spending.

We teach children about these risks in ways that are appropriate to their age and stage of development, helping them develop positive habits from the beginning of their digital lives.

Filtering and Monitoring

Appropriate filtering and monitoring systems are in place across our school network and devices to help protect children from harmful or inappropriate online content. These systems are regularly reviewed alongside our wider safeguarding arrangements.

Filtering and monitoring are only one part of keeping children safe. We believe that education is just as important as technology, which is why we teach children the knowledge and skills they need to make safe choices online.

Working Together

Online safety is most effective when school and home work together. We encourage parents and carers to talk regularly with their children about what they enjoy doing online, the games and apps they use and what they should do if something worries them.

If you have any concerns about your child's online safety, please speak to a member of our safeguarding team.