We had great fun last Friday on our party day. We enjoyed lots of dancing, games and party food! Look how gr
eat we look in our party outfits!
We had great fun last Friday on our party day. We enjoyed lots of dancing, games and party food! Look how great we look in our party outfits!
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.
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.
Y2A visited Beamish to help us learn about the lives of a coal miner and their families. We enjoyed going into the mine, visiting the miner’s cottages and having a Victorian lesson in school!
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.
Y2L visited Beamish to help us learn about the lives of a coal miner and their families. We enjoyed going into the mine, visiting the miner’s cottages and having a Victorian lesson in school!
We had lots of fun playing in the snow this afternoon!
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.
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.
