Thames Valley School students create their ideal internet of the future

Students at Thames Valley School, a Liberty Academy Trust school for autistic children and young people in Reading, are using this year’s Safer Internet Day today (February 2) to kick-start a conversation about making change online.

In keeping with the theme of this year’s day – inspiring change – students will discuss and design how they want the internet to look in the future. Led by teachers, they will take part in a week of activities to design their ideal social media platform and create the code underpinning it – with an emphasis on constructing an environment where everyone feels welcome, safe and free from harm.

Sessions will show students how to stay safe online and when and where to report issues. It follows an initiative at the school for Social Media Kindness Day earlier in the year, which was led by the Student Council and focused on making social media a positive experience for students. This is particularly important for autistic young people, who can have difficulties with social understanding, and so be prone to teasing or bullying; or may taking things literally, which can be upsetting or alarming.

Staff will use specialised SEND resources to support students' engagement, understanding and language acquisition. For example, using images to help them identify the positive and negative aspects of social media, and word banks to understand key terminology.

Gemma Buley, Interim Head of School, Thames Valley School, said: “Navigating life online can be difficult for anyone and sometimes presents particular challenges for autistic children and young people. Our programme for Safer Internet Day is designed to help students identify and manage the risks, with practical tools to help them stay safe and able to enjoy positive experiences online. And as potential programmers of the future, it is great they are learning from an early age to put safety and inclusion at the heart of the internet.”

Location: Reading, Berkshire