Safeguarding and Child Protection
Social Media Safeguarding Alert
We have been made aware of a number of new Apps that are now available to download, often for free, on Apple or Android devices. As a school, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children, including notifying parents of new technology which is easily accessible to our young students and may be open to misuse from sexual predators. Whilst our intention is not to alarm anyone, the more knowledge we have, the more vigilant we can be to ensure the safety of our students.
26 November 2018: Fortnite Warning
Many of you may be aware of the risks and concerns around children playing the online game Fortnite, which has a 12 rating but is played by much younger children. We have been made aware of an emerging trend, where people are playing strip Fortnite using webcams. The rule is that when you achieve a “kill” you have to strip off, potentially adding an additional risk from children being exposed to and/or sharing indecent images whilst playing the game. Please remember that any inappropriate/unlawful contact with children online needs to be reported.
'TikTok' (used to be called Musical.ly) is a social networking app that young people can use to generate and share their own short videos and lip sync to popular audio clips. The app allows users to create and upload videos, remix existing videos using in-built editing tools, and also to view and comment on videos created by other users.
‘Yellow’ is a new App which has been dubbed ‘Tinder for Teens’. Users can set a search area to view other profiles, where they then swipe right to ‘like’ a person, or left to move on. Once two profiles have ‘liked’ each other, they can chat via direct messaging or can share photos and videos through a link to Snapchat. Concerns have been raised that Yellow doesn’t have an age verification process, as well as its potential to be misused by adults with the intention of grooming young people.
'Lovoo' is an online dating, chatting and flirting App. Similarly to Yellow, users set a search area and engage in private chats. The App is free, but there is also a ‘VIP’ paid membership option which allows users to send a greater number of chat requests, have more matches and to view other profiles in ‘ghost mode’, where the user is not aware their profile has been viewed.
'Woozworld' is a virtual gaming app which allows the user to create their own fashion themed avatar which is then used to complete quests. It has chat facilities and the App has been described as being designed for the 'tween' market with the average age of users being between 8 and 14.
If you would like to find out more about games and Apps, please visit Net Aware by clicking on the image below. If you would like to speak to a member of staff about any concerns, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Sarah Whittingham, or Child Protection Officer, Ruth Rowbotham, for further information.
Please be assured that within school there are filters in place to block inappropriate content online and students aren't able to access personal emails, social media platforms or YouTube.
Allerton Grange School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its students. We believe all staff, volunteers and visitors have an important role to play in child protection. The School is committed to fulfilling local and national responsibilities as outlined in the School’s Child Protection Policy which follows the guidance provided by the Leeds Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).
Staff in school also follow the Department for Education’s statutory guidance which can be found in the ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ document (updated September 2018 – see link below).
In school, all staff who work with young people are trained on the key elements of good Safeguarding practice and this is updated throughout the school year. We also have a dedicated team of staff who lead on Safeguarding in school (see Other Key Links in Contact Us).
Our students are always encouraged to support and look after themselves and one another, but we also ensure that they are taught about key ‘Society Needs’ through the PSHE curriculum. In these lessons they learn about essential topics which will further promote their safety and wellbeing. Some are listed here:
- Sex and Relationships
- Cyber Bullying and Staying Safe Online
- Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
- Extremism and the importance of Tolerance
- Families and Relationships
- Health and Hygiene
If you have any queries or concerns around Safeguarding of Child Protection issues, please contact one of the Safeguarding Team and we will be happy to help
View our Child Protection Policy
Keeping Children Safe Teenage Relationships
