Friday 24th March 2023
Dear Parents and Carers of year 6,
I would like to bring a Whatsapp group chat to your attention. The name of the group chat is called “School”. Some children have come into school upset because of what has been communicated in this chat. It contains content of discriminatory language, sharing other’s content without consent, and other behaviours which can be interpreted as cyber-bullying. Arguments extend over many hundreds of messages and a considerable period of time. I will be speaking to the children who are administrators and make sure it is shut down completely. If your child is part of this group, please can you delete it so that any content that is concerning our children is removed from all devices.
Many children may have been invited into the chat and have not participated, some may have tried to calm the situation. I would like to thank them for this, but also remind all children that if something goes wrong online, they should tell a trusted adult. We will remind children of this today.
I would like to remind parents that the recommended, minimum age for online communication applications varies between 13 and 16 years-old; and it is assumed that children under this age, use these services under the guidance of adults. I strongly urge parents and carers to monitor and speak with their children about the communication they are having.
As the e-safety officer and designated safeguarding lead, I am deeply concerned by this behaviour and will be speaking to families where I feel more guidance and supervision is necessary. If we feel that content is severe enough we may inform police and social care.
Inappropriate online behaviour has shown to have significant, negative effects of children’s wellbeing. It can lead to undue stress and worry. At such a critical time for our children preparing to go to secondary school, they need to feel safe and have the confidence to navigate their social lives online as well as real life.
We will continue to monitor the situation and welcome children to come forward to discuss any problems they are having. I will hold a parents’ workshop early in the summer term to share advice on the themes outlined in this letter. I’ll keep you posted on this.
I am always happy to meet parents who have concerns so I can offer support and guidance to them.
Yours faithfully,
Kris Clark
Deputy Head Teacher