IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ - UPDATED 20th NOVEMBER 2023

At St Paul’s we want to be as proactive as possible with online safety. 

New apps and trends are being created daily and to stay ahead of the game we have partnered with a specialist internet safety company called Smoothwall.

We now have an online safety hub which is now live!

You can access it for free here: https://stpaulsnelson.onlinesafetyhub.uk

The Online Safety Hub is a brand new online resource with lots of expert advice and guidance to help keep us all up to date with safeguarding. It includes information on the latest hot topics when it comes to keeping children safe, such as specific articles relating to safeguarding, understanding the latest trends and what they mean for our children's safety and lots more.

Smoothwall are also offering you (as a parent or guardian), a free Qustodio account facilitating parental controls on any 2 devices and free premium access for 30 days.

Gain more visibility on what’s going on in your child’s online world. Block dangerous content, introduce screen-free schedules, receive alerts for inappropriate content, keep tabs on their location and more.

Follow the link to create your free account:

https://www.qustodio.com/en/30-days-school-special/?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=OSHub&utm_campaign=stpaulsnelson-uk

Parent's Role in Online Safety

We all want the best for children and it's really important that children are protected from unsuitable online content and have a healthy balance between screen time and other activities.

As a school, we do all we can to keep children safe whilst using the internet. It is of course your responsibility, as parents, to make sure that you are aware of what your child is accessing whilst online. 

We strongly recommend that you adhere to the age restrictions on Social Media apps and sites, They are as follows:

Facebook - 13yrs 

Instagram - 13yrs

Snapchat - 13yrs

Twitter - 13yrs

Twitch - 13yrs

Tik-Tok - 13yrs

What's App - 16yrs

Live me - 17yrs

You Tube - 18yrs  (13yrs with parental consent to open an account)

It is also important that you monitor how much time your child spends on their digital device. It's always a good idea to set up a timetable / rota where your child is allowed screen time. 

Where possible, ensure that your child remains in the room with you at all times, during their allocated screen time.

Never allow your child to take their mobile device to bed with them! Children can sometimes tell fibs! They may promise that it will be switched off but are you certain that this is the case?

Remember - games have an age limit too! These games may seem harmless enough but many of them have unsuitable content, including violence, swearing and drugs and alcohol.  Seeing and hearing such inappropriate content could well affect your child's behaviour and wellbeing. Children have also been known to become addicted to such content.

Remember, also, that social media, text messaging etc can also expose your child to unsavoury messages and content - even from other children. 

Always make sure that you monitor your child's online activity very very closely - right from the first time they access a device. Don't let them access online content unsupervised and think carefully before you buy your child a device or let them have online access. Set out strict ground rules to protect them.  At school we do all we can to assist parents who have problems with their child's online activity but often, by the time the child has been accessing unsavoury online material at home, it's too late. Once that's happened, the content cannot be unseen. 

Let's work together to keep children safe online.