16th October 2026
HEADLINES
By James Saunders
WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY I have had quite a few conversations with learners this week about the upcoming mock exams which will take place towards the end of November. It is true - exams are stressful. However, mock exams, or any internal assessments for that matter, have a very different purpose compared to gcse exams. I have been clarifying this purpose in my conversations with learners to help them to approach their mocks and in class tests with the right frame of mind and, hopefully, a reduction in stress. The purpose of an internal assessment or mock exam is to support the teacher and learner to diagnose their learning. It enables both learner and teacher to understand where the learning has taken place and where there is a deficit. It enables the teacher to plan their teaching more effectively so that it meets the needs of each individual and it enables the learner to understand what learning they are already grasping with confidence and what learning they have quite ‘got’ yet. There are some ways that families can help us to further mitigate stress during assessment time. Learners need to ensure they arrive to class assessments well rested, on time and with the appropriate equipment. Please support them with this. Whilst I am on the theme of exam stress I would like to highlight World Mental Health Day, which took place last weekend. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/publicengagement/world-mental-health-day https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/ The aim of World Mental Health Day is to ignite thinking around Mental Health. It’s nice to have a day to recognise mental health, however I feel this is something we should never lose sight of. For me,
every day should be mental health day. For us as a community of learners, parents and staff our mental health is precious. Coming to school can take its toll on us and in some cases, consume us. We must all work together and support each other to maintain our wellbeing. That is easier said than done when the demands made around us can easily get out of hand and spiral out of control, often leading to overwhelming feelings of negativity - mental health is never something to be ashamed about. The best thing to do is to talk to someone and not bottle things up. Our door is always open to you all - learners, parents and staff. If you are ever having personal struggles that are affecting your wellbeing and mental health please let us know. C9 PARENT’S EVENING This is a gentle reminder that we will be holding a parent’s evening for C9 on Thursday 12th November. Learners will need to arrange a suitable appointment time for you to meet with their teachers. They will be provided with sign up sheets - If a learner loses it, a blank version can be found here: Blank Learner Sign Up Sheet I would like to thank families in advance for engaging with us at this crucial time when learners are beginning their gcses. TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL MEDIA AND MISOGYNY 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 - especially regarding the mental health of children. 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. With a huge increase in sales of devices (around 15 million people receive smartphones for Christmas each year) it is important to ensure that you and your children are safe when playing with new tech.
The Tech Most devices have controls to ensure that children can’t access content you don’t want them to. Make sure your “in-app” purchases are disabled to avoid a nightmare surprise in the new year. Tablets are really popular with younger children, and the market has several which are geared towards child friendly content. When it comes to using them, start slowly; only download games and apps you have checked out carefully (sites such as www.net-aware. org.uk, or www.commonsensemedia.org provide useful advice!) and steer them towards age targeted content such as www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/cbeebies/ features/iplayer-kids or YouTube Kids. If you have older children, and are thinking about getting them a new phone for Christmas, this can pose its own challenges. The old online safety message about having your home computer in a communal place becomes defunct, because phones are literally mobile computers and have the power of most traditional desktop PCs. • • • • •
not using phones and mobile devices at the dinner table - talking as a family is very important for development keeping screens out of the bedroom at bedtime talking as a family about keeping safe online and about cyberbullying and what children should do if they are worried not using phones when crossing a road or doing any other activity that requires a person’s full attention making sure children take regular breaks from screens by getting up and being active
Monitoring vs having a conversation It is possible to install software onto devices that monitors online activity, alerts you to inappropriate behaviour, and can block access to certain content. This type of software is becoming increasingly popular, but while this might sound tempting, it does pose a number of issues around your child’s right to privacy and could have an impact upon your relationship with them. SWGfL published this blog which covers the subject in some detail and raises some interesting points. The best advice we can give is to talk to your child regularly and openly about behaviour and risk, so that they know they can come to you if something goes wrong. SWGfL also covered this in its Parenting in a Digital Age series earlier this year, in this blog. Consider setting parental controls on your Wi-Fi – you can block access to inappropriate or adult content, and
set time limits which may help rein in those excessive Minecraft sessions. Gaming Finally a word about games. This year there are so many exciting games and consoles around, there is a good chance you might have one in your house. Consider whether your child is mature enough to join an online community, and whether the games they are playing are appropriate. For more advice on this visit www.pegi.info or www.askaboutgames.com. Our blog from earlier this year, ‘The real cost of online gaming’ also gives an insight into the type of things to be aware of when it comes to gaming. With access to tech it does not take young people long to become hooked on social media. Social Media, misogyny and the power of the algorithm 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? Are they being ‘influenced’ by Social Media ‘influencers’? And are being exposed to, or even worse encouraging, misogynistic behaviour. Central to the way misogyny spreads is the algorithm. On social media algorithms can be used to determine the content we see. Used positively, they can provide us with a more personalised and enjoyable social media experience based on our likes and dislikes. The darker side of algorithms is that they can be used negatively to try and manipulate someone’s views, beliefs or even their behaviour. Algorithms dictate our online experience and all too often place us in an echo chamber that distorts what is real. This simple story illustrates the power of algorithms: I signed up for a TikTok account when I was 13. I liked the funny videos and the ones about some of my favourite sports teams. At first, I only got suggestions for sport and amusing videos but soon I was getting more and more videos from influencers. These had extreme views that were rude about women. I watched a couple but didn’t like them, however, that didn’t stop more and more weird stuff being recommended to me. I found out how to block some of the content, but other things that were similar still got through. I know that most boys
and men don’t believe this stuff but it feels like we’re being bombarded with misogyny and encouraged to join in. Reducing the influence of online misogyny • • • • • •
Report anything you find upsetting to a trusted adult and ask for help if you need it. Follow more positive accounts and unfollow accounts or people that you find offensive. Don’t take things at face-value or believe everything you read and see on social media. Avoid sharing, forwarding, liking or commenting on misogynistic content even if you think it’s a joke. THINK before you post, share, like or comment on misogynistic or other potentially offensive content. Remember that women and girls are equals and standing up for them is a strength and a positive male quality.
It is worth reflecting on the impact our use of technology can have - adults as well as children. As a school that embraces technology it has always been our belief that educating about the risks is better than just taking action that can drive the behaviour associated with such risks underground and I would recommend that we all engage in the conversation. Have an enjoyable half term break, see you in November. James Saunders
Congratulations to Aiden Turner in C8 who won second place in WTKA European championship last weekend and is now a European runner up. He missed out on achieving first place by 1 point! Aiden will be travelling to Italy next week for World Championship for Arean Karate for team GB. This is an incredible achievement, well done Aiden and Good Luck!
Erina McSweeney (9HGI/RCO) and Rosie Cagney (9LGo) who have been selected to play for Essex U14 Football.
Congratulations to our newly elected school councillors! Our new school council will work alongside the Lead and Deputy Lead Learners and be the voice of the learner community. Well done to: Jessica 7ABy/GWa, Harrison 7AGi/CKh, Xanthe 7CGa/JSn, Daisy 7CMi/KNi, Anna 7GVa/KMa, Max 7LGs, Edward 7VSp/MRa, Esther 8AWe, Olivia 8BRs, Zachy 8FGr, Heidi 8GFe, Amalie 8LMo/KPa, Sadie 8NWh, Hannah 8SPl/TGi, Zahra 9AHa, Manny 9AMa, Ahfiyah 9ATo, Erina 9HGi/RCo, Izzy 9JPr, Tallulah 9LGo, Cleo 9PBl.
Last Friday, we held our book swap which was a massive success, mainly due to the huge amount of books we received as donations! So thank you to everyone who donated. Learners came along to the library to pick up a free book to take home, just in time for the half term break at the end of next week! Reading is such an essential foundation to all learning, making learning accessible, developing vocabulary and igniting imagination. We will be holding regular book swaps so look out for the posters and information shared. Thank you to Mrs Harris for organising and to our Lead and Deputy Lead Learners for helping.
Dates for the Diary Mon 2 Nov
All learners return to school
Tues 3 Nov
C11 Drama Exam Component 1
Thurs 5 Nov
C11 Drama Exam write up
Thurs 5 Nov
Flu Vaccinations
Thurs 12 Nov
C9 Parents Evening - 15.30 - 18.30
Fri 13 Nov
C11 v Staff Football Remembrance Game
Thurs 19 Nov
C12 GCSE Certificate Evening - 6.30pm
Fri 20 Nov
C11 Mock Interviews
Mon 23 Nov - Fri 11 Dec
C11 Mock Exams