Online Safety
Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy recognises that modern technology brings an endless amount of benefits, advantages and opportunities and is an intrinsic part of modern-day life for everyone. Unfortunately, technology and the internet has also become a significant factor of many safeguarding issues involving young people.
The breadth of issues classified within online safety is considerable, but can be categorised into four areas of risk, known as the 4Cs:
- Content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate, or harmful material; for example, pornography, fake news, racist or radical and extremist views.
- Contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users; for example, commercial advertising as well as adults posing as children or young adults.
- Conduct: personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm; for example, making, sending, and receiving explicit images, or online bullying.
- Commercialism: young people can be unaware of hidden costs and advertising in apps, games, and websites.
A detailed summary of online safety issues can be found in the poster below (please click to download):
We strive to protect and educate the whole school community in their use of technology with robust mechanisms to identify, intervene in, and escalate any incident related to online safety. We implement this with a solid educational programme for students, parents/carers and staff, a sound ICT infrastructure, and a wide range of sustained partnerships with external agencies.
Click below to view the full learning journey for digital safeguarding.
As a result of our commitment and effective works around digital safeguarding, we are proud to have been commended as a National Online Safety ‘Certified School’ since 2021.
In 2024 OBA was awarded the prestigious Online Safety Mark from South West Grid for Learning. This is a coveted status which is only awarded following a sustained commitment to online safety which is verified by a rigorous and independent assessment process.
There is only one other secondary school in the North West with this accreditation. You can find out more about this status here.
The Leader of Digital Safeguarding at Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy is Mr L Hussey who can be contacted directly using [email protected].
All students receive advice and guidance appropriate to their age as part of the Computer Science and Lessons for Life curriculum areas.
As a student of Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy you can download and use the Safer Schools App totally free of charge. This app is packed full of the latest information about the online world to keep you safe.
Here are some tips to keep you safe and protect your reputation:
- Don’t post any personal information online – like your address, email address or mobile number.
- Keep your privacy settings as strong as possible – below are some privacy guides for social media platforms.
- Think carefully before posting. Everything we do online becomes our ‘digital footprint’. This can affect your reputation. Once online anyone can take a screen shot.
- Ensure your passwords are strong and not shared with others.
- Don’t befriend people online – remember that not everyone online is who they say they are. Never meet up with someone you’ve met online.
- Don’t bow to peer pressure online or in group chats.
- Respect other people’s privacy and don’t post images or information without consent.
- Remember that not everything we see online is reliable or true.
- Don’t spend too much time online. Take regular ‘digital detoxes’ from technology and spend time studying or with friends/family.
- If you see something online that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or worried: leave the website/app, block people if necessary and tell a trusted adult immediately.
Guides to using social media platforms safely from our partners at South West Grid for Learning can be found here: https://swgfl.org.uk/resources/checklists/