What You Need To Know About Staying Safe Online

The internet is a brilliant place to learn, create and stay in touch. It also has risks, and anyone can find themselves in a situation online that feels wrong. The most important thing to know is this: if something online worries you, tell someone. You will not be in trouble for asking for help.

Our top tips for staying safe online

1. Keep personal details private. Don't share your address, school, phone number or passwords. Turn off location sharing on apps like Snapchat, and don't post photos that show where you live or go to school.
2. Use your privacy settings. Set accounts to private and only accept people you know in real life. Check your settings again whenever an app updates.
3. Protect your accounts. Never share your password, even with a friend you trust. Anything done on your login can be traced back to you, so lock your devices and log out of shared ones. Make passwords from three random words, use a different one for each account, and turn on two-step verification wherever you can.
4. Not everyone is who they say they are. People can pretend to be your age, share your interests or seem really friendly. If someone you've met online asks you to keep secrets, move to a private chat, send photos or meet up, stop and tell an adult.
5. Be careful with AI chatbots and companion apps. AI chatbots are not people, even when they feel like a friend. They can give wrong or harmful advice, and some encourage you to share private things or keep secrets. Don't share personal details or photos with them, and tell an adult if a conversation with a chatbot upsets or worries you.
6. Never feel pressured to send nudes or semi-nudes. It is illegal for anyone to ask for, make, share or keep a nude or semi-nude image of someone under 18. That includes images made or edited with AI, sometimes called deepfakes. If you've sent, received or been threatened with an image, you are not to blame. Tell a trusted adult: they will pass it to our safeguarding team so we can help, whether the image is real or fake. You can also use Report Remove (below) to get it taken down.
7. Think before you post. Anything you share can be screenshotted and passed on, even on apps where messages disappear. Ask yourself whether you'd be happy for your family, teachers or a future employer to see it.
8. Be kind, and call out bullying. Group chats can turn nasty fast. Don't join in, save the evidence with screenshots, and tell someone. Being a bystander who reports it makes a real difference.
9. Question what you see. Some content online is designed to make you angry, scared or feel bad about yourself, including extreme views about women, other groups or your body. If something doesn't sit right, talk about it.
10. Spot scams. Be wary of messages offering free items, game currency or easy money, or asking you to click a link or move money through your bank account. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
11. Look after your wellbeing. Take breaks, keep phones out of the bedroom at night and notice how apps make you feel. It's fine to mute, unfollow or log off.

Online safety at Our Lady's

• A phone-free school day. Pupils do not use mobile phones during the school day, including lessons, breaks and lunchtimes. See our [Mobile Phone Policy link].
• Filtering and monitoring. School devices, including Chromebooks, and the school network are filtered and monitored to limit pupils' exposure to harmful content, on and off site. A named senior leader and a named governor review these systems at least once a year.
• Acceptable Use Policy. Every pupil agrees to our Acceptable Use Policy, and we ask parents and carers to read and support it too. [Link: Acceptable Use Policy]
• Learning to stay safe. Pupils learn about online safety in PSHCE, computing, assemblies and form time.

Our approach follows Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026. 

How to report something

• In school: talk to any member of staff you trust, or contact the safeguarding team (below).
• CEOP (National Crime Agency): report someone who is being sexual towards you online, or pressuring you to meet or send images.
• Report Remove (Childline and IWF): if you're under 18, get a nude image of yourself removed from the internet.
• Report Harmful Content: help reporting harmful content to social media sites.
• Childline: free and confidential, 0800 1111, any time.
• If someone is in immediate danger: call 999.

Your safeguarding contacts in school

If anything online is worrying you, you can speak to:

• Mr Freer, Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Mrs Hughes, Safeguarding and Family Support Lead

• Your form tutor, Head of Year or SLT Link

You can also email welfare@olsc.manchester.sch.uk. For more on the support available in school, see our Pastoral Support page and Safeguarding page.