With the online world
changing daily, it was clear to Birchgrove Primary School that they needed to
empower their whole school community to keep pupils safe online.
Rachel Miles, IT Support
at Birchgrove Primary School, joined us to discuss the benefits they’ve seen
from our Certified School Membership.
Joining National Online
Safety
Reflecting
on the challenges on an ever-changing digital world, Rachel said: “We live in
such a digital world; keeping on top of everything that’s going on is so
challenging.”
“New
apps, games and devices are being released every day,” she added.
She continued:
“It was important for us to be aware of the latest online risks and to support
our pupils, parents and staff with their online safety knowledge.”
At
National Online Safety, we’re consistently updating our resources and training
– so that all our member schools remain up to date with the latest developments
in the ever-evolving digital world.
Rachel
recalled: “We joined National Online Safety to ensure that we had support, as a
school.”
“A
few years ago, we went to an exhibition and National Online Safety did a
fantastic presentation. We were floored by the range of resources available on
the platform,” she commented.
She
explained: “We thought it would be nice to have one central space that we could
access for online safety training and resources, delivered by the experts.”
“I
can’t tell you how unbelievably useful it was to have everything in one place,
on one platform,” she continued.
Rachel
said: “The help and guidance that we have received from National Online Safety
has been exceptional.”
A flexible approach to
online safeguarding
At
times, trying to keep on top of the latest online and tech trends can feel
overwhelming.
Therefore,
the breadth of resources available on our learning hub – and the ease with
which these can be rolled out to staff, parents, carers and pupils – has been a
huge benefit for the school.
Rachel
said: “It’s extremely easy to access, which is exactly what schools want.”
“The
mobile app has really helped to engage our parents and carers too,” she added.
She revealed:
“We’ve now got 100 parents and carers signed up to the platform.”
“They’re
saying how brilliant the resources are and how easy it is to use,” she said.
“Our
staff have downloaded the app too.”
“The #WakeUpWednesday
guides are amazing! We always share those on our social media platforms,” Rachel
declared.
She
continued: “You highlight different apps, games and devices which are prominent
at that time.”
“We’ve
even had parents and carers access the courses, which has really surprised me,”
she smiled.
Excellent feedback on
our interactive lesson plans
Based
on the eight key topics outlined in the UKCIS ‘Education for a Connected World’
framework, our interactive lesson plans talk to pupils about online dangers in
a fun and engaging way, providing a truly immersive experience.
Rachel
reflected on the value of having access to over 180 lesson plans from National
Online Safety: “Also, I just wanted to say how absolutely outstanding the
lesson resources are this year!”
“Last
year they were amazing, however the organisation of the lesson plans, resources
and lesson outlines this year is an absolute godsend,” she continued.
She
added: “They are massively accessible for our staff to deliver the lessons
which is something we rarely see with online lesson platforms.”
“We
are so grateful for thought and effort that has been very clearly put into
these resources. Thank you so much!” she enthused.
