This letter will come out tonight.

Dear parents and carers,

One of our parents has reported that whilst their child was playing an online multiplayer game a stranger from the game directly messaged them. The stranger then tried to elicit information where the child lived. The child did not share this, blocked them and told their parents. The matter has been reported to the police, and they are investigating, but please make sure you are supervising your child’s use of the internet, in line with the information I shared on Friday.

Key rules:

· DO NOT REPLY! Sometimes strangers send out thousands of ‘hook’ messages to see who replies. These might include cheat codes, invites to private matches or fake praise (“you were amazing at that”).

· DON’T DELETE! You can screen shot it or take a photo, but keep the chat log. Make sure you get the times and any usernames. Make sure you also know the platform name (XBOX) or social media site. The police will use these to trace the IP address and user. Once you have done this, get an Adult to BLOCK and REPORT.

· Never share personal information. People may say they are a friend of a friend, I live near you, or I know where you live, in an attempt to get you to talk back to them. Block them and report them.

· If they are playing multiplayer games, turn off the voice and text chat.

· Only play people you physically know.

And, most importantly, if you are worried about anything, tell a trusted adult.

In an emergency, call the police on 999, or on the internet CEOP. NSPCC is also very useful to talk about concerns.

We have spoken to the pupils again and year 5 and 6 will be watching the Newsround ‘Caught in the web’ film, which makes clear the dangers of Online Safety. If there are any further concerns:

1) Most important rule! If you are worried about anything; speak to family members, friends or trusted adults.

2) Check the age ratings: NO DONNINGTON WOOD PUPILS ARE OLD ENOUGH TO BE ON OR BE USING the social media sites listed below.

13 year old: Tik Tok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Reddit, Snapchat and Secret.

LinkedIn is 14. On WhatsApp it’s 16, Vine it’s 17. Some platforms, such as YouTube, WeChat and Kik, have a minimum age required of 18, although children aged 13-17 can signup with parent’s permission.

Stop Speak Support- when you see online bullying. https://www.stopspeaksupport.com/

Think U Know https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

Parent Zone: https://parentzone.org.uk/

ChildLine: https://www.childline.org.uk/

NSPCC: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/

CEOP: if you feel you are in immediate danger: https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

Telford and Wrekin Family Connect www.familyconnecttelford.co.uk

We are also arranging for the police to come in and speak to our pupils in the new year. We are also able to help, come in and talk to us.