Believe • Belong • Become

Technology gives children opportunities to learn, create, communicate and discover. At Woolton Primary School, we want children to believe in their ability to make safe choices, belong to a respectful online community and become confident, responsible users of technology.

Keeping children safe online is a partnership between school and home. You do not need to be a technology expert to help: regular conversations, sensible boundaries and knowing where to find support make a difference.

Worried about something online?

Please contact school if your child experiences online bullying, upsetting content, unwanted contact or anything that makes them feel unsafe—even if it happens outside school.

To report a concern about a child’s safety, call 0151 428 3066 during school hours and ask for Ms Elsa O’Connor, our Designated Safeguarding Lead, or a deputy.

For advice about online safety education and supporting your child’s use of technology, please ask for Mr Jonathan Stewart, our Online Safety Lead.

School contacts are not monitored continuously outside school hours.

Listen calmly and reassure your child that telling you was the right thing to do. Avoid blaming them or threatening to remove devices, as this may discourage them from asking for help.

• Immediate danger: call 999.
• Suspected online sexual abuse or grooming: report directly to the CEOP Safety Centre.
• Use the app or game’s reporting and blocking tools where appropriate.

Do not copy, screenshot or forward sexual images of children. Seek advice from the safeguarding team or police.

What children learn at Woolton

Online safety is taught through Computing, PSHE and wider safeguarding learning, with teaching adapted to children’s ages and needs.

Children learn how to:

• Protect personal information and understand privacy.
• Communicate kindly and recognise online bullying.
• Recognise unsafe contact, pressure and requests.
• Question what they see, including advertising, scams and misleading information.
• Understand that photographs, videos and AI-generated content may be altered or untrue.
• Make balanced choices about technology and seek help from a trusted adult.

Our message to children is simple: if something worries you, stop and tell a trusted adult. You can ask for help, even if you have made a mistake.

Keeping children safer at home

Talk regularly. Ask what your child enjoys online, who they communicate with and whether anything has worried them.

Explore together. Take an interest in their games, videos and apps. Check age ratings and the service’s minimum-age requirements before allowing access.

Check settings. Set up parental controls, privacy settings and purchase restrictions. Review chat, friend requests, location sharing and livestreaming features.

Agree routines. Set boundaries together around where and when devices are used, protecting sleep, play and family time.

Keep checking. Settings and services change. Parental controls help, but do not replace conversations and age-appropriate supervision.

Find step-by-step help through Internet Matters parental-control guides.

Gaming and online friendships

Games can support creativity and friendships, but chat and messaging features can also expose children to unwanted contact.

Help your child understand that someone they meet online may not be who they claim to be. They should never share personal details, move into private conversations or arrange to meet an online contact without involving a trusted adult.

Check spending controls and teach children to question offers of free items, gaming currency or rewards.

AI and emerging technology

AI tools can produce convincing answers, pictures, voices and videos that are inaccurate or misleading.

Help children understand that an AI chatbot is not a person or a trusted adult. They should not share private information or use it as their source of help when worried or unsafe.

Encourage children to check information with reliable sources and speak to an adult if something seems confusing, upsetting or suspicious.

Safety on school devices

We use filtering to restrict access to harmful or inappropriate content and monitoring arrangements to help identify concerns when school technology is used.

These measures support staff supervision, teaching and safeguarding procedures. No system can prevent every risk, so children are also taught how to recognise concerns and report them.

Support for every child

Some children need additional help to recognise risks, understand online relationships or explain a concern. We adapt teaching and work with families so that safety messages are accessible and meaningful.

Please speak to us if your child would benefit from additional support.

Useful help for families

• Internet Matters — practical advice about games, apps, devices and online risks.
• CEOP Education — age-appropriate advice about safe online relationships.
• CEOP Safety Centre — reporting online sexual abuse and grooming.

Together, we can help children enjoy the opportunities technology offers while knowing how to stay safer and ask for help.