Safety by <a href=”http://www.nyphotographic.com/”>Nick Youngson</a> <a rel=”license” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/”>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> <a href=”http://pix4free.org/”>Pix4free</a>
Internet Matters have put together some great guides on all things tech. Useful for parents and kids alike, it also covers second hand equipment and there are links to setting up devices to help protect the family.
<a href=”https://pix4free.org/”>Pix4free</a>
As you may know we love Lego. The education team at Lego have created some wonderful activities for children aged 6-9 years which I think would be very useful for parents and the classroom. There are six different topics which are designed to help children navigate the online world safely, including conversation starters. The topics include cyber bullying, screen time, false information and others. All the activities and resources are free. See HERE for further information.
I hope you are well and looking forward to a well-deserved break, let’s hope some of the glorious weather comes our way! This will be the final weekly update, returning the first week in September, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish you well and I hope you have a lovely break.
Keeping it short and sweet this week
1. For Parents – Online Gaming
Come rain or shine, over the summer holidays many children and young people will be spending longer on gaming consoles. It is imperative that parents take an active role and understand gaming (it isn’t just playing games), the games their children are playing, potential risks and how to mitigate those risks.
Internet Matters have a whole gaming hub, a library of information just for parents covering the areas above and more. You can get to the gaming hub HERE.
- Recently published subject reports.
Some Summer reading! Here are some documents you might want to have a look at.
Mathematics subject report
This subject report evaluates the common strengths and weaknesses of mathematics in the schools inspected. The report shares what has been learned and builds on the Ofsted mathematics research review which identified factors that can contribute to high-quality school maths curriculums, assessment, pedagogy and systems. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE REPORT
The History Subject report was also released this month. Click here to access it.
And you can access the recently updated Reading Framework here.
Until September, have a lovely break. Enjoy any adventures you have, travel safely and we’ll be back to do it all again next year!
Amanda
Click here to see all of the events and book your summer of fun.
The programme offers a range of fun activities for children and young people to enjoy independently or with their families, including dancing, games, crafts, sports, and outdoor challenges, along with nutritious meals at each event.
Funded by the Department for Education, the Holiday Activities and Food programme is available to children and young people aged 5-16 and up to the age of 18 for those identified with SEND.
Places for the clubs must be booked in advance. Any families who need additional help with food are reminded that they can access local food banks.
To find out more visit: www.southtyneside.gov.uk/holidayclub
Bookings open at 4pm today (Monday 10th July).
WhatsApp – New Features
As one of the most popular messaging apps around the world used (in our experience) from Year 3 upwards, WhatsApp continue to add new features to keep users onboard. Two of the newest features are the ability to edit a sent message within 15 minutes of it being sent, and ‘Keep in Chat’.
The first (edit within 15 minutes) is exactly what it says. You can send a message to someone or a group and, if you need to make changes you can do so within 15 minutes. This is good, particularly for someone who may have rushed a reply to something and didn’t critically think about it before pressing ‘Send’, or realises that the message could be taken out of context.
The second, ‘Keep in Chat’ is where someone can select certain messages that they want to keep in a folder called ‘Kept messages’.
There’s more detail to the explanation than I have given above, take a look at the Childnet article HERE for further details, including the positives and negatives to these new features.
1. Following the release of an updated KSIE 2023 document this link explains what the changes are. There are not many, and as such no consultation document was needed. So here is a brief summary:
2. This new report from Revealing Reality is a disturbing read. It looks at the violent and illegal content children are being subjected to on one of their most popular apps – Snapchat. The children interviewed are in the Secondary age range, but the concerns are applicable to all users of the app.
3. Just a reminder of a great resource. CyberFirst is a series of interactive online security resources from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) which highlights some of the more common cyber scams and malicious activity that users might come across. It’s aimed at 11-14 year olds. There is an interactive video where learners make choices and watch how these choices play out. For more information and access to the resources see HERE.
4. OMETV – if you have any children talking about this, attached is a flier from NOS explaining more about it.
5. Gambling and Harm Prevention – Ygam.
The recently published filtering and monitoring guidance includes a new section on gambling. For an in depth education into how to minimize gambling harms, you can sign up for Ygam’s City & Guilds ‘Gaming and Gambling Awareness and Harm Prevention’ workshop. The workshop is fully funded and online. It covers:
- Gaming and Gambling Harms
- Advertising and Legislation
- Mental Health and Wellbeing
- The Blurred Lines between Gaming and Gambling
- How to Spot the Signs of Harm
- Where to Get Help and Support
On completion delegates will have access to Ygam’s resource hub consisting of over 1,000 complimentary and downloadable resources. Resources including thematic work schemes, lesson plans and 1-to-1 activities. To find out more follow the link below:
I have done this workshop and it is really useful and informative.
6. The school week – everything you should know about the hours required by the DFE. Some guidance issued this week, here is a breakdown.
7. Ncce course – Primary Computing for all – taking place at OpenZone on 7th July. This course is full day and fully funded. Apply via this link or use the QR code on the flier attached. Please make staff aware as anyone can attend this session.
Apply here or contact us to book your place.
8. We also have the NCCE course Implmenting the NCCE curriculum in your school on Wednesday 28th June. This is a good course for those of you who might be new to being Subject leads. Apply here or contact us to book your place.
9. Don’t forget Wednesday 21st June is our Subject Leads at 4pm. Please RSVP if you haven’t already and let me know if you would like to join online or in person at OpenZone@The Word.
10. Purple Chip – 2Simple have a recent addition to their coding resources. I’ve attached a leaflet to explain it.
Finally it is wonderful to have Phillippa back with the team after almost a year of treatment. I’m sure you’ll join me in welcoming her back to work and we are loving her new hair look!
Enjoy the weekend
Amanda
BLISS+Ability are working with South Tyneside Council to deliver the Holidays and Activities Food Programme. Free places are available for children and young people aged between 5-16 (parents must stay with the children under the age of 8) who are eligible for benefit-related free school meals. A place must be booked prior to attending.
The activities we are delivering are at Chuter Ede Community Association, Galsworthy Road, South Shields and are on 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th,12th, 13th & 14th April. All sessions are 10.00 – 3.00 pm, a free lunch will be provided. Activities offered are various sports, arts & crafts and board games. You must book a place before attending, please don’t show up without booking!
To book a place at Chuter Ede please contact Angela Dunn at BLISS=Ability on 0191 4271666.
Gift Guide
Be smart, safe and secure when choosing tech gifts for children and young people.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources/gift-guide
