Online safety
At Loscoe C of E Primary School and Nursery, keeping children safe online is an essential part of our safeguarding responsibility.
Technology provides children with wonderful opportunities to learn, create, communicate and explore, but we also recognise that children need the knowledge, skills and confidence to navigate the online world safely and responsibly.
Online safety is not taught as a one-off lesson. It is embedded throughout our curriculum and reinforced through safeguarding education, computing, PSHE, assemblies and conversations with children across the school.
We want our pupils to become safe, kind, responsible and confident digital citizens who know how to make good choices and, importantly, know what to do when something online does not feel right.
Our Online Safety Curriculum
We use Google's Be Internet Awesome as a key part of our online safety curriculum.
The programme teaches children important principles of digital citizenship and online safety, helping them develop the knowledge and behaviours they need when using the internet.
Children explore areas including:
- thinking carefully about what they share online;
- recognising that not everything online is necessarily trustworthy;
- protecting personal information;
- using passwords and accounts safely;
- communicating positively and respectfully;
- recognising inappropriate or unkind online behaviour; and
- knowing when and how to ask a trusted adult for help.
Children are given regular opportunities to revisit and build upon their learning as they progress through school.
Play Interland
Children can reinforce their online safety learning through Interland, Google's interactive online safety game. It allows children to practise key digital citizenship and safety messages through an engaging online adventure.
Understanding Online Harm
The online world changes quickly. Children can access the internet through many different devices, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, games consoles, smart TVs and other connected devices.
Online safety therefore goes much further than simply deciding which websites children can visit.
Children may encounter risks relating to:
Content
Things children see, read or watch online that may be inappropriate, upsetting, misleading or harmful.
Contact
Interactions with other people online, including people they know and people they do not know.
Conduct
How a child behaves online, including how they communicate with others, what they post or share and how their behaviour affects other people.
Online behaviours
Children also need support in understanding issues such as:
- online bullying;
- inappropriate or upsetting content;
- misinformation and misleading content;
- scams and phishing;
- privacy and personal information;
- sharing photographs, videos and other content;
- gaming and communication within games;
- livestreaming;
- social media;
- screen time and healthy technology habits; and
- knowing how and when to block or report something.
The UK Safer Internet Centre provides advice covering a wide range of current online issues, including gaming, livestreaming, misinformation, online bullying, challenges, reporting, screen time and social media.
Social Media, Phones and Tablets
Children's online experiences increasingly extend beyond computers. Phones, tablets, consoles and other connected devices can provide access to social media, messaging, gaming, video content and online communities.
We encourage parents and carers to take an active interest in their child's digital life.
It is helpful to:
- regularly talk about what your child enjoys doing online;
- explore games, apps and websites together;
- check that apps, games and content are appropriate for your child's age;
- make use of privacy settings and parental controls;
- talk about what information should remain private;
- discuss who children communicate with online;
- remind children that images and messages can be shared with others;
- establish healthy routines around devices and screen time; and
- make sure children know they can always tell a trusted adult if something worries them.
The UK Safer Internet Centre specifically recommends ongoing conversations with children and provides guidance for families on phones, laptops, games consoles, tablets, smart TVs and social media.
Talk, Tell, Report
One of the most important messages we give our children is:
If something happens online that makes you worried, uncomfortable or unsure, tell a trusted adult.
Children should never feel that they have to deal with an online problem alone.
We encourage children to stop, tell and seek help rather than responding to worrying content or communication themselves.
Parents and carers should also encourage children to talk openly about their online experiences. Government guidance recommends regular conversations about staying safe online and encouraging children to tell an adult when they encounter something worrying. [gov.uk]
What Should I Do If I Am Worried?
If your child tells you about something concerning online, listen calmly and reassure them that they were right to tell you.
Depending upon the circumstances, you may also be able to use the reporting or blocking functions available within the app, game or website.
If you are concerned about your child's online safety or believe that an online incident may be a safeguarding concern, please contact school so that we can support you and your child.
Where there is an immediate risk of harm or danger, contact the appropriate emergency services.
The UK Safer Internet Centre also provides information about reporting harmful content and accessing specialist support.
Supporting Parents and Carers
You do not need to be a technology expert to help your child stay safe online.
Open conversations and taking an interest in what children are doing online can make an important difference. SWGfL recommends approaching online safety positively and emphasises trust, positivity and empowerment when talking to children about their online lives.
These organisations provide useful, regularly updated advice:
UK Safer Internet Centre
Information and practical guidance for families, including advice about phones, tablets, games consoles, social media, parental controls and conversations with children.
SWGfL
SWGfL provides online safety advice, resources and guidance for children, families and professionals. Its guidance emphasises open and honest conversations about children's experiences of social media, gaming, chatting, browsing and learning online.
NSPCC
The NSPCC provides guidance for families covering areas including devices, parental controls, conversations about online safety and reporting concerns.
Our 360safe Online Safety Audit
As part of our commitment to continually improving online safety, Loscoe uses 360safe, the online safety self-review tool.
Our Progress Summary Report dated 1 October 2026 shows that all 18 of the 18 aspects within the audit have been completed and records 96% overall progress.
The audit considers online safety across the whole school, including:
- online safety responsibilities;
- our Online Safety Policy;
- acceptable use;
- reporting and responding;
- online safety education;
- staff, governors and families;
- filtering and monitoring;
- technical and cyber security;
- data protection;
- device management;
- digital content;
- public communications; and
- the impact of online safety policy and practice.
The audit supports us in identifying areas of strength alongside areas where our provision can continue to develop.
We use this ongoing process to support a whole-school approach to online safety, considering not only what children are taught but also school policies, safeguarding practice, technology, filtering and monitoring, staff development and engagement with families.
Working Together
Keeping children safe online works best when school, children and families work together.
Our aim is not to make children frightened of technology. Instead, we want to give them the knowledge, confidence, critical thinking skills and strategies they need to enjoy the opportunities technology provides while recognising risks and knowing how to get help.
Above all, we want every child to remember:
Be kind. Think before you share. Protect your personal information. Question what you see. And if something doesn't feel right, tell a trusted adult.