Senia and Badriyah from Northampton Academy wrote this great blog post about a recent assembly they delivered to a local primary school about safety around group chats:
We planned and delivered an assembly to students at Earls Barton Primary in years 5 and 6. When planning the assembly, our main focus was WhatsApp group chats and how to stay safe when using the app.
When preparing the assembly, tried to include different elements to make it entertaining, engaging and fun so students would focus on the message we were trying to get across. We presented the information in comic strip form on PowerPoint whilst also acting out parts of the story we created.
We wanted to get the primary students involved so got them to play a game of Chinese Whispers to enhance the idea that when rumours spread, the initial message can change many times and what you end up with may be false information.
Overall, the primary school students took away the benefits of using applications but also what dangers to look out for and how to stay safe.
Excellent work, Northampton Academy Digital Leaders!
The Digital Leaders Programme by Childnet is an innovative initiative aimed at empowering students to champion online safety in their schools and communities. By participating in this programme, students develop key leadership skills, become role models for responsible online behaviour, and contribute to a safer school environment. This guide answers some common questions about the programme and outlines its benefits and structure.
Why Consider the Digital Leaders Programme
The Childnet Digital Leaders Programme provides a wealth of benefits:
Develops essential skills: Students hone leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills and confidence.
Fosters digital citizenship: Students become positive role models for responsible online behaviour.
Promotes a safer school environment: The programme cultivates a culture of online safety within the school community.
What specific topics does the Digital Leaders Programme cover?
The programme tackles a broad spectrum of online safety concerns, including:
Online bullying
Misinformation
Online reputation management
Safeguarding personal information
Healthy online relationships
How is the programme structured for different age groups?
The training is tailored for both primary and secondary students:
Primary Platform: Designed for Upper Key Stage 2 students, aligning with SMART rules.
Secondary Platform: Designed for Key Stage 3 students, addressing complex topics like motivations of online content, how to share and post positively and supporting younger peers.
While designed for these age groups, the content remains adaptable for other ages.
What kinds of activities do Digital Leaders lead?
Student leaders drive the impact of the learning that they’ve received on a whole-school level, organising activities such as:
Assemblies and presentations
Peer mentoring and support
Online safety campaigns
Workshops for parents and teachers
What is the time commitment involved?
Students: Roughly 30 minutes a week for activities
Training Completion: 2-3 months for students to finish the online training.
Schools: A designated staff member oversees the programme, meeting with students regularly.
Is the programme suitable for settings outside traditional schools? Absolutely! The programme is adaptable and successful in diverse settings like libraries or community organisations. Childnet is open to discussing how to tailor the programme to different contexts.
How much does it cost to join the programme? The cost is £600 (+VAT) for one year or £900 (+VAT) for two years.
We are pleased to report that our Digital Leaders Programme, advocating for children’s online safety, has just received recognition from the Teach Awards. We are delighted that the programme continues to positively impact young people and their environments.
More details about the Teach Awards:
The Childnet Digital Leaders Programme recently received a Highly Commended award in the APPS category from the prestigious Teach Primary Awards panel. This recognition underscores the programme’s exceptional quality and effectiveness in empowering young people to become online safety leaders within their schools and communities.
Feedback From the Judges
We are honoured to share some of the feedback from the Teach Awards judges. They described the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme as an “exceptional initiative that enables young people to become confident and responsible digital citizens. This web-based platform, thoughtfully crafted by experienced educators in collaboration with young individuals, offers an engaging and educational experience.“
The strength of our programme lies in its ability to develop leadership skills in young students, equipping them with the knowledge to educate their peers on critical digital topics such as online safety, privacy, and digital resilience.
The judges praised this aspect, stating, “It is heartening to see that the programme is tailored for both KS1 and KS2 students, accommodating diverse learning styles, including those with Special Educational Needs and disabilities.“
The programme’s design was also commended for its ease of use in youth settings and effectiveness in ensuring that young people learn valuable skills for safe internet use. The judges noted, “The program’s design, which allows it to fit within lunchtime slots, makes it convenient for educators while ensuring that young people gain valuable skills for safe internet use.“
We are extremely proud of this achievement and will continue to strive to ensure that our programme helps young people learn about online safety in an engaging way.
With this approach, we are confident that Childnet’s Digital Leaders Programme will continue to provide useful, informative, and interactive tools to empower tomorrow’s leaders. We thank the Teach Awards and their judges for their professional recognition of our work.
Join Our Mission
Teaching young people how to stay safe has become an increasingly important part of education. So, if you work in a youth setting and with young people, consider joining this award-winning resource now. Together, we can make the online world a better place for future generations. Sign up for your free trial here.
Welcome, in this guide we will answer some of the most common questions about the programme, discuss its structure, and hear from some of our Digital Champions who are making a difference in their communities. Let’s dive in and learn more about this innovative programme.
Digital Champions: Youth Voices Shaping the Digital Leaders Programme
Within the Digital Leaders Programme, a select group of young people take on the additional role of Digital Champions. They play a crucial role in shaping the programme, ensuring it remains relevant and engaging for their peers.
Who are Digital Champions?
Digital Champions are notable young people who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the Digital Leaders Programme. They go beyond their regular responsibilities within their schools to advocate for online safety on a broader national scale.
What do Digital Champions do?
Youth Representation: Digital Champions function as a link between students on the programme and the Childnet team. They provide feedback and insights, ensuring the programme stays attuned to young people’s needs and concerns.
Module Development and Content Creation: Digital Champions contribute to the creation of the programme’s online safety resources and materials, helping shape the learning experiences of their peers.
Event Participation: They may participate in conferences or events, sharing their experiences and perspectives on online safety with wider audiences.
Community Connection: Digital Champions stay connected with the wider community of Digital Leaders, offering support, and amplifying the programme’s impact.
Why are Digital Champions important?
The Digital Champions play an essential role within the programme:
Authenticity and Relatability: Digital Champions ensure the programme maintains a youth-centred voice, making it more impactful for students.
Fresh Perspectives: They offer valuable insights on emerging trends and the ever-evolving online landscape, keeping the programme current.
Leadership Development: The Digital Champion role provides students with unique leadership opportunities, fostering their growth and confidence.
Testimonies from Digital Champions
Dominik, a participant of the Digital Champions programme, shares his experience, “As a Digital Champion, we have gone out to many places, such as the BT Tower in London and the Meta offices, for some of our monthly catch ups. We take part in Safer Internet Day to promote safety online and we travel to the BT Tower to broadcast our message of online safety. We also do some community work such as surveys and other things such as blogs and talks with MPs.” This insight offers a glimpse into the dynamic and impactful roles that Digital Champions undertake, demonstrating their commitment to promoting a safer digital space.
As we conclude, let’s revisit the words of Aimee, a former participant of the Digital Champions, to truly grasp the power and potential of the Digital Leaders Programme. , “It was daunting at first, but has led to so many amazing opportunities and priceless memories that I have never forgotten. It has also given me the platform to advocate for something really care about.”
These words encapsulate the essence of the Digital Leaders Programme. It’s not merely a training platform; it’s a transformative journey that cultivates confidence, fosters open dialogue, and promotes a culture of respect and kindness among students. It encourages students to be more engaged in their digital environments, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to navigate the online world safely.
The enthusiasm and growth seen in the young people involved, such as Aimee and Dominik, are testaments to the programme’s effectiveness. The programme opens a world of opportunities for students, giving them the platform and the voice to advocate for safer online environments, and in turn, influencing their peers to do the same.
So, why not take the leap? Join the growing number of educators choosing the Digital Leaders Programme. Let’s take this significant step together to empower our students to create a safer online environment.
Sign up now for a free trial and embark on this transformative online safety journey.
Looking for a way to enhance online safety education in your school? Look no further than the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme. But don’t just take our word for it; listen to what fellow educators have to say.
One Digital Leader teacher shared, “The Digital Leaders have become far more confident and in turn have been able to share their online safety knowledge with others, encouraging them to be safe online. We have managed to build stronger relationships and therefore have open conversations between staff and students about online safety. Students have shown more confidence and competence in discussing these topics with other (particularly younger) children, as well as across other areas.”
The programme has received great feedback from teachers on its effectiveness. A significant 100% of teachers said that Digital Leaders are more confident since joining the programme. And 75% of teachers said that there had been a reduction of online safeguarding incidents because of using the programme. It’s clear the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme has a profound and positive impact on both student confidence and online safety.
One of the standout benefits of the programme is its unique peer education approach. 100% of teachers said peer education is more effective when teaching about online safety. This approach encourages open dialogue among students, fostering an environment of safety and respect.
The Digital Leaders Programme not only enhances students’ online safety skills but also positively impacts the overall culture of the school to foster a more respectful and kinder environment. 100% of teachers have said that the ethos of the school has improved to promote kindness and respect both online and offline.
Another Digital Leader teacher from 2022 couldn’t hold back their enthusiasm, “The children are a lot more ready and able to give advice and engage with the sessions based on their learning. The scheme is so engaging that the children are always excited for their learning and the positive impact is like no other! Their confidence has grown, it has really opened up a lot of questions on how we can implement this further into the school.”
Building on the success and positive feedback from teachers, the Digital Leaders Programme offers more than just online safety education. This programme equips young people to become positive leaders in their settings. So why not join the growing number of educators who are choosing the Digital Leaders Programme? Together, let’s empower our students to know how to navigate online safely.
To experience some of these amazing results, sign up now for a free trial. We look forward to supporting you through your online safety journey.
This section introduces the Digital Leaders Programme, discussing its purpose, goals, and key features. Readers will learn what the programme entails, who it’s for, and its benefits.
What is the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme?
The Childnet Digital Leaders Programme is an online training platform, developed by education professionals. Its mission is to teach young people online safety skills, transforming them into safer internet users.
How does it work?
Interactive Modules: Digital Leaders take part in an engaging and interactive online course, made up of different online lessons, or modules. These easy-to-understand modules teach them important skills and information about staying safe online and enables them to gain practical skills for navigating the digital world safely and responsibly.
Youth Leadership: The programme helps develop young people into Digital Leaders. These young people take the initiative to raise online safety awareness in their schools and communities. They study and develop their communication skills, leadership abilities, and knowledge of online safety guidelines.
Peer to Peer Approach: We take pride in being the only safety charity in the UK that delivers a peer-to-peer training programme on online safety. Our unique approach empowers young people to educate their peers about online safety. As a result, youth gain valuable insights from their peers, proving to be an engaging method of learning.
Relevant Subjects: We’ve developed a straightforward online safety programme that instructors will find easy to lead. This programme offers a wide range of relevant topics and practical tools designed to help young people safely navigate the digital world.
Impact and Reach
Digital Leaders has made a , with an encouraging increase in youth settings dedicated to educating young people about online safety. Here are some of our notable impact. We hope these examples demonstrate the growing need for online safety education.
Qualified Leaders: Across the UK, almost 6,000 primary and secondary Digital Leaders are making a difference by raising awareness and knowledge about online safety.
Teacher Feedback: An impressive 75% of teachers report that the programme helps fulfil their safeguarding duties.
Ready to Dive In?
The Digital Leaders Programme encourages young people to not only improve their online safety knowledge, but also to become positive voices, participate in peer-to-peer education, and develop skills and experiences that will prepare them for the workplace.
Over the month of March, we gave Digital Leaders the opportunity to design a background that would be available to all Digital Leaders on the platform to use! Our platform has different themes or backgrounds that are unlocked as Digital Leaders work their way through the modules.
A huge well done to all the Digital Leaders who submitted entries to the background design competition. There is so much creativity and talent in this group of Digital Leaders and we found it really difficult to pick a winner.
We picked not one but two winners whose designs are now featured on both the primary and secondary platforms. They can be unlocked for all Digital Leaders to use as they progress through the modules. We also selected a couple of Highly Commended backgrounds which we wanted to share with you all, as whilst they didn’t quite win, we still think they’re great.
And the winners are…
Sam from Mayflower High School who submitted this delightful natural scene below. Looking at this image we felt transported into a mysterious cave which looks out onto this beautiful river scene. Well done, Sam! We’re sure lots of Digital Leaders will enjoy using your stunning design on the platform.
The other winning entrant below is from a group of three Digital Leaders from Northhampton Academy: Dylan, Jeremy and Alexia. Well done team! This image had a lovely overall theme with nice details – check out the flowers on the house. Get your cowboy boots and hats ready for this theme as we’re transported to the Wild Wild West, yee-haw!
Highly Commended
The background to the left was submitted by the Digital Leader team at Gateway Academy. We like that it’s hand-drawn and has a strong online safety message mixed into the space theme. Beautiful work!
Florence G from Eagle House School designed this image. We thought this submission was really funky and that it had a nice palette of colours which blended together well. So creative!
With just one week to go until Safer Internet Day on 6th February 2024 we want to share all of the things you can do to get involved in the day.
This year celebrations in the UK will be around the theme: Inspiring change? Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online.
Thank you to those of you who have already registered your support and downloaded the resources. If not, there is still time to get involved for 2024!
Register your support
If you haven’t yet registered for Safer Internet Day 2024, you can sign up your school for free and tell us how you’ll be celebrating on the day. You’ll just need to include your name, a sentence about your plans for the day, and logo. You will then receive a certificate to showcase your support in your school or setting.
To find out more about all of the great, free resources available for Safer Internet Day you can watch our webinar.
Suitable for all educators including class teachers, school leadership, computing, RSE or other subject leads, and any staff member with a responsibility for online safety provision. This webinar will tell you everything you need to know about the Safer Internet Day campaign and signpost you to the various free resources available to support you.
Tailor made for educators to use with young people of all ages, the free resources include lesson plans, assemblies, things to send home to parents and carers, ways to get involved on social media, and other quick activities you can run with your learners.
Designed for 7-11s, 11-14s, 14-18s as well as parents and carers of all ages, the Safer Internet Day Top Tips are a great, practical way of embedding online safety education into young people’s every day life.
Brand new – test your knowledge with the Safer Internet Day Quizzes for 7-11s,11-14s and 14-18s. These quizzes will help the young people you work with to apply their learning around the theme of change online to real life stations.
We recently had the great opportunity to interview an inspiring leader from the gaming industry and ask him questions that were submitted by Digital Leaders.
Nathan Sawatzky leads the Player Care team at Supercell, makers of Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Hay Day. He works on creating some amazing games and makes sure they’re safe for young people so you can have the best experience while gaming and having fun. We really appreciate him taking the time to give us all some great advice and insights into the gaming industry.
Well done and thank you to all the Digital Leaders who submitted questions for the interview, they made for a really interesting conversation.
You can find the full interview on the platform with Jayden, our Digital Champion, who did a terrific job of hosting and asking the questions submitted by all the Digital Leaders.
Below are three top online safety tips that Nate provided where he offers some pearls of wisdom for young people on navigating the online world.
Log in to the platform to watch the full interview, or if you haven’t already, subscribe to the Digital Leaders Programme here. We hope you enjoy!
Safer Internet Day 2024 is celebrated on Tuesday 6th February with the theme:
‘Inspiring change? Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online’.
Childnet are a partner in the UK Safer Internet Centre and coordinate Safer Internet Day each year. The campaign covers an online issue or theme that speaks to the things young people are seeing and experiencing online. Created in consultation with young people across the UK, this year Safer Internet Day will be focusing on change online. This includes covering:
Young people’s perspective on new and emerging technology
Using the internet to make change for the better
The changes young people want to see online
The things that can influence and change the way young people think, feel and act online and offline
There’s lots of different ways Digital Leader schools can get involved in this year’s celebration:
Free educational resources – Schools can make use of the fantastic and fun education resources, there to help you to run engaging and interactive Safer Internet Day sessions with your Digital Leaders and wider school community.
Register as an official supporter – You can register your school as a supporter of the day to appear on our map and also get the latest Safer Internet Day news! To get some inspiration about the things you can do for the day, and see how other Digital Leader schools are celebrating, check out our Supporters Map.
Make sure to tweet us on the day – Do let us know how you’re celebrating on the day on Twitter, using #SaferInternetDay and tagging @UK_SIC. We even have a super helpful social media pack to help you with your planning!
Send us a video – We are creating a short film featuring schools all over the UK, which will be shown at our Safer Internet Day event in London. You can see last year’s film here. To get involved and let us know what your exciting plans are, email [email protected] to receive more information. The deadline for submissions is Friday 19 January.
We’re already hearing about some of the fantastic plans you have lined up and are looking forward to hearing about what Digital Leaders did in their schools to celebrate the day. Contact us at [email protected] to tell us about your activities and we’ll put them in a blog on our website and on the platform, and Digital Leaders will win 150 points for their school on the leaderboard!
We can’t wait to celebrate Safer Internet Day with you!