17^th March 2025

Dear Parents/Carers of Mundy CE Junior School,

Safe use of social media

We are writing to you about a growing problem that we are experiencing regarding the misuse of social media by some of the children. This is a problem affecting all Year Groups, with an increasing number of children having access to technology, issues with misuse from school-age (and under-age) children have increased significantly.  This is leading to behaviour problems and social and emotional distress for those children involved, coming into school from incidents happening online out of school hours, during evening, weekends and holidays.

The responsibility for monitoring and enforcing a child’s social media use lies with parents and guardians.  We strongly encourage you all to talk to your child about being safe online.

The growth in the use of social media sites has been huge: TikTok, Snap Chat, Instagram, Facebook, online gaming, WhatsApp and YouTube being the most popular. May we also point out that they all carry a minimum age-limit of 13 for access and use – therefore should not be affecting primary school age children or their access to these apps are in fact illegal.  Inappropriate use can lead to arguments and aggressive behaviour as well as mental health implications and self-esteem issues for victims; this will not be tolerated in the school.

If your child is a victim of inappropriate social media use, then we strongly recommend that as the parent/carer you report the matter directly to the specific social media service and directly to the police.

As a school, we are duty bound to report any concerning or repeated patterns of inappropriate online use to both the Local Authority and the Police, this may then be cascaded to further appropriate departments – including Social Services.

It is crucial that we work together, to ensure that all children are safe on-line and use these forms of communication in a kind and acceptable way. We will continue to follow the curriculum regarding Online Safety and Cyber bullying, but we remind parents that you are the ones with direct access and responsibility to enable you to monitor your children’s activities and devices on social media and other on-line sites to ensure they are keeping themselves safe.

If you are unsure on how to do this, please contact us, we are happy to help. We have some further support and guidance on our school website,  Safe Support for our Parents and Carers | Mundy CofE Junior School

If you have any questions about this issue, please do contact the school. We must all take a strong stance on this and not accept bullying of any form.

We hope that we can count on your support and cooperation in this matter and thank you in advance for your support.

Be Safe!

Miss Dot Adair

Headteacher

Mundy CE Junior School 

PARENTAL MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

Mental Health Treatment - Rehab 4 Addiction

Amber Valley Borough Council Community Information

A link for you to check the support and information that is available with your local borough council: 

Amber Valley Borough Council

Links that may be helpful: 

docviewer.aspx (ambervalley.gov.uk) -Winter Warmth

docviewer.aspx (ambervalley.gov.uk) - Amber Valley CVS

Community safety residents survey (ambervalley.gov.uk) - Community Survey on ASB

NEW PARENTS' PORTAL FOR CHECKING FREE SCHOOL MEAL ELIGIBILITY  

• Parents and Guardians are now able to check their eligibility and apply for Free School Meals instantly via a Parent Portal.
• To apply, a parent or guardian will be required to create an account, verified using an email address and provide their National Insurance Number or National Asylum Support Service Reference Number, their surname, date of birth and in a few circumstances upload a copy of their benefit document.
• To create an account, a parent or guardian will be required to follow this link or search “Free School Meals” on Derbyshire County Council's Website.
• Once signed in, it is a quick process for parents or guardians to check if their child(ren) can receive Free School Meals and they will receive an instant notification of eligibility.
• Following which, the Free School Meal Team will process the application and the school will be able to see the results in a report sent to school. 
• Applications for Free School Meal funding can also still be made via paper form or contacting the school office. 

Emotional health and mental wellbeing affect all aspects of our lives and health choices. Mental wellbeing is about feeling good and functioning well, as individuals and as communities. It is also about our ability to cope with life’s challenges and making the most of life’s opportunities.

The website has been designed collaboratively by professionals who work across Derby and Derbyshire to help plan and deliver care and support for people who are feeling stressed, anxious or depressed, or just want to feel happier.

This signposting service is aimed at professionals, members of the public and children and young people who wish to access local services or just require further information on the services that are available to them both locally and nationally. The four elements of the website focus on Children and Young People, Adults, Suicide Prevention and Neurodiversity.

NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) brings together the combined expertise of 112 local GP practices to commission health services on behalf of 1,062,000 patients in Derbyshire. Our vision is to continuously improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Derbyshire, using all resources as fairly as possible. please see the following information to learn more: DERBY AND DERBYSHIRE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

Parents, as well as your children, please remember if you need anyone to talk to - at anytime you can find help here at school or on this page :)  You are never alone, you are part of the Mundy CE Junior school family :)