Student-Friendly Online Safety Policy

This policy is presented in HTML to support accessibility needs and to work across multiple platforms. A full PDF copy is also available below.

Date Approved - September 2025

Review Frequency - Annually

Date of Next Review - September 2026

Full PDF Policy

History of Recent Policy Changes

Version

Date

Page

Change

Origin of Change

Contents

Why do we like the internet?

It is interesting and fun.
We can learn a lot from the internet.
We use it for our schoolwork.

What is Online Safety?

To keep you safe when using online platforms so you can enjoy, explore and have fun.

What are the dangers of you going online?

Online bullying – nasty text messages, emails, group chats.
People on the internet can pretend that they are someone else.
People could ask you for personal information, which can be dangerous.

Why do we need an Online-Safety policy?

To keep children safe whilst also having fun using the internet at home and at school

How does Brook Academy keep students safe when they use the internet at school?

The school has anti-virus software to keep viruses away.
The school has SENSO which flags any content that you are searching that might not be appropriate.
We have internet filters to keep us from seeing inappropriate content.
The school keeps laptops and Wi-Fi access secure.
Regular PHSE/JIGSAW reminders about social media use and Internet Safety Week.

If you have a problem when you are online, what should you do?

Keep calm and try and ignore the person.
Block and report anyone that is being unkind.
Check your privacy settings.
Report anything that worries you to an adult.
Keep all messages as evidence.

What should you not do?

Do not keep worries to yourself.
Do not respond back and be unkind to anybody.

Who can you tell if you are worried about yourself or someone else?

Friends
Family
Teachers and School Staff

What our school does to respond to Online Safety issues?

We take online safety matters seriously.
We listen to the young people involved and offer support.
We investigate and look at evidence, making sure the right action is taken.
We may contact parents/carers or police.
We encourage students to block and report using the report content button on the student navigator page.

Our internet rules:

We never share our passwords or personal information with anyone else.
We need to tell a member of staff if we see or hear something that makes us upset or worried.
We will never send anything that could be unpleasant or nasty.
When we are using the internet, we are communicating in a polite and kind way.
We will have more conversations with our parents/carers about what we are doing online and do our best to spend less time on our phones.

How should we act on the internet?

S – Keep your personal information SAFE and SECURE.

M – Do not agree to meet anyone from the internet: they may not be who they say they are.

A – Do not ACCEPT messages or emails from someone you don’t know.

R – Remember, do not always trust the information you find on the internet: it may not be correct.

T – If something or someone upsets you on the internet, TELL a trusted adult in school or at home.

Useful Links for Online Safety

CEOP

Child exploitation and Online Protec-tion. This website is where you can report any form of abuse, online. It also can offer support about what you can report.

https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/