Year 4
Your child’s online safety education this term
Teaching online safety is vital to help keep our children safe as they navigate their digital world. In order to keep your child up-to-date on the most important parts of online safety, this year, your child’s class will be studying a unit of work based on SMART Adventures, an animated series about online safety produced by Childnet.
Childnet is a UK-based charity who empower children, young people, and those who support them in their online lives, and its mission is to work with others to make the internet a great and safe place for children and young people.
Childnet education resources are age-appropriate, non-scaremongering, and give children the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to stay safe online.
About SMART Adventures
SMART Adventures follows the adventures of Kara, Winston and the SMART Crew. In each episode, the main characters are faced with a difficult online situation and call on the help of the SMART crew. The SMART Crew are a group of online ‘experts’, who listen carefully to Kara and Winston and assist them in making safe and responsible decisions online.
SMART Adventures looks at the SMART Rules of internet safety.
S - Keep safe by being careful not to give out personal information when you’re chatting or posting online. Personal information includes your email address, phone numbers and passwords.
M - Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous; not everyone online is who they say they are. Only do so with your parents’ or carers’ permission and even then only when they can be present. Remember online friends are still strangers even if you have been talking to them for a long time. If you like chatting online it’s best to only chat to your real world friends and family.
A - Accepting emails, instant and direct messages, or opening files, images or texts from people you don’t know or trust can lead to problems – they may contain viruses or nasty messages.
R – Information on the internet may not always be true; it may be factually incorrect, out of date, or reflect someone’s personal opinion or beliefs. Anyone can put information on the internet, so always check by looking at other websites, in books, or with someone who knows.
T - Tell a parent, carer or a trusted adult if someone, or something, makes you feel upset, worried or uncomfortable, or if you or someone you know is being bullied online. You can also report the behaviour of others to the sites, games and services that you are using.
How you can get involved
You can watch a short trailer of The Adventures of Kara, Winston and the SMART crew here
https://www.childnet.com/resources/the-adventures-of-kara-winston-and-the-smart-crew/trailer/
It is a great idea for you to watch each episode with your child after they have viewed it in class (to avoid spoiling any surprises!) and to have conversations with them about the subjects covered. To help you do so, I attach the Childnet Parents and Carers Toolkit
- Ideas for starting conversations about online safety with your child
- Links to more advice and support on how to keep your child safe online
- Information about how to get help if you are worried about your child
You will also find plenty of advice and support about keeping your child safe online at the Childnet Parents and Carers Website: