Safety Comes First
At Koa Academy, your child’s online safety is one of our top priorities. Just as parents expect a traditional school to create a secure physical environment, we make it our mission to safeguard students in the digital space of our online school. Beyond that, we also focus on giving students the skills and confidence they need to use technology responsibly and with support.
It’s important to recognise that “being online” can mean very different things. Accessing lessons in our structured school environment is not the same as gaming or using social media. At Koa, we take full responsibility for the safety of our digital classroom, while partnering with parents to guide their children in other areas of their online lives.
Creating a Secure Learning Space
We take the protection of our students seriously and have designed an online ecosystem that values both accountability and transparency.
Our school operates using Google Workspace for Education and every child logs in with a unique account. This ensures high levels of protection, with Google’s built-in security features like content filtering, monitored traffic and strict app access controls. All of these are overseen by Koa’s trained IT administrators and we go a step further by bringing in an external EduTech team each year to audit our systems.
On a more personal level, our small Pods of 8 students with a dedicated teacher provide daily guidance. This model not only builds accountability but also gives space for important conversations about using technology responsibly. Because every student is seen, our values of empathy, respect and self-management are practised and reinforced in real time.
We also guide parents on how to extend these principles beyond our platform – whether that means managing access to personal accounts, supervising use of social apps, or setting boundaries around gaming.
Why Soft Skills Matter
Being born into the digital age doesn’t automatically equip children with the tools to navigate it. As we like to remind families, being a digital native is not the same as being digitally literate. Many adults also find managing their online presence challenging, which shows how intentional we need to be in preparing young people for it.
Some of the core soft skills we focus on at Koa include:
- Healthy communication: learning to use positive language and handle disagreements constructively.
- Critical thinking: spotting echo chambers, misinformation and unreliable sources.
- Problem-solving: knowing how to deal with tricky situations when they arise.
- Empathy: recognising that others’ online experiences can be very different from your own.
- Resilience: like the flexible yet strong Koa tree, our students practise bouncing back from setbacks.
- Self-management: taking ownership of their digital actions instead of blindly following the crowd.
Adolescence is the perfect time to refine these abilities. Schools play an important role in providing safe, structured opportunities for students to practise and reflect on them.
Partnering with Klikd
We know that the online space brings challenges, but ignoring them doesn’t help. That’s why we encourage open discussions with students about what they’re experiencing and what they may face in the future.
This is why we have partnered with Klikd to provide students with relevant training to help them navigate their personal online world with confidence, while teaching them how to engage in responsible and healthy online behaviours.
The Klikd team has reimagined digital safety education and we use their content in our Pods to upskill and empower both students and parents throughout the year. Students work through the Klikd App modules, each one focusing on a specific aspect of the online space, guided by their experienced Pod teachers. Instead of finger-wagging and fear-mongering, they are coached to develop a positive approach to the online world and how to navigate it happily and safely. The content is all presented by teens themselves, in a format that is easy for our kids to connect with.
Examples of Klikd modules include:
- Privacy and Security: learning about digital footprints, hackers and how to protect personal data.
- Cyberbullying: recognising it, responding effectively and preventing escalation.
- Social Media & Self-Worth: understanding the “highlight reel” effect and building healthy online habits.
- Screen Time & Balance: spotting the signs of overuse and learning to set realistic boundaries.
Parents are also supported through adult guides on each module, conversation starters and weekly updates from Klikd that highlight current online trends. These resources give families the tools to keep meaningful conversations going at home, while tailoring them to their own values.
No Quick Fixes
There’s no single solution to online safety. It requires the right systems, intentional teaching, expert support and collaboration between school and home. At Koa Academy, we are committed to combining these elements so that students not only stay safe but also thrive in the ever-changing digital landscape.
Discover Koa Academy.
Visit www.koaacademy.com to learn more.
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