20th October 2016

Dear Parents/Carers

As technology moves at such a rapid pace, we are very grateful that we have just been made aware ofan e-safety issue which may affect your child.

New apps are available all the time that allow friendly video posting and chats via Apple, Google play and Amazon.

Some apps do not request your date of birth in order to download and play but are not age appropriate to primary aged children.

Recently, the apps Musical.ly and Live.ly have become very popular amongst younger children,however these appsare not appropriate and increase the riskofexposing the children to dangers over the Internet.

This app cangain access to adult content and inappropriate videos, even when the account is 'private'. It provides a 'chat room' which is accessible and is unrestricted to inappropriate use of language.

Please continue to be aware and vigilant of what your childis accessingviathe Internet.If you are ever unsure, then please comeinto school to discuss your worries. As part of the Computing Curriculum, staff are regularly talking to your children about how to stay safe online. It would be really helpful if you could discuss what your child does online and reinforce the importance of the e-safety rules from the Kidsmart website:

http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/beingsmart/(Kidsmart poster rules attached)

Kidsmart: Being Smart RULES
www.kidsmart.org.uk
KidSMART - learn about the internet and being a SMART surfer.

The website 'Childnet' is also great for help with talking to your child about e-safety: http://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers

Parents and carers - Childnet
www.childnet.com
Guide for parents and carers on how to keep children safe on the internet, includes advice and educational resources

Please abide by our E-Safety policy, and ensure that no photos or footage you film of the children at Fairway School are ever put up or shared on social media (i.e. Facebook, Instagram etc.) We appreciate your continued support.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Yours sincerely,

Ms Edmonds

Headteacher

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