Tuesday 7th February 2017 was Safer Internet Day, a day that is very important to our school and pupils. Safer Internet Day is coordinated by the Insafe Network and is celebrated every year across Europe, and in other countries worldwide.
Our school participated alongside hundreds of other schools across the UK and students learnt about how to use the internet safely and positively.
To celebrate the many positives of the internet, and to raise awareness of the issues that children and young people face online today, Berkley School staff discussed internet safety with each class at an age appropriate level.
The safety committee and school council presented an assembly. They joined in with Mummy Penguin’s song and followed the adventures of Smartie the Penguin as he learnt how to be safe on the internet.
Rabbits and Squirrels read the story of Digiduck, who had to make a decision about a picture he had seen on the internet. Children enjoyed the story and were pleased to learn that Digiduck made the right decision and told his mummy about the picture. They had fun after the story making their own Digiducks out of paper plates to remind them of the story. They chose a top tip to keep safe and wrote it on the back and took it home to share with their parents.
Owls looked who would see photos shared by different sources including those by phone, personal emails and posted directly on line. How this compared with photo from the past. They looked at who needed to give permission for those photos before they were sent and what personal information if any could be accidentally given away. They looked at the first impression that photos give about a person and how some photos that the children brought into school might/might not give personal information away if they were posted. They then considered which photos about themselves that they would be happy to share and would be safe to post on the internet.
We believe that internet safety education is a crucial element of the curriculum and an essential part of young people’s development.