Safer Internet Day Resources for pupils with SEND

Safer Internet Day 2022 has the theme is ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online’. Children and young people in our schools have grown up with the digital world as part of their everyday lives.

They see no difference between online and offline in terms of social worlds. This can be especially so for some of our young people with SEND who, as is the case with some students without SEND, can find being online an easier place to socialise.

The UK Safer Internet Centre website has created resources specifically for young people with SEND and have made their virtual assemblies and videos accessible with subtitling and British Sign Language (BSL) translation. There are links to previous years’ resources to support further internet safety with pupils.

For further resources the National Crime Agency – Child Exploitation & Online Protection (NCA-CEOP) safety centre has the Thinkuknow education website. It too has resources designed specifically for children and young people with SEND to support them to safely navigate the online world.

For children and young people today digital literacy is literacy and it is vital we support them all to safely explore, enjoy and engage in this space.