Key Stage 2 computing · Networks and the internet

KS2 working together online: safe communication and sharing

Networks let people send messages, share files and work on the same document at the same time, wherever they are. In Key Stage 2, children learn what those opportunities are, how to use them well, and how to behave safely, respectfully and responsibly. They also learn to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, and how to report a concern about content or contact.

Online communication and collaboration, explained

Collaboration is one of the biggest benefits of networks. In school, children may write a story together in a shared document, build a presentation with each person responsible for one slide, send a message to a pupil in another class, or take part in a video call with someone outside the school. A shared document shows who has changed what and keeps a history of versions, so children can see how their work developed and go back if something goes wrong.

Alongside the opportunities, the curriculum asks children to use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly. That begins with ordinary manners: write online as you would speak to someone’s face, think before you post, and ask permission before sharing someone else’s photo or work. Children learn that words can be hurtful when there is no tone of voice or facial expression to soften them, and that it is easy to be misunderstood in writing.

Children learn to tell the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Acceptable behaviour includes sharing ideas, giving kind and helpful feedback, and following the rules of a group. Unacceptable behaviour includes unkind or threatening messages, deliberately deleting or spoiling someone’s work, pretending to be someone else, and sharing private information. Many popular social media and messaging services set a minimum age of 13 in their terms, so most of what children do online at this age happens in school-managed or family-supervised spaces.

Finally, children are taught a range of ways to report a concern about content or contact. That means telling a trusted adult such as a parent or teacher, using the report or block tools in a service, and knowing that a helpline for children exists. Schools stress that telling is always the right thing to do and that the child will not be in trouble for something someone else has done. The best protection is a child who knows they can talk to you.

Words your child will hear

Collaborate: Work together with other people to make or achieve something.
Shared document: A file that several people can open and edit, often at the same time.
Respectful: Treating other people politely and fairly, online as in person.
Report: Tell a trusted adult or use a service’s report tool about something that worries you.
Block: Stop another account from contacting you or seeing what you share.
Digital footprint: The trail of information about you that is left behind when you use the internet.
Acceptable behaviour: Behaviour that follows the rules and is kind and fair to others.

What the National Curriculum says

In Key Stage 2, pupils should be taught to:

Understand computer networks, including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the World Wide Web, and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration
Use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: what would you do?

A group of four pupils are writing a story in a shared document. One morning a pupil’s paragraph has been deleted and an unkind comment has been added. What should the group do?

Stay calm and don’t reply with an unkind comment. Replying in the same way can make the situation worse.
Don’t delete the comment yet, because it is evidence. Note what happened and when. The document’s history may show which account made the change.
Tell the teacher straight away, and say what you saw. If the document has a way to report a comment, use it too.
With the teacher’s help, restore the deleted paragraph from the version history. That is one of the advantages of a shared document: earlier versions can usually be recovered.
Afterwards, agree group rules: be kind in comments, check before changing someone else’s work, and talk about any disagreements face to face with the teacher’s help.

Stay calm, keep the evidence, tell a trusted adult, restore the work from the history and agree clear rules for the group.

Common mistakes and how to help

“It’s only a joke, so it doesn’t count”

Online, there is no face to watch, so a child may not see that a remark hurt. A joke between friends can look very different to a reader who isn’t in on it.

What helps: Ask, “How would you feel if this were said to you, in front of the whole class?” Teach children to pause before posting.

“If I delete it, it is gone”

Deleting something from a screen feels permanent, but messages and images may already have been saved, copied or shared by others.

What helps: Talk about the digital footprint. Ask them to think before sending, because a message may travel further and last longer than intended.

“Telling a grown-up will get me into trouble”

Children worry that they will lose their device or be blamed, and so hide a problem.

What helps: Say clearly and more than once that you will always listen calmly. Make it a family rule that telling is never punished.

Believing someone online is who they say they are

A friendly profile, a photo or a shared interest feels like proof of a real friend.

What helps: Explain that it is easy to pretend online. Children should only talk to people they know in real life, and should tell you straight away if someone they don’t know contacts them.

How to help at home

Agree family rules together. Talk through when and where devices are used, who your child can message, and what they should do when something feels wrong. Writing the rules down together makes them easier to keep.
Practise “what would you do?”. Make up short scenarios, such as a message from a stranger, a rude comment or a request for a photo, and ask your child what they would do. Short, calm role-play is better than a lecture.
Find the report and block tools. When your child uses a service, look together for where to report and block. Knowing where the buttons are, before you need them, means your child can act quickly.
Collaborate for real. Write a family shopping list or plan a trip in a shared document, with everyone adding ideas. Talk about how to disagree politely and how the document keeps a record of changes.
Keep talking. Ask regularly what your child enjoys online and who they talk to. If they tell you about a worry, thank them first and sort the problem out second.