Choose Respect

6th November 2024Louise Gatti


11th November marks the beginning of Anti-Bullying Week, and this year’s theme is “Choose Respect”. Statistics from this week’s experts – the Anti-Bullying Alliance – reveal that 40% of children in the UK have suffered some form of bullying within the last year, with the most common experience being name-calling and verbal abuse. While it can have several causes, this kind of behaviour is commonly seen when a disagreement between two youngsters gets out of hand and emotions take over.

Many children are still learning how to conduct themselves, and it can be difficult for them to know how to act when faced with someone who disagrees with them, or otherwise find themselves in conflict with another person. It can also be tricky for parents and educators to teach them how to resolve disputes in a mature and healthy manner. By teaming up with the ABA for Anti-Bullying Week, we’re bringing you expert advice on encouraging children to choose respect.

Fornite

5th November 2024Louise Gatti

If you have children in your care, or you’re a gamer yourself, there’s a decent chance you’ve heard of Fortnite already.It’s a free-to-play ‘battle royale’ title that pits up to 100 players against each other in a fight to be the last one standing. With an average of 1.1 million people logging into Fortnite each day, plenty of players meet on this game for what will hopefully be a good-natured competition.

However, Fortnite isn’t without its own hazards to plenty of users – especially young gamers – and it can be difficult to know exactly where these lie, or how to address them effectively. That’s why we’ve put together an updated guide on this extremely popular title, giving you expert advice on both the risks associated with the game and how to keep children and young people safe as they go for that Victory Royale!

Tips for supporting children to build emotional resilience

23rd October 2024Louise Gatti

Making a mistake isn’t the end of the world, but that can be a difficult thing to learn for a lot of people. Most children are still learning it, in fact. These kinds of setbacks and the feelings they bring on can provoke severe and unhealthy reactions in young people, if they’re not taught how to deal with their emotions in a healthy way. 

 

However, it’s sometimes tricky to know what you can do or say to help these youngsters develop the confidence and adaptability to process these feelings in the future. That’s why we’ve put together this guide featuring expert advice, letting you know how to build emotional resilience in the children and young people in your care

Horror Films and Age Ratings

16th October 2024Louise Gatti

Ofcom’s latest Media Use and Attitudes Report states that most children can watch streamed films on a mobile device both in and out of the home, with 80% of UK children watching films on phones, tablets or laptops. That’s a lot of youngsters who might be using their own gadgets to watch something suitably spooky this Halloween season or perhaps, something a little too frightening. 

 

With older children in particular, it can be difficult knowing how to manage their increasing interest in more mature content – including horror films, in many cases – let alone knowing how best to safeguard them from inappropriate material. Our free guide offers expert advice not only on the risks of exposure to horror films and other potentially upsetting content, but also on preventing young viewers from seeing this material or protecting them from being too deeply affected by it if they do. 

Teaching Children Fire Safety

9th October 2024Louise Gatti

A Home Office study has found that approximately 350 children are injured in accidental fires every year. Naturally, this highlights the importance of educating young people on fire safety – ensuring they’re aware of what precautions they can take to keep themselves protected around flammable materials and naked flames. 

 

It can be difficult to know where to start when teaching children and young people about this potentially life-saving topic. That’s why we’ve put together this free guide, offering expert advice on how to educate those in your care about fire safety. It breaks down the steps you can take to protect youngsters in common situations – from bonfire night to lighting a few scented candles 

In-Game Chat

2nd October 2024Louise Gatti

If you’ve played or seen any online games from the past few years, you’ve probably noticed that almost every title of this kind has some kind of chat functionality. Whether allowing players to send text messages to one another or letting them use their mics to chat together on voice if you’re on a multiplayer game, chances are you can talk to your fellow gamers, one way or another.

 

Sadly, such a function comes with its fair share of risks – as is to be expected with a feature intended to connect gamers from around the world and it is immensely important for parents and educators to understand these concerns and help young players address them. That’s why we’ve put together this free guide, breaking down the most prevalent issues associated with in-game chat and letting you know how to keep youngsters as safe as possible if or when they’re exposed to this feature. 

RBC Race for the Kids

27th September 2024Louise Gatti

WHAT?

Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity) annual fun run.

WHEN?

Monday 7th October 3-4pm.

WHERE?

Duke’s Secondary School.

WHY?

Join the race to help beat childhood cancer. The funds raised from RBC Race for the Kids 2024 will help build the new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

WHO?

All interested pupils and staff.

HOW?

Choice of a 2k OR 5k distance race.

HOW TO DONATE?

https://fundraise.gosh.org/fundraisers/dukessecondary/rbc-race-for-the-kids

Instagram

25th September 2024Louise Gatti

As of 2024, social media giant Instagram has over two billion active users, with 8% of those (approximately 1.6 million) being under-18.That’s a lot of children and young people making use of this platform, exploring its features … and being exposed to its risks – from influencer marketing to contact with strangers and plenty more.

As parents and educators, it’s important to understand how to keep children protected as they discover new regions of the digital landscape – and this is no different for Instagram. Fortunately, our updated guide tells you all you need to know about potential safety concerns around Instagram and offers advice on how to safeguard children and young people as they use this platform.