Online Safety is a vital part of the safeguarding at Alchemy Schools. We work collaboratively to ensure that both students and staff members are safe online.

Ai Developments

With the development and increase in the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence), there have been changes in how young people interact with the world. The online world can compromise the well-being of an individual in terms of sleep, self-esteem, confidence, peer pressure and the fear of missing out. Through dedicated lessons to Online Safety, students are supported to develop their understanding of the potential risks and harm that can occur whilst online, including cyberbullying, sharing nude/semi-nude images, child exploitation, cybercrime and radicalisation, etc.

 Students are encouraged to learn about the four C’s of online safety

  • Content- exposure to harmful, illegal, or inappropriate content.
  • Contact- Harmful interactions with others.
  • Conduct- Personal online behaviour that causes or increase harm.
  • Commerce- Financial and consumer risks including scams, inappropriate advertising, in-app purchases.

Advice for students (maybe all the tips already on this page can be added here)

How can parents help?

S.M.A.R.T

S – Set-up

  • Configure controls: Set up parental controls on your home Wi-Fi, broadband, and individual devices to automatically filter out inappropriate material.
  • Secure accounts: Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) and use strong, private passwords or PINs on adult devices so children cannot access them unsupervised.
  • Adjust privacy settings: Set social media and gaming profiles to “Friends Only” rather than public. 1, 2, 3

M – Monitor

  • Keep devices visible: Keep computers, tablets, and phones in common family areas (like the living room or kitchen) rather than bedrooms.
  • Track activity: Regularly check your child’s online connections, friend lists, and usage time.
  • Establish offline times: Collect devices before bedtime to ensure children do not access screens overnight. 1, 2, 3, 4

A – Approve

  • Check age ratings: Review app store age recommendations and suitability ratings before letting children download a game or platform.
  • Vet new platforms: Research new social media apps or multiplayer games yourself to understand their chat functions and potential risks.
  • Set rules for links: Teach children never to click on unknown links, pop-ups, or unexpected attachments without your permission. 1, 2

R – Restrict

  • Limit screen time: Use built-in digital wellbeing tools to set daily time limits for specific apps or overall device usage.
  • Manage permissions: Disable unnecessary features like public chat rooms, direct messaging, and location sharing within apps.
  • Block explicit searches: Activate safe search filters (such as Google SafeSearch) on all browsers and search engines. 1, 2

T – Talk

  • Keep communication open: Have regular, calm conversations about what your child is doing online and who they are talking to.
  • Create a safe space: Ensure your child knows they can come to you if they see something upsetting or feel uncomfortable, without fear of losing their device access.
  • Teach critical thinking: Discuss how to spot misinformation, online scams, and fake news. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Think before you post

Do not upload or share anything you would not want your parents, carers, teachers, or future employers seeing. Once you post something, you lose control of it, especially if someone else screenshots or shares it.

The team at Alchemy Schools are officially certified with National Online Safety.

This training was created to help empower individuals with the knowledge needed to safeguard children and young people, and to establish strategies to identify, intervene in and escalate any online safety incident where appropriate.

Useful Links and Contacts

National Online Safety - Certified School

Don’t share personal details

Keep things like your address, phone number, full name, school, and date of birth private, and check what people can see in your privacy settings. Remember that people can use small clues like a school logo or school uniform in a photo to find out a lot about you.

Watch out for phishing and scams

Phishing is when someone tries to trick you into giving them information, like your password. Someone might also try to trick you by telling you they know you or your friends, or they are part of a talent/model agency.

Never click links from emails or messages that ask you to log in or share your details, even if you think they might be genuine. If you are asked to log into a website, go to the app or site directly instead.

Think about who you are talking to

There are lots of ways that people try to trick you into trusting them online. Even if you like and think you trust someone you have met online, never share your personal information with them like your address, full name, or where you go to school. Never give out your password

You should never give out your password or log-in information. 
Make sure you pick strong, easy to remember passwords.

Our online safety officer is Hannah Lorton.

Hannah Lorton along with Bethany Miller and our PHSE/RSE Tutors delivers online safety lessons to our students during the week and as a school we encourage online safety at every opportunity. Students do not have access to their phones during the school day to prevent the outside world infiltrating the learning day.

Contact Alchemy School

Call us on 01634 944575

Email us at enquiries@alchemyschools.co.uk

Visit us at 157 Marshall Road,
Rainham,
Kent,
ME8 0AJ
Speech Mark

A good shout of yours for B to go to the stables, he has fitted in really well and seems to get on with everyone, I am so pleased

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