Safer Internet Day sparked a flurry of activity on campus this week, headed up by Assistant Head (Pupil Welfare), Mrs Helen Keevil.
Now in its 17th year, Safer Internet Day is coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre and is celebrated in over 100 countries around the world. It aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues from cyberbullying to social networking and chooses a topic to reflect current concerns.
The activity that took place over the week included:
- The College hosted a digital safety workshop for members of the Sunnybank Trust, which supports vulnerable adults in the local area. The session was entirely led by the school’s Sixth Form peer mentors who presented to the group on selfie culture and self-esteem, cyberbullying and peer pressure, privacy, consent, freedom of speech, and the changes in technology over the last decade.
- Lower Fourth hosted The Breck Foundation in Hart Smith Hall learning about a sad gaming grooming story. This enabled them to observe the signs of unhealthy relationships online, the importance of trust, protecting their identity, and never talking to strangers whilst on social media platforms.
- Lower School pupils led mini-presentations in front of their peers on a wide range of digital issues such as data privacy, addiction, dealing with fake news and cyberhacking.
- The entire pupil population was surveyed on digital wellbeing, in particular the use of technology and sleep patterns, the results of which will help future College policies moving forward.
- In PSD lessons the pupils debated whether their use of tech enhances their mental health or has a negative impact. Mrs Keevil addressed the congregation in Chapel focusing on the concept of time and the need for balance in life.
- The College Library created an excellent reading list and display with fiction and non-fiction relating to this year’s theme.
