Case Study:
Busill Jones Primary School
Busill Jones Primary School recognised that due to the ever-changing digital landscape, they needed to empower their whole school community to keep pupils safe online. By signing up for our Certified School package, the school demonstrated their commitment to prioritising online safety.
Timothy Critchlow, E-Safety Coordinator, is delighted with the impact that their National Online Safety membership has had so far. He hopes to continue embedding our training and resources within the school.
The importance of online safety
Reflecting on the importance of online safety, Tim said: “Online safety has always been important, as we become more adept at using technology. As children become more immersed in the online world, they don’t necessarily have the skills required to keep themselves safe.”
He continued: “Remote learning throughout the pandemic was challenging, as schools had to become experts in that area really quickly. Our staff raised their game to meet the challenge, but it made us realise the skills that children don’t have in terms of keeping themselves online.”
He believes: “We have to be very careful about how we teach children to stay safe in the online world.”
Joining National Online Safety
It can be difficult to keep abreast of the latest changes in an ever-changing digital landscape, so Busill Jones Primary School appreciates the importance of a strong online safety education.
Tim explained: “We used a lot of the free resources from National Online Safety, particularly the parent and carer Wake Up Wednesday guides that are available.”
“We have shared those on our social media platforms and our website to signpost our parents and carers,” he continued.
He said: “Our whole school community appreciated that interaction and guidance.”
“We were interested in gaining the Certified School Accreditation, so we contacted National Online Safety and realised it was a platform we were keen to engage with. That’s what brought us into the programme.” he added.
A wealth of benefits
National Online Safety has empowered the whole school community at Busill Jones Primary School to keep children safe online. Tim highlighted some of the standout features of the programme:
“We have been able to engage with the webinars and courses for our DSLs, non-teaching staff, governors, and senior leaders. There’s been an avenue for everybody to have some form of training.” he said.
“It’s great to be able to show parents and carers what they need to know about certain games, apps and devices, so the guides are invaluable. It’s crucial to offer parents and carers support with those issues.” he added.