Ingoldsby Academy November 2024 Part 2

Spotlight on Safeguarding

Snapchat Parental information from the safeguarding partnership

The NSPCC reported this month that the cases of online grooming against children had risen by 89% in the past six years with almost half (41%), where a means of communication was known, occurring on Snapchat. Snapchat is a popular app used by young people within Lincolnshire. All social media apps have an age rating of 13+.

We would encourage parents to carefully consider which apps are accessible to their children on their devices. When giving your child access to social media apps we would encourage you to utilise the parental controls they have available to help safeguard from potential risks.

You can find out more information around Snapchat and setting up parental controls here:

There is no silver bullet in terms of safety online and there will always be risks your child could encounter, much like the real world. Therefore we would encourage you to always keep open communication with your child around the apps and games they are using and people they are talking to. Our research has shown that children whose parents have open communication and know what they do online are 37% less likely to experience issues such as online bullying. Our top tips:

• No tech in bedrooms (or tech with door open)
• Keeping technology from behind closed doors reduces the likelihood they will search for inappropriate content. It is also safer to charge devices downstairs in terms of home fire safety.
• Watch and learn about apps together
• Learn about the apps and games they are interested in to better understand how it can be used positively but also to under the risks and how they manage them.
• Periodically check what they are watching
• YouTube and Netflix will show you what has been recently watched. Social media can be a little more difficult to check but encourage them to show you themselves.
• Discuss together and agree boundaries
• Keep talking about the good and the bad of being online, and explain why rules are necessary sometimes so they understand it’s about their safety not spoiling their fun.

For more information on setting up parental controls, screen time limits, filter controls and online risks check out www.internetmatter.org.uk.

It is thought that when some people try to read the 'stripy' effect of the lines of print, it causes similar symptoms affecting their ability to read the text. This is known as Visual Stress or Meares-Irlen Syndrome. Visual Stress is NOT Dyslexia but is more common amongst dyslexic individuals.

In order to test for visual stress and whether a coloured tint would help, the pupil is asked to review some printed text and feedback whether symptoms are lessened by the coloured overlays. A timed reading test can be completed, to measure reading speed with and without the overlay.

We can screen pupils for visual stress and provide overlays. It is then helpful to refer pupils to the Visual Processing Clinic Referral ( Orthoptist ). We can do this with your permission in school but the child does need to have had a sight test in the last 6 months.

If you have any queries, please email mcapes@ingoldsbyacademy.co.uk or call the office to speak to myself.

Wraparound Booking

Please please book in advance for wraparound- we cannot always guarantee we are staffed if we do not know who is attending. Additionally, the extra administration required, adds works for Mrs Mawby in the office, especially when bookings are routinely not made. We'll help out where we can but please book ahead when possible.