SAFETY lessons of a trail-blazing kind have been on the timetable at one Basingstoke school.

Pupils at Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School learned about internet safety during a visit by Microsoft staff.

The school, in St Michael's Road, South Ham, is one of 100 in the UK taking part in a national campaign - Getting to Know IT All.

Parents joined pupils to be reminded to be careful when talking to strangers online and to find out where to turn for help about internet safety if they need it.

Tony Corish, headteacher at Bishop Challoner, said: "The school is pleased to take part in this valuable initiative.

"In an era which is increasingly dominated by IT, it is extremely important that young people learn how to use the internet safely and with confidence."

The campaign is being run by Microsoft, MSN, children's internet safety agency Childnet International and the Virtual Global Taskforce, an alliance of law enforcement agencies.

John Noakes, from Microsoft's developer tools sales team, visited the school.

He said: "With an increasing number of young people recognising the vast benefits of the use of the internet, we need to educate young people on how to protect themselves online.

"This campaign will aim to educate children, parents and teachers about the vital need to ensure our children stay safe on the internet.

"This can be from downloading the latest security patches to protect your PC, to not giving out personal details to anyone you may meet online."

First published: Monday, November 14, 2005