Dear Parents/Carers,

On Tuesday 8^th February we celebrated Safer Internet Day, along with schools around the UK and in over 170 countries worldwide.

The theme this year is  ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online’.

In assemblies for each year group, KS2 children have been considering how to be respectful online, in particular when messaging in apps and games. It has been brilliant to see how engaged the children were in thinking about how they currently speak with friends online, and reflecting on the best ways to maintain positive interactions. Most children were confident in their knowledge that being respectful online is being kind, supportive and thinking about how your words and actions make other people feel.  We also discussed that respect involves listening to others, understanding that someone might not want the same things as you, accepting people’s boundaries and not putting pressure on them. To help you feel confident to continue these conversations at home, you can access the following resources for parents and carers, including downloadable packs to support the 2022 theme, interactive tools/quizzes and material from a new campaign for adults (Level Up Your Lingo).

KS1 and EYFS children approached the theme through the story of Digiduck and the Magic Castle, which you can read here. The aim of this story is to help start conversations between children and adults about many aspects of online gaming, such as the social elements of gaming with others (e.g. keeping personal information safe), how to tell if real money can be spent and what to do if someone is pressuring you to do something that you are unsure about. You may like to reread the story with your child, or simply turn to the end of the book, where there is guidance for parents and carers. It provides helpful advice around creating family agreements, setting time limits, considering age ratings, reporting content and more.

Happy Safer Internet Day!

Best wishes

Karen