Parent Update - Sept 17th
Workshops for Parents
You may have seen in the news that mental health issues for adolescents have risen in the UK in recent years. As an academy, we would like to offer our students support with this problem by running some (evening) workshops designed to give parents information about how to support their child’s wellbeing. Even if your child is not currently experiencing depression or anxiety which are the two main issues affecting young people, we hope you would find the workshops informative and of interest.
Workshops to include:
Getting on top of anxiety and panic
Feeling down
Research studies have repeatedly shown that the over-use of Social Media can sometimes impact adolescent wellbeing so this topic will be covered in a separate workshop too.
Workshops to include:
Social Media and wellbeing
The workshops will run later in the school year.
The Dangers of Sexting
We have finished our first round of safeguarding assemblies at Worle Community School – an Academy and one of the most important issues that we have educated your child in is that of ‘sexting’.
The NSPCC report that “sexting is when someone shares sexual, naked or semi-naked images or videos of themselves or others, or sends sexually explicit messages.
They can be sent using mobiles, tablets, smartphones, laptops - any device that allows you to share media and messages.
Sexting may also be called:
trading nudes
dirties
pic for pic.”
We would strongly advise that to keep the message we’ve delivered alive, and to keep your child safe, you engage with your child on this issue. The following is the advice of the NSPCC on how to communicate and educate your child on the dangers of sexting:
“How do I talk to my child about the dangers of sexting?
Every child is different, so your approach should be based on their character and your relationship with them. You could:
outline your expectations and explain the rules of having a mobile, tablet or smartphone
ask them what they feel is acceptable to send to people, if they’d be happy for you or a stranger or other children to see certain photos. If the answer is 'no', explain that the image, video or message is probably not appropriate to send
make sure they're comfortable saying no, that they know their body is private and being asked to share explicit images is inappropriate
explain to them about the importance of trust and consent in a healthy relationship. Tell them that it’s not ok for someone to make them feel uncomfortable, to pressure them into doing things that they don’t want to do, or to show them things that they’re unhappy about. Let them know that they can speak to you if this ever happens
look at Childline’s advice about relationships and onlinesafety together.
Explain the risks of sexting:
tell them what can happen when things go wrong. Don't accuse them of sexting, but do explain the dangers and legal issues
you may find it easier to use real-life examples, such as television programmes or news stories, to help you explain the risks
ask them if they’d want something private shown to the world. Talk about the Granny rule - would you want your Granny to see the image you’re sharing?
talk about whether a person who asks for an image from you might also be asking other people for images
if children are sending images to people they trust, they may not think there's much risk involved. Use examples of when friends or partners have had a falling-out and what might happen to the images if this happens.
Make it clear that you’ll be supportive and understanding:
make sure they know that you’re always there for support if they feel pressured by anyone
explain that they can come to you if someone asks to send them a nude picture or if they receive an explicit message
let them know that you won’t be angry with them but just want to make sure they’re safe and happy.”
For further information, please see:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/
Adam Griffin - Vice Principal