Online Safety

At The Acorns we are fully aware of the pressures placed on our pupils when navigating an online world. The potential pitfalls our children face whilst navigating a world online are vast and serious, and their actions whilst online can be significantly consequential. We must take responsibility for preparing them to make positive choices whilst online. To help us to achieve this, we have begun to use ProjectEVOLVE as our main tool of teaching online safety. The philosophy behind the project; to “evolve” the online safety messages that children and young people are being taught into something more appropriate; more meaningful; that encouraged reflection; that generated positive outcomes. It is that guiding principle that shapes the vast library of resources at the heart of the project.

The ProjectEVOLVE toolkit is based on the UKCIS framework “Education for a Connected World” (EFACW). This framework covers knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes across eight strands (Self-image and Identity; Online Relationships; Online Reputation; Online Bullying; Managing Online Information, Health, Well-Being and Lifestyle; Privacy and Security; Copyright and Ownership) of our online lives from early years right through to eighteen. These outcomes or competencies are mapped to age and progress. The statements guide educators to the areas that they should be discussing with children as they develop their use of online technology.

On its own EFACW is a useful guide but also a challenge if you have to turn those statements into a learning opportunity. That’s where ProjectEVOLVE comes in; it’s the perfect way not only to navigate the framework but resources every single one of the 350 plus statements.

At the start of a teaching unit, pupils complete a 'Knowledge Map' baseline. This gives valuable insight into the current knowledge and understand pupils have of each specific topic within the project. The results of these are then analysed and subsequent teaching units are prioritised in importance depending on what the set of pupils need to learn most.

Early findings from these baselines have enabled us to target teaching to meet the needs of our pupils. Here are some of our early findings:

In addition, we utilise the resources provided by the National College's National Online Safety guidance:

Online Bullying explained by experts:

Bullying has existed for as long as human beings have lived in communities. The advent of mobile devices and internet-enabled technology, however, has added a troubling new dimension to such belligerent behaviour. Sadly, bullying is no longer limited to its historical orbit of the school day: victims can now be harassed through their phone, laptop, console or tablet at any time, and even in the protective environment of home. When this happens, the attacks can feel impossible to escape from – exacting an amplified toll on the target’s mental health. What’s more, the internet offers perpetrators a degree of anonymity, so cyber-bullying is even harder to monitor than its offline equivalent.