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 Rockstars are 11th in England

21st November 2023G Booth

Once again, our Key Stage 2 pupils have taken part in the national Times Tables Rock Stars competition ‘England Rocks’. Our boys and girls have superseded their previous achievements and come 11th out of 4080 primary schools!! This is a masssive accomplishment and shows everyone’s dedication to learning their times tables.

Y6F came 27th out of 30,034 classes. Again, a massive achievement!

We are exceptional proud of all of pupils who took part and their amazing times tables knowledge. Superb results!

 

Electricity in Year 4

17th November 2023Rachel Wright
Our first science topic in year 4 was all about electricity. We found out that electricity is a naturally occurring phenomenon but it can also be generated. It is the flow of tiny particles called electrons. Electricity can only flow when given a push from a power supply like a cell or a battery. We also know how to keep ourselves safe around electricity.
We learned how to draw symbols for the different components such as a cell, a bulb, a motor and a buzzer. We used these symbols to make circuit diagrams. Then we made a circuit with a bulb. We even looked at what would happen if we added more than one bulb to a circuit. We also conducted our own investigation about changing the number or types of components in a circuit.
We also investigated whether different materials were conductors or insulators. We did this by putting different objects into a circuit to see if a bulb would light. We’re going to use our science knowledge to make our own electrical greetings card.

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.

Anglo-Saxon battles, beliefs and brutal punishments

27th October 2023R Errington

In history, we have learned about the Anglo-Saxons and when they lived in Britain. The Anglo-Saxons settled in Britain after the Romans left. We learned about how the Anglo-Saxons finally conquered Britain after attempting to for many years. We also learned about the different roles in Anglo-Saxon society. We know that there were kings, thanes, churls and slaves. One of our favourite lessons was about the punishments for committing different crimes!

On our trip to Jarrow Hall, we learned about a famous battle between the Anglo-Saxon and the Vikings called the Battle of Brunanburh. They would put their shields together to make a wall so they wouldn’t get stabbed or killed. We loved taking part in the battle re-enactment!

We also learnt about their religious beliefs and how they changed over time. Anglo-Saxons were pagans and, eventually, many of them converted to Christianity.

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!

 

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

21st October 2023R Errington

Year 4 loved reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis this term. We explored ways to describe different characters as well as putting ourselves in the shoes of Lucy and Edmund. Check out Y4E rehearsing a conversation between Peter, Susan and Mr Beaver!

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/

Exploring the internet in Year 4

29th September 2023Rachel Wright

Our first computing topic is all about the internet. We explored how a network can share messages with another network to form the internet. We have also explored what can be shared on the World Wide Web, where websites are stored and how the World Wide Web can be accessed on a variety of devices.

 

E-Safety Information – WhatApp

20th September 2023L Forster

It’s a description of encryption proscription! 🔏👀 The world’s most popular instant messaging service, WhatsApp has been appearing in the headlines even more often than usual recently over its opposition to aspects of the UK government’s Online Safety Bill ⚖

Encrypting messages to protect users’ privacy has undeniable merit, but it also poses obvious risks – especially to young people. Updated to reflect the newest version of WhatsApp, today’s #WakeUpWednesday guide brings trusted adults the latest essential info.

WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging platform on the planet, with over two billion users (forecast to become three billion by 2025), across more than 180 countries. The majority of those people (70%) open the app at least once a day – but what exactly are they seeing? Contact from strangers, fake news and convincing scams are all among the service’s well-documented hazards.

According to Ofcom, WhatsApp is used by more than half of 3- to 17-year-olds in the UK (including one in three from the 8–11 bracket), despite its 16+ age restriction. If your child hops onto WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends or family, our updated #WakeUpWednesday guide to the service contains the key details you’ll need to support them in doing it safely.

https://nationalcollege.com/