9th February 2024
HEADLINES
By James Saunders
I hope this brings a smile to your face as it carries some wonderful news. Every journey starts with a small step. We made that small step back in September, at the start of the academic year. A step based on a vision that we could turn a crisis into an opportunity. I am pleased to say that we have reached a key milestone in that journey and that our vision is now more likely to become a reality. Today, the Department for Education announced that we are one of nine secondary schools in Essex to be put on the Schools Rebuilding Programme. It is early days but I feel that this is something for our community to be proud of the hard work has finally paid off. SAFER INTERNET DAY February is an important month for technology as it features Safer Internet Day - A day designed to help inspire a national conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively. In school I have been tackling this theme within my recent assemblies. However, internet safety is not just something we should focus on for one day; it should be of constant interest to us all. The national website for this event contains some useful resources for parents to engage in:
Some key advice includes the following: •
not using phones and mobile devices at the dinner table - talking as a family is very important for development
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keeping screens out of the bedroom at bedtime
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talking as a family about keeping safe online and about cyberbullying and what children should do if they are worried
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not using phones when crossing a road or doing any other activity that requires a person’s full attention
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making sure children take regular breaks from screens by getting up and being active
https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/ parents-and-carers
SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE DANGERS OF DEEPFAKES Schools across the country are constantly dealing with situations in school that began outside of school. Situations such as these would not happen if social media had not been misused by children operating out of earshot late at night. Whilst we do our best to educate everyone about how to behave online and through social media it is our collective responsibility to ensure our learners are safe in their use of technology in and out of school. Parents, do you know how your children are using their technology in the evenings? In my assemblies I have used the backdrop of Safer Internet Day to discuss how Generative AI is impacting internet safety through the creation of deepfakes.
You can find further information and links in our monthly safeguarding newsletters.
The following video provides a useful introduction and explanation:
The internet is wonderful. It has transformed the way we live, work and interact forever. However, for all the good technology does for us there remains many risks. Understanding how to use parental-controls is one way families can keep their children safe. Another way to protect children is to engage in the conversation.
Click to watch the video In my assemblies I have been demonstrating how difficult it is to differentiate between what is authentic and what is fake. Whilst AI has many positives there