In class, the pupils have all started their final topic of the academic year.  Foundation are learning all about the seaside, Years 1 and 2 are learning about waste, recycling and reusing materials, Years 3 and 4 are learning about the wonderful city of Milton Keynes, whilst year 5/6 are learning all about football and fitness and of course the World Cup. 

In Foundation the children read, 'The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch' during Drawing Club. They retold the story on the small world table and made model lighthouses including a large lighthouse for our seaside role play area. They also planned delicious lunches for Mr Grinling, drawing and labelling what he could eat. 

Westminster have thoroughly enjoyed learning their new music topic, 'Compose and Create', this term. The children have been developing their musical skills by learning a new song and composing their own music using four notes. They have shown great enthusiasm, creativity and confidence as they experimented with different sounds and rhythms to create their own performances.

It has been wonderful to see the children working collaboratively and taking pride in their musical achievements.

Here is a quick snapshot of the children performing their new song. Well done, Westminster – keep up the fantastic work!         

Lego Club have enjoyed having a go at the Lego Challenges that have been set over the last 2 weeks and have made animals and robots using the Lego.

We have had cats, dinosaurs, worms, giraffes, parrots and even elephants!

Years 5 and 6 created a poster to encapsulate their learning over the last year. You can see all the topics they have covered! Well done children. 

Keeping children safe online at Abbeys Primary

At Abbeys, safeguarding is one of the most important responsibilities we hold, which also means safeguarding our students in the online world. As you know, children now use the internet for multiple activities including learning, creativity and collaboration, but with that, there are also potential risks we need to guard against.

The Department for Education states that schools and colleges have a statutory duty to keep children safe both on and offline and that we should ensure appropriate filtering and monitoring is in place in our schools. At Abbeys we work with the specialist safeguarding and security provider Schools Broadband, who provide us with the tools we need to keep your children safe and ensure that any potential safeguarding concerns are identified and addressed promptly.

Below is a short summary of the tools we deploy.

Online Filtering

We have an age-appropriate web filtering service to help prevent access to online content that is illegal, inappropriate or potentially harmful. In practice, this means the filter blocks known unsafe websites and content, including content that is unsuitable for children and prevents accidental exposure to harmful material while pupils are researching or browsing for learning.

Online Monitoring 

The DfE makes a clear distinction between filtering and monitoring: whereas filtering is preventative and helps stop pupils reaching harmful content in the first place, monitoring is reactive and involves real-time alerts to help our teachers spot concerning activity so that we can respond appropriately and call in our specialist safeguarding staff if necessary. Our monitoring solution is also able to capture and assess risks even when a device is offline, ensuring no gaps in our monitoring.

Safeguarding Concerns

If we receive an alert that suggests a pupil may be at risk, our staff follow the school’s safeguarding procedures and involve our Designated Safeguarding Lead (me), as needed. This is part of the school’s wider safeguarding responsibilities, which include recognising that children can be harmed online as well as offline.

Protecting your children at home  

Try to talk regularly about online life, set age-appropriate boundaries, and use parental controls where possible. If you need further help and advice, you might find some of the links below useful:

• Government advice and a hub of parent resources: Support for parents and carers to keep children safe online(GOV.UK)
• Practical “getting started” guidance: Kids Online Safety campaign (GOV.UK)
• Help with parental controls, apps, devices and screen time: Internet Matters 
• Guidance and conversation starters for families: NSPCC online safety
• Support and advice for parents/carers: UK Safer Internet Centre 
• If you’re worried about exploitation/grooming: Thinkuknow (NCA-CEOP)