Case Study:
Balsall Common Primary School
Balsall Common Primary School places the utmost importance on safeguarding its pupils online.
Kieran Prescott, ICT Manager, joined us to discuss how a Certified School Membership with National Online Safety has empowered the whole school community to respond to developments in the digital world, using the variety of resources on our platform.
The importance of online safety
At times, trying to keep on top of the latest online and tech trends can feel overwhelming. Balsall Common Primary School recognises the importance of safeguarding its pupils when they use the internet.
“The whole subject of online safety is massive,” Kieran began. “Everything that we do now, involves the internet in some way.”
He continued: “For children, it’s going to become an even bigger part of their lives. The more support that we can provide them with how to utilise it and be good citizens online, the better for them. It provides them with the crucial life skills that they need.”
Joining National Online Safety
Staying abreast of the latest online safety issues is essential. Our comprehensive range of training and resources provides a thorough knowledge of emerging risks and how to respond to them.
To equip the whole school community to help keep children safe online, Balsall Common Primary School signed up for our Certified School package.
Kieran recalled: “We were looking for something that would provide us with a range of training, not just online safety. It was the safeguarding element that stood out to us, though.
“We looked at how we could utilise that within the school and best prepare staff to support the children,” he added.
“It was about how we can help staff increase their own knowledge of online safety and technology. We wanted to strengthen their skills and give them more confidence.”
Kieran recounted: “I received an email from National Online Safety, and I took part in a free trial. That showed me the range of courses which are available for the whole school community.
“It provided us with a platform that we can search and complete the CPD in our own time,” he explained. “It’s very flexible, and the staff can return to it at any time.
“The log of CPD that you provide is absolutely fantastic,” Kieran enthused. “We can log on at any time and check how much has been completed by staff. It was vital throughout the pandemic: I think that National Online Safety was ahead of the game!”
A wealth of online safety training and resources
At National Online Safety, we frequently update our resources and training – so that all our member schools can be confident they’re up to date with the latest developments in the digital world. For Balsall Common Primary School, this has been invaluable.
Kieran noted: “We’ve definitely had a few issues in regard to online safety – particularly gaming. The #WakeUpWednesday guides that you provide are just a really helpful resource for staff.”
“We don’t spend time gaming; it’s a different world for us,” he reasoned. “Being able to access those guides is great, and we can direct parents and carers to those too.”
Parents and carers can obviously play a massive role in preventing their child from being exposed to harmful content and behaviours online, so Balsall Common Primary School are focusing on increasing that parental engagement.
“Increasing parent and carer engagement is our next step,” Kieran confirmed. “It’s great that staff can search the platform themselves for webinars and courses to see what might be of interest to them.
“I know there have been several staff who are really pleased with the programme, as they can access role-specific training on the platform. The flexibility meant that we were able to use staff time wisely.”
He concluded: “The biggest highlights for me are the flexibility and ease of access, and the wide range of courses and webinars that are available."