E-Safety Information : 12 Tips for a Tech-Free Christmas

13th December 2023L Forster

There’s no disputing how integral the digital world has become to modern life. It can prove difficult for many young people to stay off smart phones, tablets and other devices for a single day – even one as special as Christmas. In fact, according to a survey by e-commerce platform Groupon, almost 80% of parents and carers would prefer a festive period that’s free from technology

Going online, of course, is useful for checking in with friends and relations who we can’t be with, or for arranging celebrations – but if we allow gadgets to dominate our Yuletide break, that precious time could pass in a flash. This #WakeUpWednesday, we’ve got suggestions for keeping a handle on device use over the holidays, so your family can be truly together this Christmas.

 

With Christmas right around the corner, millions of families are excitedly anticipating the chance to spend some quality time with each other over the festive season. When everyone’s engrossed in their phones or glued to their games consoles, however, genuinely meaningful moments with loved ones can often be difficult to orchestrate.

Our Christmas #WakeUpWednesday guide will lend a hand: providing some advice on helping young people to set aside their devices for a while and live in the moment. Even if going full tech cold turkey feels unrealistic, implementing just a few of these tips could still decrease the amount of screen time in your home this festive season – enabling everyone to make the most of it.

http://nationalcollege.com

E-Safety Information – Disney+

6th December 2023L Forster

More than 150 million subscribers worldwide 📈 Disney+ has enjoyed a steady rise in popularity since launching four years ago: the platform’s deep library of treasured old-school animated favourites, modern classics and original series means that it can offer a rich seam of engrossing content that caters for young and not-so-young users alike 📺

Of course, a consequence of this approach is the presence of the sort of age-inappropriate material one might not expect to find on the platform, given Disney’s fabled status as a purveyor of family entertainment. There’s useful advice in avoiding this pitfall (and more besides) in this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide, as Disney+ comes under the microscope.

In 2019, media titan Disney launched its own streaming platform, intending to challenge the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime. Giving (often exclusive) access to shows and movies – such as the legendary studio’s animated classics and the revered Star Wars back catalogue – Disney+ has been a colossal success, proving popular with viewers of all ages.

Despite Disney’s reputation for wholesome, child-friendly content, however, there’s far more material available on their platform – some of which is aimed exclusively at adults. This could easily fly under the radar, given the company’s general image. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has useful tips to help your family sit back, relax and enjoy what Disney+ has to offer.

http://nationalcollege.com/

Reader of the Month- November 2023

4th December 2023P Mullea

Congratulations to our Reader’s of the Month who were chosen for their attitude towards Reading and taking care of our books and library spaces.

 

A special shout out to Harry in Y6 who is our first Word Millionaire of the year!, How amazing!

Well done to Amelia in Y6 who takes excellent care of our library, spending playtimes and lunchtimes organising the shelves and helping others.

We are also very proud of Hallie in Y3, Archie in Y4 and Scarlett from Y1, who make an extra effort to read at home and take great care of our books.

E-Safety Information – Online Safety Act

29th November 2023L Forster

Protecting children 🧒 Blocking illegal material ⛔ Removing harmful content on major platforms 📱 Those are the three main goals of the Online Safety Act, which entered UK law in October. While demanding more accountability from social media companies in particular, the act revises – rather than replaces – the current digital safeguarding duties placed on schools.

With changes including the creation of new criminal offences and greater options when raising an issue with a platform, there’s plenty for educators to take on board. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide this week provides a bite-size introduction to the Online Safety Act – and highlights some of the key points that schools need to be familiar with in the short term.

 

After a lengthy gestation period, the UK Government’s wide-ranging changes to the legislation around digital safeguarding have become enshrined in law as the Online Safety Act. The first of its kind in Britain, the act aims to improve protection for children online and clamp down on illegal material. Regulated by Ofcom, it will primarily impact social media platforms and companies which host user-generated content.

The new legislation, however, also carries implications for schools and their staff. Although further developments are expected, our #WakeUpWednesday guide summarises the main points of the act that schools need to be aware of so far – outlining some specific areas that the new laws address and what effect, in practical terms, this will have on education providers.

https://nationalcollege.com/

Harton Primary School Remembers

10th November 2023C Whitehead

This week we have been learning about the importance of Remembrance day and why we celebrate it. We all created beautiful artwork that was displayed in the hall for everybody to see. After our special assembly, we held a 2 minute silence to honour and respect the memory of the all the men, women and animals who helped fight for our country.

Black History Week at Harton Primary

27th October 2023C Whitehead

Around the world Black History is celebrated during Black History Month. This is a time set aside each year to celebrate the achievements of black men and women in the past and today.

We know that all people should be treated equally but sadly, this isn’t always the case, and many groups of people around the world still suffer as a result of discrimination. Thankfully, there are some amazing people who have done incredible things to fight for equality. Over the past few weeks, each year group has been learning about a different inspirational person.

Today we all joined together in assembly to share who we have been learning about.

 

Take a look below at what each year group has been learning!

 

Year 1 owl visitor

5th October 2023J Twigge

In Year 1 we are learning about owls.  Today we had some special visitors. Stef brought two of her owls.  Jessie the Barn Owl and Bracken the Bolivian Bard Owl.  We found out lots of amazing facts.

Stef was very impressed with our questions.

E-Safety Information – Among Us

4th October 2023L Forster

Among Us: fairly safe, or pretty sus? 👩‍🚀🚀 This scenario of spaceship crew members cooperating to complete tasks and uncover murderous alien imposters has garnered a sizeable and committed following with younger gamers 🎮

Though Among Us is presented in a (mainly) sanitised visual style, any children’s game which essentially foregrounds the concepts of deceit, betrayal and killing is always likely to cause some concerns. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide gets among it with Among Us.

Created in 2018 by a small indie studio that (at the time) had only four employees, Among Us has become one of the gaming world’s biggest breakout hits of recent years. In 2020, for example, it was the world’s most-downloaded mobile game. Its simplicity helped Among Us to resonate with younger players in particular: the game’s second largest audience slice is the 13–18 age bracket.

While the 7+ age rating, emphasis on teamwork and cartoonish, colourful graphics all suit a young fan-base, however, the game does carry more serious risks than betrayal by a team-mate or an untimely on-screen demise – with in-game purchases and possible contact from strangers on our #WakeUpWednesday guide’s list of hazards that trusted adults should bear in mind.

https://nationalcollege.com/

Year 1 Orienteering

28th September 2023E BEATTIE

Our topic in Geography this half term is ‘Our School and Locality’. We were visited by Alice who helped us explore our school grounds.

First we learned all about how to use a compass including how to find North, East, South and West. Then we used these directions to give our partners instructions to find treasure hidden in the yard.

Our next challenge was to use maps to navigate around a maze, following instructions given by our partners. We used directions including ‘left’ and ‘right’.

Finally Alice challenged us to use maps of our school to find objects hidden in the grounds. We had a great time exploring and made some super observations.

Year 1 Road Safety.

26th September 2023P Mullea

Last week Year 1 was lucky enough to have a visit from our Road Safety Friends.

They helped us to think about how to stay safe when out and about in our local community. We talked about how to cross the road safely using crossings and in other situations. Year 1 were fantastic and know to listen carefully, look out for all traffic and hold an adult’s hand when crossing the road.