Hundreds of schools across the UK and beyond are part of the Childnet Digital Leaders programme and enjoying the benefits that brings.
Bonner Primary School in London is one example. Here, Year 6 Class Teacher and Computing Leader Sophia Atherton explains how the school is embedding online safety into its culture and empowering young people to educate their peers on this increasingly important topic.
Describing why Bonner Primary opted to join the programme, Sophia said: “I wanted to provide the children with a safe and inspiring platform where they could learn how to be responsible and safe digital citizens. Digital Leaders does that in a safe, enjoyable and effective way.
“The children and I have really enjoyed using the platform and completing the activities. We have particularly enjoyed making posters, earning badges, delivering lessons to younger children and doing assemblies as well as seeing where we stand in the league of Childnet Digital Leaders schools.”
Many Digital Leaders schools are seeing benefits across areas including online safety, safeguarding, pupils’ confidence levels and even parents’ online knowledge, according to the programme’s 2020 Impact Report.
“Our children have developed a culture of being safe and view themselves as leaders of digital safety,” Sophia added. “They’ve broadened their understanding of how vast the internet is and what needs to be done to be a safe and responsible user.”
She added: “I would absolutely recommend the program to other schools as it has enhanced our knowledge of safety and using the correct etiquette when being online. It has complimented our Teach Computing Curriculum and prepared our children for being lifelong digital citizens.”
Would you like to embed online safety into your school’s culture too? Request a free Childnet Digital Leaders guest login here.
