Parent Support

South Yorkshire Police and Social Care have received concerning information regarding a new social media App called ‘Frog’. The App is aimed at a Primary aged audience and has recently exploded in popularity. Police have significant concerns as the App is primarily targeted at primary aged children. The App has very limited identity verification requirements.

Specialist Police partners have seen significant information suggesting there is a legitimate risk to Primary aged children being groomed.

For further information about online safety and keeping children safe online please visit our website https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/children-families-and-education/safeguarding-families-in-barnsley/safeguarding-children-in-barnsley/barnsley-safeguarding-children-partnership/ or

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

It's never easy to start a serious conversation with a child. It can help to try to prompt them with a TV show or storybook to introduce the topic. Think about what you want from your chat with your child, and then consider how to approach the topic. Too forceful an opening might worry them, they may clam up or feel uncomfortable. But a more subtle approach might mean they get distracted and you discuss what you planned to do. It can be a good idea to try to make the conversation relevant to them. For example, if you know of a TV show or film that addresses the topic, like a character experiencing bullying, you can use this as a conversation starter. You could kick things off by asking your child what they'd do in the same situation.

There are also lots of storybooks written specially to help talk to children about serious subjects like death, abuse and bullying. After you've read the story together a couple of times, ask some gentle questions to check what they've understood. You could ask what they would do if they were the character in the story. You could also start out by asking them what they think about the topic. If it's something they've discussed in class, you could ask what they thought about the lesson or what their classmates thought. You could say that a friend of yours needs some advice about a particular issue and ask if they have any ideas. It's a nice way to show that you value their opinions while also finding out just how much they know about a subject. 

Next week is anti bullying week, we will be covering this in the academy all week. Here are some tips for parents to understand how to support your child. 

What is bullying?

Bullying is any persistent behaviour that is intended to hurt someone. It can happen anywhere – including at school, at work, online or at home. Examples of bullying include name-calling, making threats, being violent or aggressive, spreading rumours and undermining, humiliating, excluding or pressuring someone.

While lots of young people experience bullying, it is an incredibly difficult thing to go through and can have a huge effect on your child’s mental health and wellbeing. As a parent, it can also feel very challenging and worrying.

The important thing to remember is that it is possible for your child to get through it and feel okay again, and that there are practical steps you can take to address the bullying and its consequences.

How can I help my child?

Open up a conversation

Listen to their experience

Give them time before talking if they need it

Check in with them

Keep a log of the bullying

Help them build up their self-esteem

Encourage them to spend time with peers who treat them well

Help them make time to do things they enjoy

Take action to stop the bullying

FIFA 23, like its many predecessors, is a massively popular football simulator featuring lifelike recreations of thousands of real-world players, drawn from teams around the globe. While the gameplay is subtly improved year on year, the publisher EA’s focus remains firmly on FIFA Ultimate Team – a mode in the game that can tempt players of all ages to spend actual money on recruiting better players for their side. With each new release of FIFA comes a host of new players to unlock – meaning that youngsters can feel pressured to keep buying to compete with their friends. 

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as age-inappropriate chat, scammers and addiction

Enrol at https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/st-helens-primary-academy

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/hub/view/guide/fifa-23

The online world is posing an ever-increasing risk to children, and it is important that schools, parents and carers work together to take an active role in teaching children about online dangers. Learning how to act safely when using the internet is an incredibly important part of safeguarding our children. 

We are therefore delighted to announce that St Helen's Primary Academy have shown our commitment to protecting our pupils online by working with National Online Safety- providing resources for all parents and carers.  

To create your account, please follow 

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/st-helens-primary-academy

and complete your details. When you’re set up, you’ll be able to set ‘Parent/Carer’ as your user type.     

You can access National Online Safety online via any device- including via our brand-new smartphone app. To download the app, please go to:

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/national-online-safety/id1530342372

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.nationaleducationgroup.nos

Every fortnight  I will be giving some information to support parents. This week I shared a link on Marvellous Me to My Family Coach. This is free to sign up to and offers lots of advice from how to deal with grief to online safety. The NSPCC website also offers lots of resources for parents to access.

Here is a link to the NSPCC website to an article about online gaming

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/online-games/