Views & Opinion
Expecting the unexpected: The key to effective communication
Comment by Geoff Jones, Marketing Director, ParentMail As we’ve no doubt all experienced, life’s best laid plans can, and do, go
astray. Whilst schools remain a safe haven for children, and enable parents to rest assured their little ones are out of danger, emergencies do happen and schools and parents need to be prepared for them. As much as we would of course hope schools remain completely safe
and secure, it is wise to always plan for the unexpected. By taking time to ensure you have a plan of action in place, you can manage unexpected situations more easily, should they arise. Emergencies often induce a sense of panic, so having the right communication channels set up before one occurs could be a saving grace! Increasingly, electronic communication has found its feet as the primary
method of contact between school and home. Email, text systems and apps have all provided schools with the ability to keep information up to date and communication more frequent. For parents it is ideal, as messages can be received instantly anytime, anywhere. It is over the last few years that smartphone apps have taken this a step
further. They provide a channel through which parents can keep up to date with information and announcements in the palm of their hand; they can tap into them at their own convenience and be more directly involved with schools than has ever been possible. Social media is another 21st century tool that some schools are using to
keep parents informed; the overall benefit being its effectiveness in getting the messages out quickly. The downside is that it only really works if every parent is registered on the social media site and checks it regularly. If they’re not online at the time of the announcement, the message is lost amongst other updates, and is rendered useless. The fact that it also communicates messages to the wider world, and not just parents, could also panic people unnecessarily, or cause unwanted attention for the school. The introduction of electronic methods of communication have an
additional by-product for schools in terms of helping to improve safety, and the ability to communicate with parents quickly, if required in an urgent situation. Text and email communication channels work well because parents are sent information instantly and conveniently. Web- based communication systems carry many benefits, one being that more than one parent or guardian can register, so both will receive messages to their computer, tablet or smart phone. This increases the chances of acknowledgement and/or a reaction, as both contacts will be alerted. Sending both emails and text messages is the ideal option, if schools are looking to cover all bases. Thanks to the efforts of their staff, schools are considered safe places
for children, but if an emergency situation does suddenly break out at school – what do you do? Whether it’s a fire, an accident, or a school closure, parents need to be informed immediately. Whilst schools must have an effective system in place, it’s also important for parents to have faith in its reliability. It’s a two-way bridge, and schools need to work with parents to ensure they are providing information in a way that suits them; there’s no use schools investing in a system that parents won’t use.
Helping pupils stay safe online
Comment by Emma Lawes, BT Volunteer
There is no doubt that online safety will continue to grow as a
discussion topic between parents, teachers and children. I believe it is of fundamental importance to bring parents, children and
teachers together to speak openly about what they love about the internet, but also what concerns them. This collaborative, three-way approach, aims to help ensure there are no gaps in knowledge. Feedback has clearly shown that children feel more comfortable talking in this environment; it enables parents to learn more about how their child uses the internet, inside and outside the home, and the risks; it also helps teachers understand how they can offer support when tough questions are asked, or worrying behaviours are witnessed in the classroom. Through research conducted alongside our workshops The Right Click:
Internet Safety Matters, run by BT and Unicef UK, we found that over half of teachers (55 per cent) have been approached by pupils about internet safety issues. However, more than half of teachers (51 per cent) don’t feel at all confident discussing internet safety issues with their pupils or parents and are looking for help in this area. This was a big red flag for us! Through all of the workshops there has been a general feeling among
teachers and parents that the internet is moving so quickly they can’t keep up with it. This is not necessarily true, teachers and parents often know more than they think. Furthermore, you do not need to be an internet expert – you only need to know enough to help keep young people safe online. Essentially, it is about striking a balance between giving young people
the freedom to realise and make use of the huge potential that the internet offers, while keeping them safe. Our experience has shown that this is best achieved through a combination of open communication with young people and control features, where needed. The internet is a fantastic thing, and we want make sure we empower children and young people to become confident digital citizens.
Right Click tips to help children enjoy the benefits of the internet safely • Take time to look at, and set, the parental controls on all the devices under your roof which allow specific programmes to be allowed or blocked, such as instant messenger services, hardware, or webcams – this can be done in under 10 minutes and is very easy to carry out
• Set SafeSearch on your Google search engine (or alternative search platform) which helps keep adult content out of search results by screening websites that contain sexually-explicit content and removing them from the results that pop up
• Talk to young people and agree together what action to take in the event that they come across inappropriate information, or something that concerns them
• Children often worry about, and feel responsible for, seeing content that makes them feel uncomfortable. Let them know that if they see anything that worries them they are not in trouble and to tell you!
• Spend time on the internet together to get a feel for their favourite sites. Read about the safety features on sites frequently used. Pay particular attention to how sites are moderated as each one is different
• Have a think about where computers are positioned. Having them in open spaces where other people also spend time, and can view the screen, reduces risk
• Encourage young people to delete messages from people they don’t know, ignore messages from people that include anything negative and alert an adult when they receive such messages
May 2015
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