Dear Parents and Carers,

We have been made aware of several Tik Tok reels that have been created using Blacon High School’s name and include photos of staff members. The content ranged from simple, inoffensive comments to those of a more serious nature that has led to these being reported to the Police.

Our immediate response to the discovery of these reels has been to contact Tik Tok to close the account and to investigate the creation of the reels. Assemblies have been delivered to remind students of the Government’s Online Safety Guidance which defines how inappropriate use of social media can cause harm and result in serious consequences.

In addition, we would like your support with checking your children’s devices for any social media platforms that they are not yet old enough to access. May I remind you that Tik Tok should not be accessed by children under the age of 13 years old. This is similar for many other platforms and guidance should be followed as children are unable to emotionally cope with the content available and do tend to misuse it, such as in circumstances like this.

As you will appreciate, all staff have the right to be protected from online abuse and content which causes harm and upset to those involved.  As a school, we will not tolerate this behaviour and will always involve both the Police and the UK Safer Internet Centre.  Safeguarding is paramount for students and staff within the school community.

Please find below links to information containing guidance for parents on use of social media and online safety.

Government guide to Social Media

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-safety-online-a-practical-guide-for-parents-and-carers/child-safety-online-a-practical-guide-for-parents-and-carers-whose-children-are-using-social-media

Internet Matters

https://www.internetmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Internet-Matters-Guide-Online-safety.pdf

We appreciate any further information from families so that we can work together with the Police to keep the Blacon community safe. Please do contact the Safeguarding Team should you require any further information or support.

Yours Sincerely,

Karen L. Appleby - Assistant Headteacher/Designated Safeguarding Lead