Staying Safe Online
The online world gives children extraordinary opportunities to learn, create, communicate and explore. At Nantwich Primary Academy, we help pupils develop the knowledge, confidence and judgement they need to make safe and responsible choices online.
Online safety is part of safeguarding. It is taught through our curriculum, reinforced through everyday use of technology and supported by appropriate filtering and monitoring systems.
Worried about something online?
If something has happened online, find out what to do, who to tell and where to get trusted support.
Get help →
Advice for Parents & Carers
Practical guidance on devices, games, apps, social media and helping children stay safe at home.
Parent advice →
How We Keep Pupils Safe
Find out how online safety is taught and how filtering, monitoring and safeguarding help protect pupils in school.
Our approach →
Worried about something online?
If something online has made your child worried, frightened, uncomfortable or confused, encourage them to tell a trusted adult.
Children should know that they will be listened to and supported. They should not feel that reporting a problem will automatically result in losing access to their device or being blamed for what has happened.
What should we do?
STOP – Do not reply, continue the conversation or engage further.
TELL – Tell a trusted adult as soon as possible.
SAVE – Keep messages, usernames, links or screenshots where appropriate.
REPORT – Report harmful content or behaviour using the relevant service or trusted reporting route.
Reporting Serious Concerns
If you are concerned about online sexual abuse, grooming or exploitation, you can report directly to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOP).
If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
If you are unsure what to do, contact the academy and ask to speak to a member of the safeguarding team.
Advice for Parents & Carers
Children’s online experiences change quickly as they grow. The guidance below highlights some of the things parents and carers may want to consider at different stages of primary school.
Supporting Children at Different Ages
0 to 5 Pre-School
Ages 3–5
Explore technology together and choose age-appropriate content. Use parental controls where appropriate, be aware of adverts and in-app purchases, and encourage your child to tell you whenever something unexpected appears.
Ages 5–8
Talk about games, chat and the importance of keeping personal information private. Help children understand kindness online and make sure they know they can tell an adult if something worries or upsets them.
Ages 8–11
As children become more independent, talk regularly about messaging, group chats, gaming, social media, sharing images, scams, misinformation, peer pressure and AI-generated content
How We Keep Pupils Safe
Online safety is part of our wider safeguarding approach. We help pupils develop the knowledge and confidence to make safe choices online, while also using appropriate technical systems and safeguarding procedures to reduce risk and respond to concerns.
Filtering
Filtering helps prevent access to illegal, inappropriate and potentially harmful online content on school networks and managed devices.
Monitoring
Monitoring helps identify concerning online activity so that safeguarding concerns can be reviewed and responded to appropriately.
Safeguarding Response
Concerns identified through technology are handled through the academy’s safeguarding procedures and reviewed by the Designated Safeguarding Lead and safeguarding team.
Internet access on school networks and managed devices is protected through Trust-managed filtering and monitoring arrangements, including Schools Broadband and Lightspeed. Safeguarding monitoring reports are reviewed by the DSL, with technical support provided by the St Bart’s Multi-Academy Trust IT team.
These arrangements are reviewed regularly to help ensure they remain appropriate and effective.
Online Safety Curriculum
Online safety is taught progressively from Early Years to Year 6. Pupils revisit key concepts as they mature, building increasingly sophisticated knowledge about privacy, communication, online relationships, digital behaviour, content, misinformation and risk.
Online safety is reinforced through Computing, PSHE, Relationships Education, assemblies and the everyday use of technology across the curriculum.
What Pupils Learn
Protect personal information and understand what should and should not be shared online.
Communicate safely and respectfully with others.
Recognise harmful or inappropriate content and know what to do if they encounter it.
Question what they see online, including misleading information, edited media and AI-generated content.
Understand digital footprints and how online actions can have lasting consequences.
Report concerns and seek help from a trusted adult.
Artificial Intelligence and Online Safety
Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly common part of children’s digital world. AI tools can support creativity and learning, but they can also produce inaccurate information, misleading images, altered voices and convincing fake content.
At Nantwich Primary Academy, we teach pupils to use AI thoughtfully, question what they see and protect personal information.
Think
AI-generated information can sound convincing even when it is wrong. Pupils are taught not to assume that an answer is accurate simply because it has been produced by a computer.
Check
Images, audio and video can be created or altered using AI. Pupils learn to look for evidence, compare sources and consider whether digital content can be trusted.
Protect
Children should not enter personal, private or sensitive information into online tools unless their use has been approved by the school.
Any AI tools used in school are considered for their age appropriateness, educational value, privacy and safeguarding implications.
Pupil Voice: Digital Leaders
Our Digital Leaders help promote positive, responsible and safe use of technology across the academy. They support younger pupils, contribute ideas, help create resources and encourage everyone to think carefully about how they behave online.
Their role gives pupils a genuine voice in shaping our online safety culture.
Digital Leaders help explain key online safety messages to other pupils.
They encourage pupils to ask for help if something online makes them worried or uncomfortable.
They help produce posters, videos and other resources to promote safe and responsible technology use.
They contribute to assemblies, events and campaigns such as Safer Internet Day.
Our Digital Leaders also help us understand how pupils are using technology and what online issues matter most to them.
Social Media and Age Restrictions
Social media, messaging apps, online games and video-sharing platforms are a significant part of many children’s lives. However, many popular services have minimum age requirements and are not designed for primary-aged children.
Age limits are only one part of deciding whether a service is suitable. Parents and carers should also consider privacy settings, contact with strangers, messaging features, advertising, inappropriate content and whether their child is emotionally ready to use the platform safely.
Is my child old enough to use this app?
Minimum ages vary between services and can change as platforms update their terms. Creating an account using a false date of birth can also mean that important protections designed for younger users are not applied correctly.
Before allowing your child to use a new app, game or social platform, we recommend checking:
Who can contact them – Can strangers send messages or friend requests?
What they can share – Can photographs, videos or location information be posted?
Privacy settings – Is the account private by default?
Chat and messaging – Can these features be limited or switched off?
Purchases and advertising – Are there in-app purchases, subscriptions or targeted adverts?
Reporting tools – Does your child know how to block, mute and report another user?
Talk before you download
Having a conversation before an app is installed is often more effective than trying to solve problems afterwards. Agree expectations together about who your child can communicate with, what they may share and what they should do if something makes them uncomfortable.
Encourage children to tell you when something goes wrong online without worrying that they will automatically lose access to their device. This makes it much more likely that they will ask for help when they genuinely need it.
Check an app, game or social network
Trusted Help and Advice
There is a great deal of online safety advice available, but not all of it is equally reliable. The organisations below provide current, practical guidance for parents, carers, children and schools.
Need help from school?
If you are worried about something your child has experienced online and are unsure what to do next, please contact the academy and ask to speak to a member of the safeguarding team.
Policies, Downloads and Key Documents
The documents below provide further information about online safety, safeguarding and the academy’s approach to the safe and responsible use of technology.