Online safety at school

As part of the Computing curriculum, children complete an Online Safety unit every year. Outcomes include:

Year 1 

• Discussing what the internet is and how it can be used.
• Recognising that the internet may affect mood or emotions.
• Recognising how internet use can affect and upset others.
• Identifying which information is appropriate to share and post online and which is not.

Year 2 

• Explaining what is meant by online information.
• Recognising what information is safe to be shared online.
• Explaining why we need passwords and what makes a strong password.
• Understanding that they need to ask permission before sharing content online and explain why.
• Understanding that they have the right to deny their permission to information about them being shared online.
• Saying who they can ask for help with online worries.
• Using some strategies to work out if online information is reliable or not.

Year 3

• Differentiating between fact, opinion and belief online.
• Explaining how to deal with upsetting online content.
• Recognising that digital devices communicate with each other to share personal information.
• Explaining what social media platforms are used for.
• Recognising why social media platforms are age-restricted.

Year 4

• Describing how to search over multiple platforms and are aware of the accuracy of the results presented.
• Describing some of the methods used to persuade people to buy online.
• Explaining the difference between fact, opinion and belief and recognise these online.
• Explaining what a bot is and give examples of different bots.
• Explaining some positive and negative distractions of using technology and small strategies on how to reduce the amount of time spent on technology.

Year 5

• Understanding that passwords need to be strong and that apps require some form of passwords.
• Recognising a couple of the different types of online communication and know who to go to if they need help with any communication matters online.
• Searching for simple information about a person, such as their birthday or key life moments.
• Knowing what bullying is and that it can occur both online and in the real world.
• Recognising when health and wellbeing are being affected in either a positive or negative way through online use.
• Offering a couple of advice tips to combat the negative effects of online use.

Year 6

• Discussing a range of issues online that can leave pupils feeling sad, frightened, worried or uncomfortable and describing numerous ways to get help.
• Explaining how sharing online can have both positive and negative impacts.
• Being aware of how to seek consent from others before sharing material online and describing how content can still be shared online even if it is set to private.
• Explaining what a ‘digital reputation’ is and what it can consist of.
• Understanding the importance of capturing evidence of online bullying and demonstrating some of these methods on the devices used at school.
• Describing ways to manage passwords and strategies to add extra security such as two-factor authentication.
• Explaining what to do if passwords are shared, lost, or stolen.
• Describing strategies to identify scams.
• Explaining ways to increase their privacy settings and understanding why it is important to keep their software updated.

These are further enhanced throughout the year, with DigiShorts videos provided by LGfL (London Grid for Learning) on a wide range of online safety topics.