Primary schools and teachers are being encouraged to sign up to Cybersmart in Seven Minutes, a new online safety programme from Natterhub.
The free initiative has been created to help schools swiftly administer an online safety curriculum without having to consider constraints of expense or time.
The programme is designed to be implemented over seven minutes per week – comprising a two-minute video and a five-minute activity plan – and build into a comprehensive package of online safety teaching.
Elements covered advance from the basics of going online – what makes a secure password, use of emojis, the importance of privacy settings, etc – to advice on how to stay safe, including online grooming and how to spot it, exploring examples of ‘gaming banter’, and what is or is not appropriate to share in group chats.
“It’s critical that we are having relevant, regular conversations with children about their online lives, but we know that teachers are already overloaded,” said Natterhub co-founder and educator, Caroline Allams.
“We created Cybersmart to enable schools to easily embed the right conversations into their weekly timetable and create an instant, positive digital culture into their school.”
Natterhub starred at the Bett Awards earlier this year, winning won the Best Transformational Impact prize for its positive effect on education.
The platform aims to equip primary school-age school children with the tools and skills to navigate safely online by focusing on digital literacy, responsible behaviour, the importance of kindness in online relationships, and digital footprints.
Founded at the start of the pandemic, it is currently being used by more than 4,000 schools in 65 countries.
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