At Sunnyside Primary Academy, safeguarding is our highest priority. We recognise that online safety is a vital part of keeping children safe and preparing them for life in a digital world. We are committed to developing a strong culture of vigilance, where pupils understand how to use technology safely, responsibly and respectfully.

Children use the internet regularly to support their learning. We ensure that pupils are explicitly taught how to stay safe online, how to recognise risk, and how to seek help if they feel unsafe.

A planned and progressive curriculum

Online safety is taught through a carefully sequenced and age-appropriate curriculum:

• Computing: We follow the Teach Computing Curriculum, which ensures that pupils build secure knowledge over time, including how to stay safe online, protect personal information and behave responsibly.
• PSHE: Through our Jigsaw PSHE programme, pupils learn about online relationships, digital wellbeing, and how to manage risks and peer influence.
• Assemblies: Key messages are reinforced through assemblies, allowing us to respond to current themes, trends and emerging risks, including social media use.

This ensures that online safety is not taught in isolation, but is embedded across the curriculum and revisited regularly so that pupils remember and apply what they have learned.

A strong safeguarding culture

We have robust systems in place to keep pupils safe when using technology:

• Effective filtering and monitoring systems are in place and regularly reviewed.
• Staff receive appropriate training to identify, respond to and record concerns.
• Pupils are taught how to report worries and are confident that adults will take their concerns seriously.
• Online safety education reflects current risks, including the use of social media platforms.

These approaches support a culture where safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and where pupils feel safe and supported.

Working in partnership with parents and carers

We recognise that keeping children safe online is a shared responsibility. We work closely with parents and carers to ensure consistent messages between home and school.

We ask parents and carers to:

• Talk regularly with their child about their online activity.
• Ensure devices are used in shared family spaces where possible.
• Be aware that many social media platforms have a minimum age of 13; primary-aged children should not be accessing these platforms.
• Monitor and review their child’s online use and set appropriate parental controls.
• Encourage the use of trusted, age-appropriate websites to support learning.

We also provide guidance and opportunities for parents to engage with online safety through workshops and shared resources, including support from organisations such as the NSPCC.

Further information and support

Parents and carers can access high-quality advice and resources through the Thinkuknow website, produced by the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Education team.

You can also visit our dedicated ‘Keeping Safe on the Internet’ page for further guidance and links.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Miss Nolan, our Computing Subject Lead, who will be happy to support you.