A Wimbledon school has been recognised for its approach to protecting children in the online world.

The Rowans School, Wimbledon, received a National Online Safety Certified School Accreditation for its whole school community approach.

James Southworth, co-founder at National Online Safety, said: "By completing our training programme, the school has shown its strong commitment to implementing an effective whole school approach to online safety.”

“It can be increasingly difficult for schools and parents to stay ahead of online threats and ensure both children and staff are safeguarded from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material. We arm schools with the knowledge they need to understand online dangers and how best to react to any problems.”

In order to achieve the award the pupils aged from 3 – 7 took part in a detailed programme of lessons teaching them about the different aspects of staying safe online.

As part of their weekly computing lesson, as well as learning how to code, the children were taught how to stay safe whilst using a computer. This included only going online with a grown up, only saying kind things about others and telling an adult if something online makes them feel sad.

Joanna Hubbard, head teacher at The Rowans School, said: “We are delighted to be recognised for our hard work and commitment to keeping children safe online.

"By adopting a ‘whole school approach’ towards online safety, working together with staff, parents and governors, we are at the forefront of online safeguarding for children and young people.”