More than 120 students at Newmarket Academy have been given “hard-hitting and informative” education around the safe use of the internet and social media.

The school organised a day-long series of sessions for Year 8 students on Friday to mark this week’s Safer Internet Day.

They were run in partnership with Suffolk Police who delivered a workshop to all students.

Sessions were also put on to make young people aware of the risks that they may encounter online and the importance of making the internet a better and safer place - particularly social media.

Neil Fisher, assistant principal at Newmarket Academy, said: “It was such a great day and the feedback from the students was extremely positive.

“They were particularly impressed with the session from Suffolk Police which they said was ‘hard hitting, informative and pitched perfectly for their age group’.

“To have more than 120 students better informed about responsible use of the internet and social media is a great result.”

Safer Internet Day 2019 took place on Tuesday 5th February around the theme ‘Together for a better internet'.

Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre, the celebration sees hundreds of schools and organisations join together to raise awareness of online safety issues and run events and activities right across the UK.

Find out more via www.saferinternetday.org.uk.

Newmarket Academy Online Safety Ambassadors Top 5 Tips for Students

1. Don’t put any pictures online that you wouldn’t show to your Grandma

2. Don't ever give any personal details to anyone you meet online

3. Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say to someone's face

4. Tell an adult if something or somebody makes you uncomfortable, scared or confused online

5. Never meet up with someone you only know online

Newmarket Academy Online Safety Ambassadors Top 5 Tips for Parents

1. Have a cut off time for internet access e.g. comes on at 8am and goes off at 9pm

2. No gadgets in bedrooms after lights out – charge overnight in a central area

3. Stick to age guides on social media sites and games

4. Reserve the right to check your child's phone or tablet and do so regularly (no password unless you know it)

5. Make sure all privacy settings are up to date