E-Safety Information – Helldivers 2

8th May 2024L Forster

A peak simultaneous player count of almost 500,000. It’s safe to say that Helldivers 2 has taken the games industry by storm, attracting a wide array of fans from all over the world and – more importantly – from various age groups. Many young gamers are actively playing this title, both with friends and with strangers via online multiplayer – despite the game’s 18+ rating.

Unfortunately, the gore and violence of Helldivers 2 (combined with its in-game purchases and the ability to play with unfamiliar people online) present significant online safety concerns for its younger players. This Wake up Wednesday, our guide explores these issues in detail and advises on minimising the risks to children and young people.

Within the last few months, Helldivers 2 has propelled to immense popularity in the gaming community, with players of all ages enjoying its frenetic combat, humorous presentation, and challenging gameplay. Whether they’re cooperating with friends or competing with strangers, the game has attracted many young players despite its higher age rating.

As can be expected from an online game – especially one rated 18+ – there are several inherent online safety risks posed to children and young people who play Helldivers 2; from the content of the game itself to the dangers of interacting with strangers online. Our guide highlights the most prominent hazards of Helldivers 2 and provides you with top tips for keeping its younger players safe.

https://nationalcollege.com/

Reader of the Month

7th May 2024P Mullea

We always love celebrating the achievements of our children and we LOVE Reading!

This month our readers of the month were chosen because they show super effort with home reading; responsibly looking after their books and returning them each week. We also noticed children who make a super effort to look after our library spaces around school. They are all superstars!

Well done to all of our Reader’s for April. A special shout out for Kyle in Y5 who has made a spectacular 3 years of progress in his star reading assessment!

 

 

E-Safety Information – Clickbait

27th March 2024L Forster

Around one in five headlines online are clickbait. That’s an estimate from experts at Stanford University, who conducted a study into this phenomenon which has gradually extended its reach to almost every corner of the internet – powered by a strategy of snagging users’ attention by any means necessary rather than a legitimate desire to inform or enlighten.

As that statistic indicates, this manipulative marketing strategy is difficult to avoid online. There’s still plenty that can be done though to limit its influence – especially in relation to young people, who are often more susceptible to sensationalist headlines. Today’s #WakeUpWednesday guide details the potential hazards around clickbait and has expert tips for avoiding them.

Cultural and technological changes have made the experiences of today’s children vastly different to our own childhoods; it can be challenging to engage youngsters in open, honest conversation – especially about more sensitive topics. This, combined with many children’s instinct to avoid “rocking the boat”, can make it difficult to stay up to date with the goings on in their lives.

However, it’s hugely important that trusted adults still offer an empathetic ear and feel able to encourage young people to open up about their day-to-day activities. This #WakeUpWednesday guide provides ten top tips for promoting open conversations with children – helping to make sure there’s someone they know they can turn to in times of need.

World Book Day 2024

15th March 2024P Mullea

World Book day is always one of our favourite days of the year and this one was amazing thanks to the wonderful efforts of our children. It was so lovely to see so many lovely characters from the stories we know and love.

Throughout the day the children took part in a range of book related activities and enjoyed discussing how they could have different careers with books, including becoming an Author or illustrator.

We also held our Book swap event- giving the children a chance to swap an unwanted book from home for a new one to refresh their collections. Thank you for the wonderful donations.

It was a fantastic day!

 

E-Safety Information – Developing Healthy Sleeping Pattern

13th March 2024L Forster

Dreaming of a decent night’s sleep? Many of us are – and it’s a particularly pervasive problem for young people. Concerningly, research has suggested that around 70% of teens get less than the recommended 8–10 hours’ sleep per night. The effects of poor-quality sleep on a developing mind, of course, can be harmful over a prolonged period.

Although a significant portion of under-18s struggle for shut eye, there is still plenty we can do to support them in getting the beneficial rest they need during those formative years. Compiled in conjunction with our friends at award-winning mental health charity Minds Ahead, this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has tips on helping children to develop healthy sleeping habits.

For children and young people, low-quality sleep can become a serious issue. It has been theorised that poor sleep can have a significant impact on children’s brain development, affecting them for the rest of their lives. A healthy – and consistent – sleeping pattern, therefore, is incredibly important for children and young people’s wellbeing.

With the stresses and distractions that can present themselves to youngsters, it can be tricky to ensure they’re in the best mindset to wind down in the evenings for the rejuvenating rest that they need. The right approach, however, can give them a better chance of cultivating a healthy sleeping pattern. Our guide has some practical tips on helping them to achieve exactly that.

https://nationalcollege.com/

Top Tips for Supporting Children Who Are Experiencing Bullying

1st March 2024L Forster

The latest bullying research from the DfE makes for upsetting reading. Almost half (40%) of schoolchildren in the UK have been bullied within the past 12 months – with 21% of them experiencing negative changes to their behaviour, including avoiding going to school. In 15% of those cases, the victim’s behaviour suffers to the extent that they are ultimately excluded themselves.

Understanding and honest conversation can be an immense benefit to children who have become the target of bullying – but it’s such a delicate subject that it can often be hard for trusted adults to know where (or how) to start. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide this week contains ten practical tips for supporting a child who is experiencing bullying.

Bullying has long been a pervasive issue in schools – and, being realistic, it’s regrettably a problem which is always likely to exist to a certain extent. There are still plenty of steps we can take as trusted adults, however, to lend support, comfort and reassurance to children who are going through this deeply upsetting experience.

Such a highly emotive topic can be a difficult one to talk about with children – but honest, open communication nevertheless remains vital to young victims’ wellbeing. It’s important to be aware, then, of effective ways to broach and explore the subject. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has expert advice on effective ways to support children who are being bullied.

https://nationalcollege.com/

E-Safety Information – Monkey

7th February 2024L Forster

Online video calling with random strangers. It’s hardly a new internet phenomenon – but the recent demise of Omegle has prompted the creation of several similar platforms bidding to fill the vacuum. One such contender is Monkey – a service that randomly connects its users for video calls, using their mobile numbers and Snapchat account details

Monkey has surged in popularity since Omegle’s shutdown in November 2023: visits to the site more than doubled within a month and have been climbing steadily ever since. Regrettably, it also seems that Monkey suffers from many of the same pitfalls as its notorious predecessor – our #WakeUpWednesday guide highlights these possible risks to young people in more detail.

With Omegle finally shutting down in late 2023, the top spot among video chat services is up for grabs – and Monkey has its eyes set on the crown. Randomly matching its users for 15-second conversations, the platform’s developers claim to have created a dynamic online space for people to make new connections and, potentially, even some new friends.

Despite these innocuous-sounding intentions, however, Monkey has been criticised for moderation which may not be comprehensive enough to defend against the obvious dangers that unregulated, random video calls pose to the younger element of the site’s userbase. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide tells trusted adults what they need to know about Monkey.

History in Year 1- Toys from the past!

6th February 2024P Mullea

This half term we have been learning all about toys from the past. We have been exploring how toys have changed from Victorian times to Modern day and trying hard to use historical vocabularly. We can discuss old toys and their properties and discuss how they are different to toys we have today.

As part of our topic we were visited by ‘That History Bloke’- Richard. We had a fantastic time  learning all about life in Victorian times and we even got the chance to play with some Victorian toys! We were excited to see the kind of things children in those times would have played with including Thaumatrope’s and Spinning tops! Some toys are still around today like Yo-Yo’s although they would be made out of plastic now.

We also visited the Discovery Museum and got to see even more Victorian toys. We are now experts in spotting which toys are from the past and which are modern. We took part in workshops were we even got to make our own Victorian toys and completed a hunt around the museum for Victorian toys using clues. We had a fantastic day!

Reader of the Month- January 24

2nd February 2024P Mullea

Another month has past us by and the children continue to impress us with their super reading abilities.

This month’s readers we were chosen for their AMAZING reading abilities but also because staff have noticed them working well with others, being good reading partners, helping others to choose new texts and always giving 100% effort with reading at home and in school.

We continue to be impressed and find it tricky to choose just one child a month!

As always the children got to pick a prize to take home, selecting a book from our collection. They were very excited to see the huge new range of texts which had been delivered and spotted some of their favourite authors!

A special mention to Scarlett from Y2 who has just started using AR but is trying really hard on her quizzes, to Lyla from Y1 who always helps her partner to correct mistakes when reading, to Dexter from Y3 who helps others to find new Non-fiction texts and quiz on AR and to Louie from Y5 for his fantastic AR results and for reading at home frequently.

Well done to all of our ‘Readers of the Month’. We hope you enjoy your new books.

 

E-Safety information – MyLOL

24th January 2024L Forster

 

“The #1 teen dating website in the world” That’s the claim of MyLOL, which offers 13 to 19-year-olds the chance to rate each other’s pics, send private messages and contact strangers online. If that sets your alarm bells ringing, you’re far from alone: law enforcement agencies and schools in several countries have seen fit to issue warnings about the platform.

Among the main issues is the fact that MyLOL doesn’t have a reliable age verification method – meaning there’s no foolproof way to stop anyone outside the platform’s intended 13–19 audience signing up for an account under a false age. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide also highlights potential concerns around in-app purchases and the use of geolocation for sinister reasons.

 

Teenagers’ blossoming interest in romantic relationships and their devotion to online networking is a potent combination – and, regrettably, not always a safe one. It raises all kind of worries about the possibility of sharing intimate images or deeply personal information; and that’s simply with contacts their own age – to say nothing of the chance of connecting with an older stranger.

MyLOL – a site which specifically facilitates interaction between 13 to 19-year-olds – has amassed around a million users worldwide, but sadly its safeguarding protocols can’t match that level of success. The ease with which an adult could pose as a teen under a bogus birthdate makes grooming a realistic threat – and that’s far from the platform’s only risk, as our guide explains.

https://nationalcollege.com/