Children as young as five at a Calne school have been learning how to use the internet safely.

All pupils from Years 1 to 6 at St Margaret’s Preparatory School, Calne, had lessons as part of Safer Internet Day.

Head of Computing Mike Callahan said: “One of the themes the children looked at was in understanding how photos are shared online and how they can potentially stay there forever and may reach a wider audience than originally intended.

"The older pupils looked at how this can occur when posting photos on social media sites. The younger children listened to age appropriate stories relating to the theme called Digi Duck and Smartie the Penguin. Although Internet safety is something we are constantly reinforcing on a daily basis, we are still thrilled to be taking part in this project. The Internet can be a truly remarkable resource but it also has its perils. Anything that can help empower our pupils and keep them safe is a positive step in the right direction.”

He said that at St Margaret’s a proactive approach to e-safety was adopted and there were regular discussions with children. Mr Callahan commented: “We view online safety as an important aspect of our school community and we also hold regular information sessions with parents. Safer Internet Day is a fun and informative way to reinforce what we teach and help our children to develop the right mindset to stay safe online.”

Schools across the world took part in Safer Internet Day on February 7.

Will Gardner, Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre and CEO of Childnet, said: “Safer Internet Day is an opportunity for everyone across the UK and globally to unite for a better internet. Whether you are a young person, parent, carer, school or organisation, we can all ‘be the change’ and take positive actions to make the internet a better place."