This week we have joined schools and youth settings across the UK in celebrating Safer Internet Day 2020. Safer Internet Day is a global campaign to promote the safe and responsible use of technology, which calls on young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, companies, policymakers, and wider, to join together in helping to create a better internet.

Using the internet safely and positively is a key message that we promote in Waterhouses CE Primary Academy and celebrating Safer Internet Day is a great opportunity for us to re-emphasise the online safety messages we deliver throughout the year. Therefore, this week we have been encouraging our children to explore how they manage their online identity, and how the internet shapes how they think of themselves and others. We want Safer Internet Day 2020 to celebrate difference and help us work towards creating a truly inclusive internet.

We’d be delighted if you could join us in celebrating the day by continuing the conversation at home. To help you with this you may be interested in downloading the free Safer Internet Day resource pack for parents and carers which is available here: saferinternet.org.uk/sid-parents.

There are also top tips, a quiz and films which you can use at home with your child.

Some other resources which you may find helpful in supporting your child online are:

• Advice for parents and carers from Childnet
• Tips, advice and guides for parents and carers from the UK Safer Internet Centre
• Guides on popular apps and games from NetAware
• Reviews and information about games, apps, TV shows and websites from Common Sense Media
• Help on using parental controls and privacy settings from Internet Matters
• Information and reporting of online grooming or abuse from CEOP

Online safety is an important issue which as a school we’re committed to teaching our children about.

If you have any concerns or questions about keeping your child safe online, please do get in touch with your child’s class teacher/myself or Mrs J Hulme, our Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Kind regards,

Karen Cooper

Computing and Online Safety Lead