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The new NetSupport and eCadets Online Safety Almanac gives a timely and unique insight into the most up-to-date online safety research, relevant to schools and colleges. Henry tells us more...

Our eagerly awaited NetSupport and eCadets Online Safety Almanac launched at the world’s biggest edtech event, Bett 2019 last week. Bringing together key findings from front-line reports and research papers, the Almanac is essential reading for educators who are keen to secure or update their knowledge of online safety and associated safeguarding processes.

I am honoured to be partnering with my great friend and associate, Al Kingsley, MD at NetSupport and his knowledgeable team on production of this much-needed and important directory, which will provide vital advice to ensure the online safety of children in schools and colleges across the UK.

The Almanac is designed to give a valuable understanding of how children and young people are using and interacting with technology within educational settings and at home. As its author, I have drawn on my considerable experience in creating innovative solutions to keep children safe online, to produce a distillation of the most important and thought-provoking research relating to online child-safety.

Bridging the gap between research and best practice, the Almanac will deliver an overview of the most pertinent ‘Stats and Facts’ relating to children’s online safety, covering hard-hitting topics such as: filtering and monitoring; social media use; cyberbullying; sexting; peer on peer abuse and governance. It will also offer ‘Top Tips’ and relevant case studies, providing practical help and guidance to assist frontline teaching staff.

Said NetSupport’s Al Kingsley: “The importance of being able to get the important information into the right hands at the right time is also what motivated the creation of this Almanac. I’m proud our dear friend Henry Platten has authored the report for us. I’d like to thank him for the great deal of research and time he has invested into this report. It is designed to put the information you need in the palm of your hands.”

The Almanac can be downloaded here

Tootoot are now offering schools a free trial of their award-winning pupil voice and anti-bullying app! Tootoot’s founder Michael Brennan explains how tootoot can support your school, and why you should sign-up for the free trial today.

In recent years there has been a rise in the wellbeing and mental health issues raised by children and young people, in part this is due to the unique pressures young people face with things such as social media and exam stress.

It has been recognised that children identify and report more concerns, such as mental health and homophobic bullying, than are reported by their teachers; showing a clear need for tools that make it easier for pupils to speak-up about their concerns.

Research released in Autumn 2018 found that pupils are more likely to seek support for mental health online, using digital tools such as phone apps to speak up about their concerns.

I want all young people to have the key to unlock the support they need to reach their full potential which is why I founded tootoot, the app that makes it easier for pupils to speak-up confidentially, and ensure that all pupil concerns are raised, listened to and resolved.

Tootoot saves lives
I used my experiences of bullying to create a pupil voice app that is trusted by over 15,000 teachers to enhance wellbeing and safeguarding for their pupils, making it easier for pupils to speak-up and feel that their concerns are listened to and properly resolved.

When I started tootoot my hope was that it would help just one pupil speak-up. Tootoot has already saved lives, giving over a quarter of a million children the opportunity to speak-up about concerns such as bullying, cyberbullying, grooming and mental health concerns:

“tootoot is my only friend” – North West Primary Pupil

“I really need to speak to you because lately I’ve been thinking about life and how I just hate mine and how I just want to die”- Primary Pupil

“One of our learners was living in a tent in a local park, we only discovered this because they spoke-up using the tootoot app” – North East Learning Provider

Tootoot and Ofsted
Tootoot also supports schools with their Ofsted inspections, making it quicker and easier for teachers to gather data about bullying and safeguarding incidents as well as demonstrating how effectively the staff and pupils deal with instances of bullying behaviour.

“Tootoot has been an amazing addition to our school. It has helped us learn about a number of pupil concerns earlier than we would have learned about them with traditional methods such as face-to-face reporting.

It has also given our SLT the data needed to make informed decisions about how best to support our pupils.

During our recent Ofsted Inspection, the inspectors were really impressed with tootoot and how we used the system. We used the dashboard reports from tootoot to demonstrate to the Ofsted inspectors the positive impact our curriculum, safeguarding and wellbeing activities have had for our pupil groups – it was received really well.”

Try tootoot for free
Tootoot are now offering schools a free four-week trial of this award-winning pupil voice and anti-bullying platform. Sign your school up here tootoot.co.uk/sign-up.

For more information you can visit tootoot.co.uk or email freetrials@tootoot.co.uk. You can also follow tootoot on twitter @tootootofficial

Latest report suggests the harmful effects of excessive screen time are overrated

Last week, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) suggested that there was little evidence that screen use was harmful to children.

In its review of evidence published by the BMJ Open medical journal, the RCPCH told parents to worry less about the amount of time spent looking at a screen, but with the caveat that it should be avoided an hour before bedtime.

The review also looked into claims of an association between higher screen use and obesity and depression, stating that there was no clear evidence to support the theory that screen use was the cause of the issue and not a symptom.

With previous advice being to limit screen time, or indeed, use screen time as a controlled reward for good behaviour, the message is still unclear.

However, in the interest of health and well-being, is it more a case of what the screen time is being used for, rather than for how long?

Spending time online researching information for homework or enjoining a film with the family seem to present healthy screen use. However, spending time on social media sites, craving followers and likes is perhaps more damaging as highlighted by a recent BBC feature.

Update 11th April 2019

In a recent study by the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, it was found that screen time had little effect on the wellbeing of teenagers.

According to the study findings, "The notion that digital-screen engagement decreases adolescent well-being has become a recurring feature in public, political, and scientific conversation. The current level of psychological evidence, however, is far removed from the certainty voiced by many commentators. There is little clear-cut evidence that screen time decreases adolescent well-being".

The report also noted that the research found "little evidence for substantial negative associations between digital-screen engagement—measured throughout the day or particularly before bedtime—and adolescent well-being".

The full study findings can be viewed here.

Have your say

Do you agree with the latest advice? Do you agree or disagree with the University of Oxford findings? What screen use by pupils most concerns you? How can we ensure positive screen use? Let us know your thoughts and suggestions using the comments section below.