Online Safety Blog

Thursday 27th January 2022

It's time for another Think About It Thursday!

YouTube is great for keeping children entertained! They can watch their favourite programmes, follow influencers, share their own videos, and much more! But do you know how to keep your child safe on YouTube? Here is a handy parent guide from the people at National Online Safety.

Remember, you can join National Online Safety for FREE through our school link. You will get access to thousands of parent guides like this, as well as short video webinars that will help you to keep up with the ever-changing online world our children are living in. There is also a handy app. Just search for 'National Online Safety' in your app store.

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school

Thursday 20th January 2022

It's been a while but we are definitely due a Think About It Thursday! I'm sure many children got games for Christmas and Fortnite was probably a popular choice. Here is a handy parent guide from the people at National Online Safety.

Remember, you can join National Online Safety for FREE through our school link. You will get access to thousands of parent guides like this, as well as short video webinars that will help you to keep up with the ever-changing online world our children are living in.

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school

Thursday 18th November 2021

It has been a while since I've posted a Think About It Thursday guide. Here is the parent guide for Netflix from National Online Safety:

Keeping safe online is a key part of children becoming responsible digital citizens. To learn more, you can register for a FREE account on National Online Safety through our school account by clicking here.

You will get access to a host of guides, videos and other content that will help you to support your child in responsible and safe online behaviour.

Friday 12th March 2021

Today, National Online Safety published a case study of our journey to obtaining the Certified School and Safe Remote Education accreditations, which we are proud to have achieved. If you would like to read the article, you can do so here: https://nationalonlinesafety.com/wakeupwednesday/ashton-primary-school

Here are our Head Boy, Head Girl and Sports Captain proudly showcasing our certificates.

If you would like to further build your understanding of online safety, you can register as a parent on our school account free of charge here: http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school

Thursday 11th March 2021

With changes to policies and end-to-end encryption on messages, this Think About It Thursday contains a National Online Safety guide to Whatsapp.

Please note: Whatsapp has a PEGI rating of 16+ in the UK. PEGI ratings are the app and game version of the BFI film ratings and should be treated as seriously.

Wednesday 3rd February 2021

As you know, it is Children's Mental Health Week and the theme is Express Yourself! Here are 7 top tips from National Online Safety to supporting children to express themselves safely online. 

Tuesday 2nd February 2021

EXCITING ONLINE SAFETY NEWS

We have just been awarded Certified School status by National Online Safety! Thank you to those parents who have engaged with the National Online Safety materials to help us achieve this accreditation.

Tuesday 9th February is Safer Internet Day. This year's theme is 'An Internet We Can Trust'. We will be celebrating by holding a day of special events including a live lesson from the BBC, playing a game of 'two truths and a lie' with staff members, creating 'funny faces', and much more!

Thursday 21st January 2021

THINK ABOUT IT THURSDAY

This week's post focuses on a newly popular game called Cunch-Line Chronicles. The attached guide explains the game (including its PEGI age rating), why it might appeal to children and top tips for parents.

Once again, I would like to encourage you to register for National Online Safety to receive free up-to-date online safety information. Here is the link for you to register as part of our school: http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school

If you are already a member, there are a number of short (5 minute) courses that you can take to learn about online safety for different age groups up to 18. Please look at your 'watchlist' as I have recommended some courses for you.

Thursday 14th January 2021

THINK ABOUT IT THURSDAY

This week's Think About It Thursday post focuses on Fake News with a guide for parents. With so much information at our fingertips on the internet, it is important that we teach our children to spot false information and be discerning in which sources they trust.

As parents of young children, I urge you to register as a parent on our National Online Safety account. This year, they have produced five minute videos about how to keep your children safe online for various age groups (4-7, 7-11, 11-14 and 14-18). You can register for free here: http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school
They also have a new app that you can download on Apple and Android devices. I encourage you all to sign up as there are hundreds of excellent resources available through the site.

Don't forget, you can take part in Google's Legends Family Adventure here: https://www.parents.parentzone.org.uk/legendsfamilyadventure

Thursday 7th January 2021

It's been a while since I've posted for Think About It Thursday but I feel like it is even more important than usual at the moment. 

As we are back to home learning and children will be spending increased time on devices, it is crucial that we consider how to keep children safe online. Over this half term, all Computing lessons (starting from next week) will have an Online Safety focus. 

As a family, you can also take part in Google's Legends Family Adventure here: https://www.parents.parentzone.org.uk/legendsfamilyadventure 

As many children will have new devices, whether from Christmas or bought for online learning, I have included a guide to 12 Online Safety Tips for children with New Devicesbelow:

 

National Online Safety is an incredible resource for online safety and, as part of our school subscription, parents can sign up for free here: http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school

They also have a new app that you can download on Apple and Android devices. I encourage you all to sign up as there are hundreds of excellent resources available through the site.

Thursday 19th November 2020

I have decided to rename Wake Up Wednesday as Think About It Thursday as I usually only get round to posting on Thursdays.

So, this week's Think About It Thursday focuses on Anti-Bullying Week. I am sharing a children's guide to Online Bullying and a Parent Guide to Trolling and Online Abuse.

Online Bullying, sometimes called Cyberbullying, is as damaging as bullying that takes place in person. In our technology-heavy world, children are constantly connected to their friends and are unable to escape any unkind behaviours. Please take time to read the guides and share the children's version with your child.

Wednesday 4th November 2020

We haven't had a Wake Up Wednesday post for a while but here is a really important one! I have attached two guides of Top Ten Tips for Remote Education - one for parents and one for children.

Remember: you can join our school account on National Online Safety to access resources for FREE by clicking the link and registering as a parent/carer: http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school

Wednesday 30th September 2020

This week's Wake Up Wednesday's guide focuses on Amazon Alexa and the risks and benefits associated with it.

Don't forget that you can access this guide and many more resources for free as part of our subscription to National Online Safety. Just follow the link and register as a parent/carer: http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school

Additionally, I have put together some Online Safety parent packs which are available on request. These include advice on age appropriate apps, PEGI gaming symbols, conversation starters to use with your children and much more. If you would like a pack, please contact the office or send me a message on ClassDojo.

Mrs Harrison-Baines

Wednesday 16th September 2020

It's Wake Up Wednesday again!

This week our online safety guide from National Online Safety is 'What Parents Need to Know About Online Content: 10 Tips to Keep Your Children Safe Online'. In light of recent distressing content on some platforms, we want to remind you how important it is to monitor what your child is accessing online. Please take time to look at the guide and put some of these tips into place in your household.

REMEMBER: you can register with National Online Safety for free access to guides, training videos and more through our school account here: http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school

Thursday 10th September 2020

It's Wake Up Wednesday (a day late - sorry!)

This week our online safety guide from National Online Safety is 'What Parents Need to Know About Games Consoles'. Please take time to look at the guide and learn a little more.

REMEMBER: you can register with National Online Safety for free access to guides, training videos and more through our school account here: http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school

Wednesday 15th July 2020

Today's Wake Up Wednesday is focused on Age Appropriate apps. The guide shown below recommends educational and 'just for fun' apps for various age groups.

Remember, you can join National Online Safety for FREE using our link and registering as a parent/carer: http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school

 

Wednesday 8th July 2020

It's Wake Up Wednesday again!

When we did our Online Safety at Ashton survey, we asked parents if they are aware of the online risks to their children. DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE 24 AREAS OF RISK TO CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE ONLINE? These include but are not limited to:
* Online Relationships
* Overspending
* Fake Profiles and Social Bots
* Online Bullying
* Online Grooming
* Live Streaming
* Online Identity
* Screen Addiction
* Online Challenges
* Online Gambling and Skin Betting
* Hacking
* Fake News
* Online Fraud
and many more!
National Online Safety have short (around 5 minutes) explainer videos on each of the 24 areas of risk and you can access them by signing up for FREE using the link: http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/ashton-primary-school
Please sign up and access these videos. They are very informative and so important in today's online world.

ONLINE SAFETY NEWS

As a result of lockdown, internet use by all age groups has surged. Consequently, there has been an increased risk to children and young people. In a study, 81% of 12-15 year olds asked had been exposed to some form of potentially harmful internet interaction.

90% of posts reported to Facebook and Twitter for fake news in relation to COVID-19 remain online. These include posts about fake cures, conspiracy theories and more.

Android users are being urged to delete on app called Snaptube, which is used to upload content to Facebook and other social media sites. So far in 2020, 32 million fraudulent transactions have taken place through this app. If you are an Android user, lease check to see if you have the app and delete it.

This week's guides focus on How to Spot Fake News and Protecting Personal Data.