Mr Wilding has issued an update to parents and carers regarding vaping, social media, the upcoming INSET day, extra-curricular clubs and activities, crime prevention and Children's Mental Health Week.,
To all parents and carers,
I hope this update finds you well.
We continue to be extremely pleased with the progress students are making, across the school. Report data compiled for several year groups in the last few weeks is very encouraging and reflects the hard work and excellent behaviour being shown by the overwhelming majority of our students.
Vaping
As I have mentioned to you several times in the past, we continue to have issues with students bringing vape into school, as well as problems associated with social media and mobile phone use. These two issues continue to make up a significant percentage of incidents we are needing to tackle with students in school.
On the issue of vape, I attended a meeting last week with several other Derby Headteachers, as well as the Director of Public Health for Derby, Dr Robyn Dewis, where the problem of students vaping, being experienced by all schools across the city, was discussed. We have agreed to look at a common strategy to try and reduce this issue in our schools and there is likely to be further news on this soon.
An article in The Evening Standard in January 2023 stated:
'It is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s.
Vapes and e-cigarettes and their refill containers are regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and must comply with tank capacity and nicotine strength limits, while their labels must display manufacturer details and health warnings.
However, Trading Standards said many of the devices it had seized flouted these rules. There were also concerns that some may be designed specifically to appeal to children and young people, with packaging and flavours emulating popular confectionery brands such as Skittles.'
It is important to remind ourselves that the majority of students are not vaping, but we will continue to take measures in school to address this problem, to the best of our ability.
Social Media
Social Media use remains a constant issue in school, which we will continue to address through our established procedures.
Click here to view a summary of how parents/carers can keep their children safe on Snapchat and Whatsapp, which are two of the most popular apps amongst our students and , consequently, the source of many of the problems being brought into school.
INSET Day
A reminder that school is closed to all students on Wednesday 8th February, for the scheduled INSET Day. Half-term will end at the usual time of 3pm, on Friday 17th February.
Clubs list
We have recently updated our list of clubs and extra-curricular activities for the Spring Term. This information can be found on our website at:
https://www.littleover.derby.sch.uk/content/activities/files/ecas_spring2023.pdf
Neighbourhood Watch Crime Prevention Free Webinar Series
We have been asked to share the information, below, by DerbyshireALERT
We are delighted to invite you to attend our free crime prevention webinars running during February.
Each webinar will be delivered by Neighbourhood Watch with an expert speaker on each of the topics of knife crime, burglary prevention and scams. Places are free but limited. We traditionally fill places very quickly so book your place soon to avoid disappointment. As our webinars are very popular, we ask that you only book a place if you intend to attend, to open spaces for others.
The PREVENTING BURGLARY WITH WIDEN and UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SCAMS webinars will each be run twice – you only need to book on one of those, not both.
The EXPLOITATION, GANGS AND KNIFE CRIME AWARENESS FOR PARENTS AND CARERS is a two-part course; and we ask that ONLY PARENTS AND CARERS attend those and that you commit to attending both sessions.
More about each webinar:
PREVENTING BURGLARY WITH WIDEN
Dates and times: 14th Feb 1pm – 2pm and 22nd Feb 6pm – 7pm – please attend one session only
Speaker: Inspector Matt Coe, Sergeant Matt Coe, Crime Prevention, London Safety Centre
Sergeant Matt Coe is going to lead us through a webinar on burglary prevention and the importance of keeping your property safe and working with your neighbours. Matt has worked in the Metropolitan Police for the last 21 years, his early career was spent working in a variety of departments, from neighbourhoods policing to intelligence and surveillance, on promotion Matt ran the counter pickpocket and theft teams across Westminster where his passion for crime prevention was born. Since 2012 Matt has worked in crime prevention related roles covering the design and guidance for new housing in London, introducing new legislation and leading an innovative collaboration with the Fire Brigade and Ambulance Service to reduce demand across all three services. Additionally Matt leads on Crime Prevention as a subject matter expert and is the Crime Prevention training lead for the Metropolitan Police.
UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SCAMS
Dates: 15th Feb, 3.30-4.30pm and 28th Feb, 5.30-6.30pm – please attend one session only
Speaker: Paul Maskall from the Fraud & Cyber Crime Prevention Manager, Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU)
Back by popular demand, Paul Maskall will host a fireside chat on the psychology of scams and explain why scammers are so effective at their crimes. This fascinating insight into the way cyber criminals identify targets, often using data sold to them by other criminals, execute scams which use emotional blackmail and rational reasoning.
Although a scary topic, the much better news is that he will teach you how to question and swiftly deal with approaches from the criminal fraternity. An unmissable opportunity to learn more about cybercrime and fraud.
EXPLOITATION, GANGS AND KNIFE CRIME AWARENESS FOR PARENTS AND CARERS
Dates: Tues 21st Feb, 7-9pm and Tues 28th Feb, 7-9pm (Both should be attended to take full advantage of this opportunity.)
Speaker: The workshops are hosted by The Ben Kinsella Trust and they will be facilitated by Anoushka Dunic and Patrick Green.
Parents and carers will gain a greater understanding and awareness of gangs, knife crime and how to keep young people safe. Parenting children and young adults is hard. Sometimes it can be scary and overwhelming, with news stories and social media influencing how safe we feel our children are and the risks they may face in today's climate.
These two workshops help you learn more about what is regular teenage behaviour and what might be signs that a young person in your care is vulnerable to being groomed or exploited by others. During the 2-week workshop, you will develop an understanding of the following topics:
Week 1 – Tuesday 21st of February 2023, 7-9pm
· Introduction to the work of The Ben Kinsella Trust
· "Attachment" and "peer" orientation
· Stress and how this affects brain development and behaviour of young people
· Why some children may be vulnerable to being exploited
· Stages and signs of exploitation
· Free resources for parents
Week 2 – Tuesday 28th February 2023, 7-9pm
· What street gangs are, what they do, how and why
· Language, social media, and drill music
· The risks involved in gang lifestyles
· County lines
· Trauma experienced by those affected by gangs
· Why exploited children and young adults may resist help and support
· Building resilience within the family and community
· Further support available for families
Places for any of these webinars can be booked through the website at:
Mental Health Week
Next week is Children's Mental Health Week. Various activities are planned in school for students to take part in, based on the 5 ways to wellbeing. On Monday 6th Feb we will be encouraging students to "Give" by collecting items for the Derby Food for Thought Foodbank.
If students would like to bring in an item from the attached list it would be greatly appreciated. Boxes for donations will be in Tutor Bases and in the Wellbeing office.
Thank you for your continued support of our school, students and staff.
Keep safe.
Yours sincerely,
J. Wilding
Headteacher