Sheffield school's key lessons in staying safe online

Teaching children how to work online and enjoy the internet without entering dangerous territory is increasingly a priority for schools across the UK.

Oasis Academy Fir Vale held workshops to teach pupils to be safety aware from a young age.

Designed to teach safety online through pictures, presentations and role play, the workshops covered a range of important topics, from protecting your personal information to stranger danger on the internet.

Pupils of all ages created posters promoting key lessons for protecting yourself on social media.

These posters, now displayed around the school, serve as an excellent reminder to both staff and pupils that although the internet is an invaluable resource, it is very important that children stay aware of the risks and know how to avoid them.

As it is reported that one in four children experience upsetting material on social media sites, safeguarding pupils from the dangers of the internet has never been more important.

Oasis Academy Fir Vale acting Principal Helen Round said after the exercise: “It is great to see the children really engage with the issue of safety online. “The safety of our pupils is our number one concern both at school and at home, and as children from early ages build increasingly developed online profiles, it is essential that we provide them with the knowledge of what is okay to share and what isn’t.”

Online safety also covers other ways in which young people communicate using electronic media, including mobile phones.

Safeguarding children and young people online covers a whole range of potential issues such as cyberbullying, radicalisation, extremist behaviour and child sexual exploitation.