Online Safety and Digital Life — Year 3 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: PSHE/RSE — Online safety and harms: that people sometimes behave differently online, including by pretending to be someone they are not; the rules and principles for keeping safe online (KS2 statutory guidance).
Overview
Pupils develop a thorough understanding of how to behave safely and responsibly in their digital lives. They explore what a digital footprint is, learn to recognise online risks including inappropriate contact, and build practical strategies for keeping their personal information safe. The lesson is grounded in pupils' real digital experience while equipping them with the critical thinking skills to navigate it safely.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what a digital footprint is and why it matters.
- Identify types of information that should be kept private online.
- Recognise potential online risks and know how to respond to them.
- Know how and when to report concerns to a trusted adult or online platform.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Ask pupils to stand up each time they have done the following in the past week: used a tablet or computer; sent a message to someone; watched a video online; played an online game; posted or shared something. Discuss: everything we do online leaves a trace. Introduce the digital footprint concept using the metaphor of muddy footprints through a house.
Explain that a digital footprint is built from everything done online — searches, messages, posts, likes. Show a simple diagram of information flow from a device to a server and beyond. Explain the difference between public and private information and introduce a 'traffic light' model: green information (first name, favourite colour) is usually safe; amber (school name, town) needs care; red (full name, address, phone number, passwords) should never be shared.
Work through a set of six online scenarios as a class. For each, pupils decide: is this safe? What should the person do? Scenarios include receiving a message from an unknown person, being asked to share a photo, seeing something upsetting online, and someone online asking to meet in person. Discuss decisions and reinforce the report-to-a-trusted-adult message.
Pupils create a personalised online safety pledge with five specific commitments about how they will behave and keep themselves safe online. They illustrate their pledge and it is displayed in the classroom as a reference point. Encourage pupils to share their pledges with parents or carers at home.
Introduce pupils to the CEOP Safety Centre (ceop.police.uk) as a place to report if something online makes them feel scared or worried. Reinforce the message that reporting is always the right thing to do — online or in person. Close with the key rule: if it does not feel right online, stop, do not respond, and tell a trusted adult.
Common Misconceptions
- Pupils often believe that if their account or profile is private, they are completely safe online. Explain that privacy settings reduce risk but do not eliminate it, and that anyone they interact with could potentially share information further.
- Some pupils think that online friends are the same as real-life friends. Help them understand that people online may not be who they claim to be, and that real trust is built over time through face-to-face relationships.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Awareness from KS1 that some information should be kept private.
- General familiarity with using devices for games, videos and messaging.
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