CHESHIRE EDUCATION SERVICES
WEAVER PRIMARY SCHOOL
WESTERN AVENUE
NANTWICH
CHESHIRE
CW5 7AJ
Headteacher
Mrs Gill Price
Tel: 01270 626335
Fax: 01270 629322
e-mail: [email protected]
10th February 2017
Dear Parents and Carers,
Weaver Primary School is committed to promoting the safe and responsible use of the internet. We deliver
eSafety sessions in school, assemblies and use materials from the CEOP Think U Know website in PSHE lessons
to ensure our pupils have some understanding of safe and appropriate online behaviour.
We understand that early use of digital technology can help improve language skills and promote children’s
social development and creativity. However, it is not without risks for younger children, who may come across
inappropriate content or copy what older children do online.
In recent weeks, a number of parents have raised concerns about their children’s use of online gaming and
social media sites at home where they have access to websites that are blocked in school. We appreciate that
it is increasingly difficult to keep up with the ways that our children are using new and ever changing
technologies. Many websites offer fantastic opportunities for communication and social connections, (eg
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat) however most require the user to be 13 years old to create an account in
compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Creative gaming sites such as Roblox, Moschi
Monsters and Club Penguin have social networking elements, allowing users to ‘chat’ with other players. These
sites cannot verify their members, therefore players can lie about who they are online when chatting and add
inappropriate audio or music files to the animations.
When monitoring your children’s use of the internet, please remind yourself of the concerns of social media
and online gaming. Using advice from Internetmatters.org, we suggest that at home you:
 Agree boundaries – be clear about what your child can and can’t do online, the sites they visit and the
type of information they share
 Explore together – ask them to show you the games they play and sites they visit. Talk to them about
what it means to be a good friend online
 Put yourself in control – install parental controls on your home broadband and any internet-enabled
device. Ensure accounts are password protected so that younger children can’t access them by accident
 Stay involved – encourage your children to use their devices in the lounge or kitchen
There are some resources for parents on the CEOP website (www.thinkuknow.co.uk) including animations and
games for 5-7, 8-10 and 11-13 year olds. You may find this a useful place to start a discussion with your child.
You are also welcome to attend CEOP training for parents at 6:30pm on 28th March at Brine Leas High School.
Happy and safe surfing,
Mrs Daniels and Mrs Hart
ICT coordinators