LANCASTER HIGH SCHOOL
Online Safety for Parents & Carers - Term 1 2026
Practical advice, monthly updates and support for keeping children safe online.
We work with pupils and families to help young people use technology safely, responsibly and respectfully. This page brings together the advice shared through our monthly online-safety programme and gives parents and carers a place to find help when something online causes concern.
Our key message: Pause, check, protect and tell a trusted adult when something online feels unsafe or worrying.
Worried about something online?
If your child tells you about something worrying, listen calmly, take the concern seriously and reassure them that they can ask for help. Do not ask them to continue a harmful conversation or investigate the situation themselves.
Contact school: Speak to your child's House Tutor, Head of Year, Pastoral Officer or the safeguarding team. You can also contact the school office and ask to speak to a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). Please use the school's normal contact and safeguarding-reporting arrangements.
Immediate danger: Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger. For online sexual abuse or exploitation concerns, you can also use the CEOP Safety Centre. Children can contact Childline for confidential support.
Important: If nude or sexual images of a child are involved, do not copy, save, screenshot or forward them. Tell the safeguarding team or report through the appropriate official route.
Monthly online-safety advice
Our planned 2026–27 programme covers the four areas of online risk: Content, Contact, Conduct and Commerce. Each month focuses on a practical topic that families can discuss at home.
September: Acceptable use, passwords and school systems
Our September programme introduces the expectations for using school accounts, devices and online systems responsibly. Pupils will learn why passwords must be private, why and how school technology is filtered and monitored, and how to report something that worries them.
How you can help at home
Remind your child to use only their own school account, keep passwords private and sign out of shared devices. Encourage them to tell a member of staff promptly if they think someone else has accessed their account. Talk about respectful communication and why school systems should only be used for approved activities.
Conversation starter: “What would you do if you thought someone else knew your school password?”
Read the full September 2026 parent newsletter
Acceptable use, passwords and school systems
At the beginning of the school year, pupils will be reminded of the importance of using school technology safely, responsibly and respectfully. This includes protecting school accounts, creating secure passwords, using devices appropriately and understanding that school systems are filtered and monitored.
All pupils will read and sign the school’s Pupil Acceptable Use Agreement. This explains the expectations for using school devices, email, online platforms and artificial intelligence. Pupils should use only their own account, keep login details private, sign out of shared devices and report anything that makes them feel worried or unsafe.
Parents and carers can support this message by talking to their child about how they protect their accounts. Encourage them to use a long, memorable and unique password for each important account. The National Cyber Security Centre recommends combining three random words and enabling two-step verification where it is available.
Useful conversation starters
- Does anyone else know any of your passwords?
- Do you use the same password for several accounts?
- What would you do if you thought someone had accessed your account?
- Who could you speak to if something online worried you?
Pupils should never share their school password, even with a friend. If they believe an account has been accessed by somebody else, they should tell a member of staff as soon as possible.
Further information: National Cyber Security Centre: Staying secure online and UK Safer Internet Centre: Advice for parents and carers.
October: Fake news, misinformation and AI
October focuses on thinking critically about online information. Pupils will practise checking sources, dates and evidence, and learn that images, screenshots and videos may be edited or AI-generated.
How you can help at home
When you see a surprising story, advert or video together, ask who created it, what evidence supports it and whether other reliable sources agree. Encourage your child to pause before sharing something they are unsure about.
Conversation starter: “How could we check whether this story or image is genuine?”
November: Cyberbullying and group chats
November focuses on respectful communication, group-chat behaviour, bystander responsibility and knowing how to respond to online bullying. Pupils will learn that hurtful behaviour is not acceptable simply because someone calls it “banter”.
How you can help at home
Talk about how messages, screenshots and reactions can affect other people. If your child experiences online bullying, encourage them not to retaliate. They should move away from the conversation, save appropriate evidence where safe, use block/report tools and tell a trusted adult. Serious concerns should also be reported to school.
Conversation starter: “What could you do if someone in a group chat was being targeted or excluded?”
December: Scams, Phishing and Online Shopping
December’s online safety theme focuses on scams, phishing and online shopping. Pupils will be learning how to recognise suspicious messages, fake giveaways, misleading adverts, fake shops, gaming scams and pressure tactics used by scammers.
Young people can be targeted through social media adverts, direct messages, gaming platforms, emails, texts and fake websites. Scams often create a sense of excitement or urgency, for example by offering a free prize, a limited-time deal, cheap tickets, free in-game items or a warning that an account will be closed unless they act quickly.
The key message for pupils is to pause before clicking, replying, paying or sharing information. They should check where a message has come from, avoid unfamiliar links, never share passwords or verification codes, and ask a trusted adult before buying from an unknown website, advert or gaming trader.
At home, it can help to talk through real examples of suspicious messages or adverts together. Encourage your child to be cautious with offers that seem too good to be true, and to tell you quickly if they think they have clicked a scam link or shared information. Reassure them that they will not be in trouble for asking for help. Scammers rely on embarrassment and secrecy, so early conversations are important.
Families may also want to review payment settings on devices, app stores and games. Consider removing saved card details from shared devices, turning on purchase approval where available and reminding children never to use gift cards, bank transfers or cryptocurrency to pay an unknown seller.
Conversation starters
- Have you ever seen an online offer that looked too good to be true?
- What would you do if a message asked for your password or a login code?
- How could you check whether an online shop, ticket seller or gaming trader is genuine?
- Who would you tell if you thought you had been tricked online?
Further information: Internet Matters and the UK Safer Internet Centre.
Coming later in the year
January: Digital footprints, privacy and social media.
February: Safer Internet Day and whole-school online safety.
March: Gaming safety and online contact.
April: Responsible AI use and plagiarism.
May: Exam stress, screen habits and digital wellbeing.
June/July: Summer online safety.
Further parent and carer advice will be added as each monthly newsletter is released.
Useful resources for families
UK Safer Internet Centre – advice, conversation starters and technology guides for parents and carers.
Internet Matters – practical guidance on devices, apps, games and online risks.
NSPCC online safety – advice on supporting children online.
CEOP Safety Centre – reporting online sexual abuse or exploitation concerns.
Childline – confidential support for children and young people.
Lancaster High School • Online Safety
