Issue #6 – 5th June 2026

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Reports, Security, and Safety Trends: Your 5-Minute Friday Briefing

Hello Everyone! Welcome back to your weekly 5-minute Friday digest of technology updates, designed to keep you up to speed on the latest innovations in the world of education and tech.

We’ve gathered the latest news from around the web – covering everything from excellent classroom curriculum utilities to critical online safeguarding clinics and student events.

Grab a hot coffee, take five minutes, and catch up on the week ahead!

It is June, which means the dreaded school report window is officially open.

Most major primary EdTech platforms have quietly evolved away from messy CSV spreadsheet downloads into insight-driven teacher dashboards.

If your school uses Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS) or other prominent UK math schemes for example, you have a goldmine of pre-formatted, report-ready data waiting for you.

White Rose framework utilises digital practice tools and the dashboard organises data directly by national curriculum blocks (e.g., Place Value, Fractions, Statistics).

Instead of cross-referencing your mark book, you can filter by a pupil’s name to see their average accuracy percentage per block across the whole year.

💡 Weekly Spotlight: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026

The Department for Education (DfE) recently published the updated Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 statutory framework. While the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) team will handle the policy overhauls, there are key shifts that every classroom teacher needs to know:

This links to a great document from NSPCC to understand the key changes.

🔒Quick Online Safety Tip for the Classroom: “Safe Screen Swaps”

The current DfE guidance highlights the importance of “Safe Screen Swaps.”

Share this 30-second tip with parents this week:

  • Co-viewing over Solo-scrolling: Encourage parents to watch or play with their children on devices. Turning screen time into a conversation (asking questions about a game or video) completely changes how a child’s brain processes the digital content and keeps them safer than solo, unmonitored use.
  • Instead of letting children solo-scroll through videos or games on their own, try swapping just 15 minutes of that independent time for co-viewing or co-playing. Sitting together to play their favourite game, watching a YouTube video as a family, or asking questions about what they are seeing completely changes how their brains process the digital world. It sparks great conversations, lets you spot any inappropriate content early, and turns screen time into quality family time.

📅 Upcoming CPD & Training Courses

Please note CPD courses are FREE to all schools within our service agreement. Other schools are most welcome to join our CPD courses for £40 + VAT.

Duo Courses

Our Duo courses are a great way to upskill your staff and maximise your curriculum points with us. First, complete the training course. Then, book a half-day visit to The Word for your class to practice what you learned.

Each class teacher who attends the course is eligible for the half day visit at 30 points, instead of 60 points.

Please Note

  • The attending teacher must be present at the half day session as this is part of their professional development.
  • Staff can only attend the same Duo Course once to benefit from the reduced points charge.
  • Duo Course: Y2/3 Stikbot Animation – 9th June 4pm
  • Summer Termly Website Clinic – 10th June 13:30 (Virtual)
  • Termly E-safety Briefing: Smoothwall Monitor17th June 4pm (Virtual)

Book with Julia

☀️ Live Summer Quiz: Now Including Key Stage 1!

We are hosting a live summer quiz via Google Meet! This time we have decided to include Key stage 1 for the first time! There will be 3 time slots to choose from:

  • The first session is exclusively for Key stage 1.
  • There are 2 time slots for Key stage 2 – am and pm.

Tuesday 16th June 2026

Please complete this form to register your class. A form must be completed for each class participating.

Sign up here.

ClickView Celebration

We’re excited to invite your school to take part in our upcoming FREE Online Safety Super Hero Challenge on Tuesday 23rd June 12noon – 2pm at The Word.

You can have more than one team, just let us know on the booking form.

This is a fantastic opportunity to combine digital creativity, collaboration, and essential safeguarding education in a fun, memorable way.

Sign up here.

📌 Looking Ahead: Curriculum Bookings 2026/2027

How do you want to use your points for the 2026 – 2027 year?

Please get in touch NOW so you can guarantee getting the dates you want – 180 points.

Thank you for reading this week’s edition! Stay tuned for more ed tech news, practical classroom ideas, and leadership tips in next week’s update.

Have a topic you’d like covered? Feel free to reach out with suggestions or feedback.

Have a great weekend,

Phillippa Chippendale

ICT in Schools Team

Dangerous Viral “Life Hack”: The NeeDoh Squishy Toy Trend

Schools and parents are being urged to speak with children regarding a hazardous viral trend circulating on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube involving popular gel-filled sensory toys like NeeDoh (“Nice Cubes” and “Jelly Cubes”). Online videos are falsely marketing a “life hack” that claims microwaving the silicone toys makes them softer and more pliable. In reality, the silicone insulation traps intense heat while remaining cool to the touch on the outside; when children later squeeze the toy, it bursts and sprays boiling gel. This trend has already resulted in severe, second- and third-degree facial and hand burns in both the UK and the US, with some cases requiring specialised burn unit care. Because these toys are safe when used as intended at room temperature, it is vital to educate pupils that online challenges modifying everyday items can carry catastrophic physical risks.

Issue #3 – 8th May 2026

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Tech & Training: Safeguarding Updates & EdTech Opportunities

By Phillippa Chippendale — ICT in Schools Team

Hello everyone, and welcome to your weekly 5-minute Friday digest! We’ve gathered the latest updates in technology, education, and classroom innovation to keep you up to speed. This week, we have critical online safeguarding alerts from CEOP, an important warning about a dangerous viral toy trend, and some great upcoming CPD opportunities.

Let’s dive in!

🔒 Crucial Safeguarding Updates from CEOP

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Education team has released several new resources and critical guidance for schools and families.

🕹️ Band Runner: New Interactive Scenarios

Band Runner is an interactive game designed to test children’s knowledge on online threats and help them make safer choices. CEOP has recently updated the game with new, relevant scenarios that accurately reflect the modern online experiences of 8 to 10-year-olds.

  • New Topics Covered: Livestreaming, online gaming, and in-game chat.
  • Accessibility Update: The game now features a built-in voice-over function so children can click to have questions and answers read aloud.

📱 ‘What to Do When…’ Parent Poster

CEOP has created a handy visual guide to help parents navigate tough digital milestones and worries. The poster signposts parents and carers to practical advice for when:

  • A child asks for their first phone.
  • Parents worry about who their child is talking to while gaming.
  • A child wants to join social media.
  • There is concern about inappropriate content, nude images, or online blackmail.

👉 Download the ‘What to Do When’ Poster Here

🎥 Demystifying the CEOP Safety Centre

To support secondary-aged students, CEOP has released a new “Reporting to CEOP” video. This resource explains what the Safety Centre is, how to navigate the reporting form, and what happens after a report is assessed. It is an excellent tool to share during PSHE lessons or wider pastoral discussions.

🤖 CEOP AI: Protecting School Imagery

With the rise of generative AI, the manipulation of images taken from school websites and social media channels has become a serious safeguarding threat. Protecting student imagery must be a high priority for every educational setting.

The UK Online Harms Early Warning Working Group has developed vital image security guidance designed to:

  1. Raise awareness across organizations working with youth.
  2. Support the responsible management and protection of online imagery.
  3. Offer an actionable staff checklist to help prevent, recognize, and respond to image-based abuse.

⚠️ Urgent Safety Alert: NEEDOH / Jelly Cube Viral Trend

We want to draw your attention to a highly dangerous viral trend currently circulating on social media apps like TikTok.

Children are microwaving squishy silicone toys (such as NeeDoh or Jelly Cubes) because online videos claim it makes them softer and more pliable. In reality, when the toys are squeezed afterward, they burst and spray boiling liquid material, causing severe burns to children’s hands and faces. Serious injuries have already been reported in the US and the UK, including a recent incident in Bristol.

Staff & Parent Action Required: Please speak with your children about the dangers of this trend. Crucially, do not search for this challenge on social media platforms. Every search feeds the algorithm, increasing the video’s reach and making it visible to even more children.

📅 Upcoming CPD & Training Courses

Note: All courses listed below are FREE to schools within our service agreement. External schools are welcome to attend for £40 + VAT.

Upskill Your Staff with “Duo Courses”

Our Duo courses are designed to help you maximize your school’s curriculum points. Teachers attend the training session, and then book a half-day class visit to The Word to practice their skills. Attending teachers receive a 50% points discount on the class visit (30 points instead of 60)! (Please note: The attending teacher must be present at the half-day session for professional development, and schools can only claim the reduced rate once per specific Duo course).

Mark Your Calendars:

  • Duo Course: Y4 Repetition in Shapes – Pictoblox | 19th May, 4:00 PM
  • AI Champions Network Termly Meeting | 21st May, 4:00 PM
  • Duo Course: Y2/3 Stikbot Animation | 9th June, 4:00 PM
  • Summer Termly Website Clinic (Virtual) | 10th June, 1:30 PM

📨 To book your spot on any of these courses or meetings, please email Julia directly at [email protected].

📌 Curriculum Bookings 2026/2027

It is already time to look ahead to the next academic year! How do you plan to use your allocated 180 curriculum points for 2026–2027?

Popular dates fill up quickly. Please get in touch with the team NOW to guarantee your preferred calendar dates.

Thank you for reading this week’s digest! Stay tuned next week for more EdTech news, leadership tips, and practical classroom ideas. If you have a specific topic you would like us to cover, please reach out with your feedback.

Have a wonderful, safe weekend!

Phillippa

ICT in Schools Team