Staying safe online is really important to us here at NHEHS.

As part of this, we signed up for the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme in November. This offers pupils structured training and ongoing support from Childnet’s expert team so that they can go on to educate their peers, parents and teachers about staying safe online. The programme enables girls to develop the knowledge and skills that they need to enable them to deliver educational sessions within their school.

Girls in Years 4-6 were invited to apply to become Digital Leaders with the opportunity to be part of a team leading digital safety in the Junior School.

Out of 37 applicants we selected 9 girls to be our Digital Leaders – three from each Year group. The training started after Christmas and takes places every Tuesday lunchtime. We have a ‘working lunch’ and have been working through the units of the Childnet programme. Now that we have nearly finished the programme, we are discussing and planning what the girls would like to run next, based on their own ideas and feedback information from sessions with their classes. The girls have also set up their own Firefly page.

One of the highlights so far was the Digital Leaders’ assembly which they ran in March.

They spoke about the importance of consent in a digital world, which was the theme for Safer Internet Day (February). The girls encouraged Years 2-6 to be positive, safe and respectful online. They explored how young people should ask for, give and receive consent online on their own with their friends. This included how they take and share images, and also how they manage their privacy and data.

The Leaders concluded the assembly with the following message:

This year’s Safer Internet Day is all about remembering that it’s our internet and our choice. There are lots and lots of decisions to be made online and it can sometimes be difficult to know which the best one is.

The 4 key things to remember about internet safety are:

If something makes you worried, uncomfortable or upset it’s always okay to say no.

If you’re sure you’re happy with what will happen next, then it’s okay to say yes.

If what you’re doing online might affect somebody else, always ask their permission first.

And most importantly: If you’re ever unsure or need further support with anything online then speak to an adult you trust for help and advice.

Well done girls!