Compass School has a strong commitment to nurturing students' holistic development, including their academic, social, and emotional growth. We have a clear emphasis on promoting positive attitudes, confidence, independence, and perseverance aligns with creating a supportive and empowering learning environment.

The aim of the online safety curriculum reflects these values by recognising the importance of educating and empowering students to navigate the digital world safely, responsibly, and ethically. It highlights personalised learning to address individual needs and challenges, which underscores the school's commitment to meeting students where they are in their digital literacy journey.

We are committed to regularly reviewing and updating the curriculum content which demonstrates adaptability and responsiveness to the evolving nature of technology and online risks. This proactive approach ensures that students receive relevant and up-to-date guidance to navigate the dynamic digital landscape effectively.

Overall, both the beliefs and values of Compass School and the aim of the online safety curriculum reflect a student-centred approach focused on fostering confidence, resilience, and preparedness for success in both academic and digital spheres.

Message for pupils

In today's digital age, the internet offers endless opportunities for learning, connecting with others, and exploring new horizons. However, along with these opportunities come certain risks and challenges that we must navigate with caution and awareness.

As members of the Compass School community, your safety and well-being are our utmost priority. That's why we want to remind you of some essential tips for staying safe online:

• Protect Your Personal Information: Be mindful of the information you share online. Avoid sharing sensitive details such as your full name, address, phone number, or school without parental permission.
• Think Before You Click: Not everything online is what it seems. Before clicking on links, downloading files, or accepting friend requests, pause and consider whether they are from a trusted source.
• Be Wary of Strangers: Just like in the real world, be cautious when interacting with strangers online. Avoid engaging in conversations with people you don't know and never agree to meet someone you've only met online without consulting a trusted adult.
• Use Privacy Settings: Familiarise yourself with the privacy settings on social media platforms and other online services you use. Adjust these settings to control who can see your posts and information.
• Report and Block: If you encounter any inappropriate or harmful content, don't hesitate to report it to the platform or website administrators. Additionally, use the block feature to prevent further communication with individuals who make you uncomfortable.

Remember, if you ever feel confused, worried, or unsafe while navigating the digital world, help is always available. You can reach out to any of the following for support:

• All staff: All staff are here to guide and support you through any challenges you may face online. Don't hesitate to approach them with your concerns or questions.
• Parents or Guardians: Your parents or guardians care deeply about your well-being and are there to help you navigate the online world safely. Talk to them about your online activities and seek their advice when needed.
• Online Safety Resources: There are many reputable online resources available that provide information and support on staying safe online. Websites such as Childline, NSPCC, and Thinkuknow offer valuable advice and guidance on various online safety topics.

At Compass School, we are committed to empowering you to use the internet and digital technologies responsibly and ethically. By staying informed, cautious, and seeking help when needed, you can enjoy all the benefits of the online world while staying safe and secure.

Links for parents

The use of the internet and social media by our young people has become a part of their normal daily life. New platforms, technologies and the use of digital media have changed the way in which young people communicate, create, socialise and gather information, but the importance of parental guidance and an understanding of what their young person is doing online remains the same.

Current research tells us that having a supportive parent or carer can make all the difference in helping the young person to learn to stay safe online.

Find below the ‘Top E-safety Tips to Staying Safe online’ from www.swgfl.org.uk

Staying Safe Online – The Tech

E-safety doesn’t just happen. It needs awareness of the possible threats that online activity can bring, and how to deal with them.

1. Learn your way around

Most devices have controls to ensure that kids can’t access content you don’t want them to. Make sure your “in-app” purchases are disabled to avoid nasty surprises. 

Check out the Parent’s Technology Guide at the UK Safer Internet Centre for more help.

2. E-Safety on Tablets

Tablets are really popular with younger children, and the market has several which are geared specifically towards delivering child friendly content.

When it comes to using them, start slowly: only download games and apps you have checked out carefully and steer them towards age targeted content such as BBC iPlayer Kids or YouTube Kids.

Sites like www.net-aware.org.uk and or www.commonsensemedia.org also provide useful advice.

3. E-Safety on Mobile Phones/Smartphones

If you have older children, the focus will probably be shifting from tablets to smaller and more portable mobile devices: phones. The old online safety messages about having your home computer in a communal place have become defunct, because phones are literally mobile computers and can do pretty much the same stuff that traditional desktop PCs can.

You can use tools like Google Family Link for Android devices, or Screen Time for Apple iOS devices, to set up controls around usage, but it’s just as important, if not more so, to talk to kids about what they should and shouldn’t be doing (see ‘Setting Boundaries’ below).

4. Social Media Platforms

Ofcom’s research also shows that YouTube remains a firm favourite. Children between five and 15 are more likely to use YouTube than other on-demand services such as Netflix, or TV channels including the BBC and ITV.

WhatsApp has also grown to join Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram as one of the top social media platforms used by children.

We’ve produced checklists for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Roblox and TikTok that you can download from our social media checklists page. The checklists will help parents to understand more about each platform, what information they use, and how to set privacy settings: they’re a parent’s social media survival guide!

Staying Safe Online – Setting Boundaries

Internet safety isn’t just about setting up technology in the right way. It’s just as important, if not more so, to get the ‘offline’ setup right: expectations, behaviours, discussions about use. Our advice is to set some ground rules, and ensure children understand them. Here are some areas to look at.

5. Screen Time

Agree a time limit or number of games beforehand, to avoid repeated disagreements around how long they can spend online.

We’ve also got the ‘Young People and Screentime – A Good Start’ guide available, which provides some tips and checklists to help parents and carers get kids off to a good start using digital devices.

6. Sleep Comes First

It is advisable that the phone stays out of the bedroom to avoid night time interruptions, and having a period of time before bed without phone or tablet use is beneficial too.

The blue light emitted from LCD screens has been shown to disrupt sleep by interfering with our natural body rhythms, blocking our bodies from creating a sleep hormone called melatonin.

7. Request Access

You care more about your kid’s health and wellbeing than anyone else. That means you need to guide them in the virtual world as well as the real world. If you’re genuinely concerned about them, ask them to allow you access to the phone.

8. Monitoring vs Having a Conversation

It is possible to install software onto devices that monitors online activity, alerts you to inappropriate behaviour, and can block access to certain content. This kind of software is becoming increasingly popular, but while this might sound tempting, it might pose a number of issues around your child’s right to privacy, and could have an impact upon your relationship with them. 

Our ‘Parenting through technology‘ article – part of our ‘Parenting in a digital age’ series – covers this subject and raises some interesting points.

The best advice we can give is to talk to your child regularly and openly about behaviour and risk, so that they know they can come to you if something goes wrong. 

We covered this in our ‘Parenting in a Digital Age’ series, in the ‘It’s good to talk’ article.

9. Whole Home Approach

Consider setting parental controls on your Wi-Fi. You can block access to inappropriate or adult content, and set time limits which may help rein in those excessive Minecraft sessions.

The UK Safer Internet Centre ‘Parental controls offered by your home internet provider‘ page is a good place to start.

10. Gaming

Finally, a word about games. There are so many exciting games out there, and so many consoles to choose from, there is a good chance you might have one in your home. Whether it’s Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo Switch or Sony PlayStation, there is something for everyone, and every age.

Consider whether your child is mature enough to join an online community, and whether the games they are playing are appropriate. For more advice on this, visit www.pegi.info or www.askaboutgames.com.

Guides and training

To support our parents/carers, students and community in navigating various aspects of the online world, especially social media, we recommend some key websites that provide advice and guidance on e-Safety, helping you and your children use the internet responsibly and keeping you and those you care about safe online.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) http://ceop.police.uk/ CEOP works across the UK tackling child sex abuse and providing advice for parents, young people and children about internet safety and online safety.

Think U Know http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/Find the latest information on the sites you like to visit and on mobiles and new technology. Find out what’s good, what’s not and what you can do about it. If you look after young people there’s an area for you, too – with resources you can use in the classroom or at home. Most importantly, there’s also a place which anyone can use to report if they feel uncomfortable or worried about someone they are chatting to online. Go to Think U Know.

UK Safer Internet Centre http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/parents-and-carers They deliver a wide range of activities that promote the safe and responsible use of technology, providing advice and support.

Know it all (Childnet International) http://www.childnet.com Child net’s mission is to work in partnership with others around the world to help make the internet a great and safe place for children. Working directly with children and young people from the ages of 3 to 18, parents, carers, teachers and professionals, they find out about real experiences, and share the positives as well as online safety advice.

Parental Controls - The “Big 4” UK internet service providers provide customers with free parental controls which can be activated at any time. Here they have come together to produce some helpful video guides to help you to download and set-up the controls offered by your provider. http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/parents-and-carers/parental-controls

However, if you have any safeguarding concerns around your child’s online usage, please contact our Designated Safeguarding lead dslo@compass-school.net

We also recommend the use of the National Online Safety website - https://nationalonlinesafety.com/resources/platform-guides/. Through this website you will find the most up to date resources for social media apps and platforms. The resources include Parents & Carers courses, online video resources and weekly guides covering a huge range of topics, including:

· Online Relationships

· Fake Profiles & Social Bots

·Online Bullying

· Online Grooming

· Child Sexual Exploitation

· Sexual Harassment & Violence

· Sexting

· Live Streaming

· Online Identity

· Screen Addiction

· Online Challenges

· Overspending

· Social Media Platforms

· Online Gambling

· Radicalisation, Terrorism & Extremism

· Age Inappropriate Content

· Copyright & Ownership

· Hacking

· Fake News

· Online Fraud

· Online Reputation

· Personal Data

· Pornography

· Targeted Adverts & Pop-Ups

· The Dark Web

· Games & Trends

Parents can also undertake some free online courses around online safety. Please follow the links below:

Annual Certificate in Online Safety for Parents & Carers of Children aged 11-14
https://nationalonlinesafety.com/hub/view/course/os-for-parents-carers-of-children-aged-11-14

Annual Certificate in Online Safety for Parents & Carers of Children aged 14-18
https://nationalonlinesafety.com/hub/view/course/os-for-parents-carers-of-children-aged-14-18