Severe Weather Warning: School Closed

24th January 2025Louise Gatti

As the most recent forecast from the Met Office update is now predicting winds of 80mph and the peak later in the day, there is a significant danger that we could open school this morning but would be dismissing pupils while the winds were at their strongest. At 80mph, this poses a very significant danger to anyone travelling, so we have taken the difficult decision to close school today.

As many other schools and nurseries are closing and some staff will be travelling from areas where the winds are even stronger, we have also taken into consideration that we may not be able to fully staff the school today when making the decision to CLOSE.

We are sorry for the inconvenience that this will cause, but our decision has been made to prioritise the health and safety of our pupils at NCEA Dukes

Work will be set for pupils today on Google Classroom.
Stay safe everyone.

Health and Fitness Apps

22nd January 2025Louise Gatti

A study entitled The Digital Health Generation has highlighted that more than 70% of young people in the UK, some aged just 8, are using apps and other digital online technologies to track and manage their health. For those of us who might struggle with sticking to a routine or even knowing where to start, physical wellbeing and fitness apps promise to do the heavy lifting for you providing meal plans, exercise routines and more.

 

However, some of these apps aren’t always as safe as they might first appear, and they tend to present a few risks to their users – especially for their underage demographic. That’s why we’ve put together this free guide on safety concerns around physical wellbeing apps, to provide you with expert advice on how to mitigate these risks for young people.

Tik Tok

15th January 2025Louise Gatti

With 22% of its billion-strong userbase being between the ages of 13 and 17, the popularity of TikTok among the younger generation is indisputable. Providing entertainment in the form of a stream of short-form video content while allowing its users to post videos of their own the app has skyrocketed to prominence over the last few years, becoming a fixture in young people’s digital lives.

 

Of course, with a platform as popular and gargantuan as TikTok, it can be intimidating trying to figure out how best to safeguard children and young people using the app. That’s why we’re releasing our brand-new guide to TikTok, detailing the main online safety concerns and suggesting strategies to reduce these risks for the app’s younger users.

JusTalk Kids

8th January 2025Louise Gatti

– billed as a child-friendly version of the JusTalk social networking platform – boasts a strong community of younger users, with approximately 20 million accounts having been created on the app. In theory, a social media site designed specifically for children and young people should avoid many of the usual risks associated with other platforms.

In practice, however, it’s important to note that JusTalk Kids has its fair share of online safety concerns.You’ll find expert advice on the hazards in the app, and how you can safeguard the children in your care as they use it in this week’s free guide, empowering you to make a young user’s time on the platform as secure as possible.

Supporting children to return to routine

6th January 2025Louise Gatti

Returning to the usual routine after the holidays can be a stressful time for anyone and that includes those children and young people who are making their way back to school. Difficulty readjusting to a structured schedule, worries about reuniting with classmates and teachers, and potential pressures around continuing their education cannot only impact children’s academic performance, but have further negative effects on their emotional wellbeing.  

 

Of course, there’s plenty we can do as parents and educators to help make the transition back to education as easy as possible for the youngsters in our care and this week’s free guide offers you expert advice on exactly that topic. Give it a read and equip yourself for helping children settle back into the school routine.