Year 7 Online Safety Letter 2025

Dear parent or carer,

We hope your child has had a brilliant start to the new school year at John Cabot Academy.

We know that many Year 7 students have mobile phones or devices they use for games, social media, or video calls. We’d like to remind you—and your child—that these devices must not be used during the school day. This helps keep everyone safe and focused on learning.

Please remember that most social media apps are not suitable for children aged 11 years. For example, WhatsApp has a minimum age of 13 years. If your child misuses these apps, the adult who pays for the phone contract may be held responsible.

To help keep our students safe, we have a strong anti-bullying policy. We do not accept any kind of bullying—whether it happens in person or online. If we receive evidence of bullying or threats, we will take action. This may include:

• A meeting with parents or carers
• Adding the student to our bullying log
• Asking the student to sign a behaviour agreement
• Inserious cases, issuing a school exclusion
• Repeated bullying will lead to further consequences

If a student misuses technology in school, we will deal with it. However, most online problems happen outside of school hours—at home or on mobile devices. Phones are not allowed in school between 8:40am and 3:00pm. If they are seen or heard, they will be taken away.

Here are some tips to help keep your child safe online:

• Check your child’s messages and chats regularly. This is part of keeping them safe, not invading their privacy.
• Use parental controls to help manage what your child can access. Visit ‘Internet Matters’ for guides on setting up controls on phones, games consoles, smart TVs, and home Wi-Fi. https://www.internetmatters.org Use Parental Controls to Keep Your Child Safe | NSPCC
• Talk to your child about online safety. The NSPCC has helpful advice here: Supporting children’s wellbeing online | NSPCC
• Be aware of Al (Artificial Intelligence). The NSPCC has tips for parents on how to help children use Al safely: Artificialintelligence safety tips for parents | NSPCC
• Encourage your child to block and leave any chats where someone is being mean or threatening.
• Report serious online abuse or threats to the police by calling 101.

If your child has been upset by something online, please let us know. You can also speak to their Year Team for support. At our upcoming Year 7 Meet the Tutor evening, we’ll be sharing more advice and guidance. Please come and chat with our Safeguarding Team—they’re here to help.

Thank you for working with us to keep all our students safe and happy.

Yours sincerely,

Gemma Read

Vice Principal

John Cabot Academy