At Holtspur School we want every pupil to enjoy the benefits of the internet safely and confidently. Our online safety approach sits alongside our safeguarding practice and personal development work: we teach pupils how to make safe choices online, protect their wellbeing and report concerns, and we work with families so safety continues at home.

We take a whole-school approach: age-appropriate teaching in the curriculum, staff training, parental workshops, appropriate filtering and monitoring on school devices and clear expectations of behaviour online.

Childnet Parent Workshop

We recently hosted Childnet workshops for parents and pupils to reinforce practical online-safety skills and share parental controls and conversation tips.

100% of parents who attended felt better informed about the risks and safety measures related to their child's online activities (workshop survey 2026).

99% of parents feel that the school supports them in keeping their child safe online (annual parent survey 2026).

Further support and resources can be found here: https://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers/

Smartphone Free School

Holtspur School operates a smartphone-free policy: pupils will not be permitted to bring mobile phones or smart devices to school. 

We encourage parents to consider taking up the pledge to delay giving your children smartphones. If you have not already visited their website, do follow this link:  https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/

Previously, year 5 and 6 children who travel independently to and from school were allowed to bring in phones (which were kept safely during the school day by school staff). Now, these children are only allowed to do this if they have a 'brick' phone without smart features. These are becoming an increasingly popular choice for parents.

We care equally about your children's academic success and their mental health, and the introduction of this new policy is designed to keep all our pupils safe and happy.

Below you can see key results of our consultation with parents.

Other Useful Links for Parents and Carers

NSPCC https://www.nspcc.org.uk/advice-for-families/

UK Safer Internet Centre https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers