E-Safety
At Oakfield Community Primary School, we are committed to safeguarding our pupils from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material. E-Safety is an essential part of our whole-school approach to safeguarding, ensuring pupils, staff, and parents understand how to use technology safely and responsibly.
We follow the statutory guidance outlined in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025, embedding online safety into our safeguarding policies and practises. This includes:
Regular training for all staff on online safety risks and intervention strategies.
A clear role for our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and deputies in managing online safety concerns.
Integration of online safety education into our curriculum to empower pupils to navigate the digital world safely.
Understanding Online Safety Risks: The 4 C's
Online safety risks can be grouped into four main categories:
Content – Exposure to illegal or harmful material such as pornography, racism, self-harm, extremism, misinformation, and conspiracy theories.
Contact – Harmful interactions with others, including peer pressure, grooming by adults pretending to be young people, and inappropriate commercial advertising.
Conduct – Online behaviours that cause harm, such as bullying, sharing explicit images (both consensual and non-consensual), and other harmful communications.
Commerce – Risks related to online gambling, phishing, scams, and inappropriate advertising.
If you suspect a pupil, student, or staff member is at risk, please report concerns to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at https://apwg.org/.
Safeguarding Measures in our School
We use appropriate filtering and monitoring systems on all school devices and networks to reduce exposure to harmful content.
Our child protection policy includes clear protocols for managing online safety issues.
We have a mobile and smart technology policy recognising that many pupils have unrestricted internet access via mobile networks. This policy addresses risks such as online bullying, sharing indecent images, and exposure to harmful content.
We carefully manage the use of personal devices on school premises to protect all pupils.
Supporting Pupils
We educate pupils about safe online behaviour through age-appropriate lessons and activities. Our aim is to develop responsible digital citizens who understand how to protect themselves and others online.
Supporting Parents and Carers
We work closely with parents and carers to reinforce the importance of online safety at home. We provide:
Information about the systems we use to philtre and monitor online activity.
Guidance on what pupils are asked to do online and who they may interact with during remote learning or other online activities.
Links to trusted external resources for further support (see Useful Links below).
Reporting Concerns
If you have any concerns about online safety or suspect a pupil is at risk, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead:
Name: Mrs Joanne Makin
Email: sec.oakfield@haltonlearning.net
Phone: 0151 424 4958
Useful Links and Resources
Childnet – Guidance on cyberbullying and online safety.
NSPCC E-Safety – Advice and tools for schools and parents.
UK Safer Internet Centre – Tips and resources for safe internet use.
Educate Against Hate – Support on protecting children from extremism and radicalisation.