St. Vincent's School
A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs
Staying Safe Online
The internet is now part of our everyday lives. Children, young people and adults alike use it to learn, work, play and socialise via their computers, tablets, phones and games consoles.
The internet can be an interesting and fun place to spend time, it can also be a dangerous place if you are not sensible, responsible and don’t know how to stay safe online.
St Vincent’s has a E-safety team, consisting of staff and governors, who are committed to ensuring that pupils are kept advised, regarding staying safe, whilst embracing modern technologies.
Here are some sources of information and advice for pupils and parents:
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CEOP’s Think U Know website
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Some advice from BBC Newsround for young people
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Stay safe online resource hub from CBBC
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Cyber bullying advice from Childline
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Parental awareness regarding Child Sexual Exploitation from Liverpool Children’s Services and Merseyside Police
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Barnados ‘Real Love Rocks’ website, is an online space raising awareness around Child Sexual Exploitation and what a healthy and safe relationship is – http://www.barnardosrealloverocks.org.uk/
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https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/ – Provides advice including share aware – keeping children safe on social networks, apps and games.
Complementary Documentation
Keeping children safe in education – September 2025 Update
Keeping children safe in education Part 1 – September 2025
Online Safety Day 2026
Pupils completed important work about Online Safety on Internet Safety Day on the 10th February 2026.
This years them was 'Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI'.
Below is some parental information from Internetmatters.org which gives parents some information about how you can help your child stay safe on the Internet.
New advice on "Layering Up" parental controls
Most families use at least one parental control for our tech devices and platforms. Online Safety experts Internet Matters recommend that parents 'layer up' your child’s online safety settings.
By using multiple layers of parental controls, like on broadband, mobile phones and different apps and platforms, you have give your child extra protection when they're online - whether that's at home or out on their mobile phones.
Internet Matters have updated their parental controls advice hub with new explainer videos and FAQs, to help parents and carers make the most of parental controls.
Free AI resources for families for Safer Internet Day
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a regular part of children’s online lives. Many pupils now use AI tools to help with schoolwork, answer questions, and explore new interests.
While AI can be helpful, it’s important for parents and carers to know that most AI tools do not yet have parental controls or strong safety settings. Talking to your child about how they use AI – and how to use it safely – is an important part of supporting them online.
Online safety experts Internet Matters provides free, practical resources to help families understand AI. These include guides for parents and advice on how to start positive conversations with children about using AI responsibly.
You can find out more about Artificial Intelligence here.
Are you being bullied? If you are being bullied, or you are not ready to make a report to CEOP, you can talk to Childline anonymously online or on the phone - No worry is too big or too small.
