Supporting Online Safety
A Guide for Parents and Carers
We are pleased to share a series of PowerPoint presentations designed to help parents better understand the key aspects of online safety and how to support their children in navigating the digital world responsibly. This resource is in 3 parts, and covers essential topics such as social media and gaming, parental controls and age requirements, risks and negative experiences, and critical thinking. Whether you’re tech-savvy or just starting to explore these issues, the presentation offers practical tips and insights to empower families to stay safe and informed online. We encourage all parents to take a few moments to view it and join us in promoting a safer digital environment for our students.
Online Safety Presentation Part A
Online Safety Presentation Part B
Online Safety Presentation Part C
💬 1. Keep Conversations Open
Talk regularly with your child about their online activity — what they do, who they chat with, and which apps or games they use. A relaxed, non-judgmental approach helps build trust.
👨👩👧 2. Set Boundaries Together
Create rules about screen time, when and where devices can be used, and which websites or platforms are allowed. Consider using parental controls to help manage access. Check the age limit on apps and websites are they age appropriate for your young person?
🚫 3. Talk About Privacy
Make sure your child understands not to share personal information like their full name, school, address, or passwords — especially with people they’ve never met in real life.
❤️ 4. Promote Kindness Online
Remind your child that kindness matters just as much online as offline. Encourage respectful behavior and talk about how to handle cyberbullying or hurtful messages. We encourage the use of Teams for discussions in lessons when directed by teachers. This option should not be used for chats between students on non-school related subject matters. Please check these chats with your young person.
🖥️ 5. Use Shared Spaces for Screens
Where possible, keep devices in shared family areas. This makes it easier to stay involved in your child’s online world without hovering.
🆘 6. Know What to Do If Something Goes Wrong
Make sure your child knows how to report harmful content or block users. Let them know they can always come to you or a teacher if something online makes them uncomfortable.
🛠️ Need Help with Parental Controls?
Check out these helpful resources:
🧑🏫 We’re Here to Support You If you have any concerns about your child’s online safety, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your child’s tutor or the pastoral team.
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Location controls and how to lock them on your child’s phone 🔒
In today’s digital age, many parents are choosing to use location controls on their child’s phone—and for good reason. These tools offer a simple yet effective way to help keep children safe, especially during their journeys to and from school or extracurricular activities. Location tracking can provide peace of mind in emergencies and support children’s growing independence by allowing parents to stay connected without being intrusive. It can also help reinforce routines, such as limiting distractions during school hours. Used thoughtfully, location controls can be part of a healthy digital parenting approach that balances trust, safety, and responsibility.
To stop your child from turning off location services, use your device’s parental control settings to lock them.
- Go to Settings > Screen Time.
- Tap on your child’s name.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and enter the Screen Time passcode if prompted.
- Go to Location Services and select Don’t Allow Changes.
- Go back to Content & Privacy Restrictions and find Share My Location under Privacy. Select Don’t Allow to prevent changes to this specific setting.
- Ensure you have a strong Screen Time passcode that your child does not know.
- Use a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution. This is a more advanced method often used by schools but can be employed by parents who want to manage multiple devices or enforce strict controls.
- An MDM allows you to create a profile with restrictions that can enforce location services to be “Always On” and prevent users from changing them.
- Your phone service provider will be able to provide further advice and support should you need it.
Additional tips
- Have an open conversation: Talk to your child about why location sharing is important for their safety and work towards a compromise, such as agreeing on specific times or situations where sharing is required.
- Review your settings: After implementing these restrictions, periodically check that they are still in place and that your child has not found a way around them.
~ The Safeguarding Team