Parent Information
Communication between parents and school is integral to any child's learning.
We view education as a partnership between parents, pupils and the school.
There are several ways in which we seek to maintain contact between school and home. Please don't hesitate to contact us should you not find the information you are looking for.
- A written report is provided towards the end of each Summer Term.
- In addition, we hold consultation evenings during each term.
- A regular newsletter is sent out, updating school events and sharing work.
- The school’s website is also a valuable source of information for parents and children alike.
- We also ask for parent's / carer's email addresses, so that communications can be sent electronically, in order to minimise paperwork being sent home.
PTFA
We are very fortunate at Ingoldsby to have a thriving PTFA that has been an integral part of the school community for many years.
Its stated aims are:
- To support the education of the children via fundraising and other activities
- To foster more extended relationships between staff, parents and others associated with the school.
Over the years we have raised a significant amount of funds which has been put towards a variety of vital purchases such as new books, trim trail, extra-curricular activities and swimming lessons.
If you are interested in supporting the PTFA as a parent, please speak to us in the school office so that we can direct you to the PTFA committee.
If you would like to support the PTFA through sponsorship, for example by endorsing a particular event by adding your logo to our advertising, please contact enquiries@ingoldsbyacademy.co.uk
Wraparound Care
We have our own before and after school 'wraparound' club called Fabulous Foxes for those who need to drop off early and pick up after the usual school day.
Resources for Grief and loss
We have put together a box of resources for children who experience grief, loss or illness within a family. The box can be borrowed by a family or individual books borrowed by parents.
My Family Coach
We use My Family Coach to help our parents and carers understand their children’s behaviour. My Family Coach is a free website written by behaviour experts with 20 years’ experience working with over 5,000 schools. My Family Coach will support you through the tough times, inspire you with new ideas, and share practical tips to make parenting that little bit easier.
Visit the My Family Coach website
Horizon’s Summer Activity pack
Click to view the Horizon Summer pack
Safeguarding Information for Parents
Ingoldsby Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people. Providing a safe environment for all our students, staff and visitors is at the upmost importance to us.
Our Safeguarding Team
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Mrs Jeanette GlendinningDesignated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Jeanette Glendinning
JGlendinning@ingoldsbyacademy.co.uk
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Mrs Melanie CapesDeputy Designated Safeguarding Lead/ Principal
Mrs Melanie Capes
MCapes@ingoldsbyacademy.co.uk
Safeguarding Key Information
Designated Safeguarding Leads are Jeanette Glendinning and Melanie Capes. Please see Jeanette Glendinning in the first instance.
You must have your visitor pass on you at all times so that all staff and students can recognise you as a visitor. You must make sure that you sign in at the main reception in order to have access to the school and be issued with a visitor badge. Anyone without proof of a valid DBS will be given a red lanyard and will need to be accompanied at all times whilst on school site.
For any first aid requirements, please make sure to speak to a member of staff on site. Our staff are First Aid Trained and the first aid kits are located in the office and in EYFS.
If you are on the premises and the fire alarm sounds, you must exit the building via your nearest fire exit and make your way to the fire assembly point marked visitors on the school playground where you will receive further instructions.
Toilets are located by the office, down the main corridor.
Taking photographs during your visit to the academy is not permitted. Should you wish to take photographs express permission must be obtained from the Principal of the setting.
Local Safeguarding Authority
https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/lscb/the-lscb/reporting-concerns/124627
Lincolnshire Children’s Social Care
Referrals to children care 01522 782111
County Lines
County Lines Information for parents
Domestic Abuse
Anyone forced to change their behaviour because they are frightened of their partner or ex-partner’s reaction is experiencing abuse.
Domestic abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of age, background, gender, religion, sexuality or ethnicity. Domestic abuse is never the fault of the person who is experiencing it. Domestic abuse is a crime.
If you think you, or someone you know might be experiencing domestic abuse, we may be able to help. Please approach a member of the safeguarding team in confidence, or click on one of the images below to access help or advice.
Parental Conflict
Your children could be worrying about your relationship. Lots of things happen in adults lives that make day to day life much more stressful. The arrival of a new baby, change or loss of jobs, moving house and many other things. We know it’s a big worry for some young people.
For pupils whose parents are splitting up
On the above website, there are resources for pupils and their parents. There are links to the websites 'Only Mums' and 'Only Dads'.
Information about the impact of parental conflict
girfc a4 course flyer print.pdf
mybt a4 course flyer print.pdf
Speak Out Stay Safe- NSPCC
Speak out Stay safe is an online safeguarding programme for children aged 5- to 11-years-old. It is available to all primary schools in the UK and Channel Islands.
Our programme helps children understand:
- abuse in all its forms and how to recognise signs of abuse
- that abuse is never a child’s fault and that they have the right to be safe
- where to get help and the sources of help available to them, including our Childline service.
Online Safety and Phones
There are many advantages of delaying when children have unlimited access to a smartphone. It allows your child to develop their inter-relational skills, maturity and self-esteem before the onslaught of social media.
Basic Phones
More and more schools are now insisting that children do not bring smartphones into school. One easy solution, therefore, is to start your child with a basic phone (a phone with no internet access).
If your child needs a phone to text and call you and their friends, this is the simplest solution. The main advantage is that without your consent, children can’t download apps, access harmful content online or Snapchat friends in the middle of the night. You are saving yourself endless “discussions” about which apps they can/ can’t have and the disappointment of finding out they have downloaded them anyway without your consent. It may not be the most popular choice and is probably more suitable for younger adolescents, but the longer you can keep your child smartphone-free, the easier it will be for them to develop their skills of resilience, inter-personal skills – paving the way for being able to handle a smartphone well when the time comes.
Smartphones
If you do decide to give your child a smartphone earlier, how do you keep them as safe as possible? And how can you, as parents and carers, successfully help your child to thrive in the digital age? Where does the correct balance lie between giving your child freedom on the internet and putting controls in place to keep them safe on social media?
However hard you try, it is really difficult to control and monitor what children get up to on their smartphones. This can become a source of family tension.
They can be a constant source of distraction and source of potential conflict over apps and time spent online. Children are very astute at bypassing parental controls, and the very apps they use have been designed to be highly addictive.
However, if you choose or have chosen to give your child a smartphone, we offer some tips and guidance for keeping your children safe.
Advice on apps and staying safe on social media
Whether your child has the latest iPhone or no phone at all (but some access to the internet through an iPad or computer), it is the apps we need to think most carefully about.
Some of the best brains in Silicon Valley have crafted these apps to increase their persuasive technology and keep young people hooked. Whether it is streaks on snap chat, likes on Facebook or autoplay on YouTube, these apps have been designed to be addictive.
Use Parent App Guides for quick tips on making these apps safer and less addictive for young people. https://www.papayaparents.com/solutions#anchor-link-Parentcontrolapps
Parental consent on apps
One way to try to delay the onslaught of social media is to, as a minimum, hold off until the minimum age of the app. However, the age limits are very lenient when considering the access to strangers, inappropriate content, and influencers that they bring right into your child’s eye line.
If your child wants to download an app, we encourage you to spend time reading the guidelines to understand what access the app gives other people to them and what safety measures need to be put in place first. By changing privacy settings, you can considerably improve the safety of many apps.
However, this does not reduce their addictive lure and impact on well-being and self-esteem, although ensuring your child has time limits for social media apps may help with this.
Social media comes with dangers. It can be a portal for cyberbullying, online grooming, and access to inappropriate content.
Research is starting to show that social media may, in fact, increase loneliness. It also encourages young people to base their value on other people’s opinions which can damage their ability to develop robust self-esteem.
However, it also how young people today communicate, and denying them access to it completely may seem a step too far for many parents and young people.
There may, however, be a sensible middle path that includes social media, just not too much of it! It’s worth reading up and familiarising yourself with social media apps before agreeing to your child having them. Apps that appear harmless may give strangers access to your child’s location and personal details, and although none of the social media sites are perfect, there are ways to make them safer. By changing the privacy settings and monitoring time spent on apps, it may be possible to find a healthy middle ground.
Top Tips on smartphone safety
In summary, if you choose a smartphone, things to consider include:
- Waiting till app age limits/ holding off even longer
- Setting time limits for social media
- Using parental control apps to help prevent addiction and help your child learn to monitor their use carefully
- Agreeing as a family to boundaries, e.g. no phones upstairs at night or the meal table and consequences if these are broken
- Agreeing to open negotiations before an app is downloaded and that certain apps may come with boundaries, e.g. having social media set to PRIVATE MODE
- Knowing your apps and how to make them more secure
- Chatting with friends in the community- can you agree to similar boundaries?
- Staying strong – being a parent isn’t about being popular.
Quick guide to social media
SNAP CHAT
Snapchat is the infamous messages service where your messages “snaps” disappear after 10 minutes. It has been known as a portal for bullying, grooming and sexting (the exchange of naked images) but is loved by teens as it’s fun and in the moment.
However, many an unsuspecting teenager has been caught out by a snap saved on a screenshot or by a third party append then forwarded. This can be incredibly damaging for their wellbeing, especially if it is an explicit photo.
- Consider limiting the TIME spent on Snapchat as is highly addictive due to its streaks feature
- Snapchatters who see your messages can always potentially save them, whether by taking a screenshot or by using some other image-capture technology (a separate piece of software, or even simply by taking a photo of their screen with a second camera).
- Check your PRIVACY settings are set to “friends only.”
- Make sure “Who Contact me” is set to my friends only
- Set view my story to “friends only.”
- If you’re in a GROUP chat with people you don’t know, they will be able to see your messages and number unless you change the setting
- Use GHOST mode to disable the GPS map (whereby other users can know your exact location)
- Turn OFF quick add (a facility that suggests you as a friend according to people you already know but gives access to your details to a greater number of other people)
- Learn about how long snaps are visible and who else can see them
Instagram is a viral photo messaging app with young people. It allows you to post stories and videos, which in PUBLIC mode anyone can follow and comment on. It has been linked with low self-esteem in teenagers as they look to the approval of others on what they post. Many children have two Instagram accounts; one very highly manicured public account and one private one for closer friends.
- Age 13 with parental consent.
- Set time limits for how long children can spend on the app to reduce the risk of addiction and dependence. Reports so far have suggested that the GREATER the time spent on social media the BIGGER the problem. (see parental controls)
- Use private mode as in public mode anyone can access your account
- Block any followers you don’t know or anyone who is making nasty/ inappropriate contents online
- Add comment controls so you can weed out offensive or annoying comments
- If you’re on Facebook as well, check your app settings, so it doesn’t automatically share between the two sites
- Turn off activity status so people can’t see whether you’re online or not
- To watch how to stay safe on Instagram: https://youtu.be/eZbr3-Vl9cE.
Facebook is a social networking site (although less so with today’s younger generation who have moved onto other platforms). It allows you to create a page about yourself and post stories and photos to your friends. However, by default, your settings are PUBLIC, so anyone can follow or send you a friend request.
- Minimum Age is 13 with parental consent
- Set TIME LIMITS for how long children can spend on the app to reduce the risk of addiction
- Change your setting to PRIVATE instead of public
- Only allow friends-of-friends to send friend requests (instead of everyone)
- Only allow friends to FOLLOW you (not PUBLIC)
- Who can see future posts – change to friends (instead of everyone)
- BLOCK anyone who is bullying you online or who is following you, but you don’t know them
- To watch a video with all the details on how you can make a Facebook account more private: https://youtu.be/6VyoouopcDY
- For parental advice and more detail, go to: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/facebook/
YOUTUBE
YouTube is a top-rated video sharing platform where you can both watch and upload videos. “Vloggers” have become famous with posts from makeup tutorials to travel advice. Children as young as ten have shared sensitive material about family loss etc. Anyone who innocently posts may be in the firing line for negative comments and publicity!
- Use restricted mode to block inappropriate content
- Use YOUTUBE kids instead
- Teach young people to think before you post, especially if the content is sensitive
WhatsApp is a useful group messaging app that is less associated with problems than other social media platforms. However, it is worth considering that it generates a considerable amount of extra messaging traffic, and people can feel left out if they are not invited to a group chat. It can be used as a vehicle for cyberbullying and online humiliation. WhatsApp has end-to-end encryption so messages are protected so no one else can read or listen to them.
- The minimum age for WhatsApp is 16 due to GDPR issues (anyone on a group chat can access your phone number).
- Set your profile picture and live location to friends only
- Exit large chats and block unwanted users
- Turn off read receipts
- For safety tips, go to: https://www.whatsapp.com/safety
TIKTOK
TikTok is the social media app of the moment; it’s fun, interactive and has the bonus of the chance of stardom. Users can easily create, edit and share videos with friends and the public at large. However, there are multiple reports of predators using this site to groom and share explicit material. In its default public mode, anyone can view the videos your child shares, and anyone can send your child a video, which could contain explicit content
TikTok’s emphasis is on popular music, and many videos include swearing and sexual lyrics. The app autoplays other teens videos, which are very frequently of teenagers wearing revealing clothing and dancing suggestively. Although TikTok won’t let you search directly for content such as “sex” or “porn”, a significant proportion of its content is highly sexualised videos produced by young boys and girls. We highly recommend downloading the app yourself and getting a clearer idea of what your child will have access to before they download it – it’s a real eye-opener. They may plan to use it to post sweet, fun videos, but the content that receives attention on the site is highly sexualised, so there is pressure for users to make their content more “likeable’.
- Tik Tok’s age limit is 13, but all you need is a fake birthdate to bypass this.
- Set the profile to PRIVATE by going into settings. This means that others users cannot see your videos unless they follow you and you have approved them to do so. You can also disable ” allow others to find me” so that other users don’t receive suggestions to follow you. However, even with a private account, your child’s profile photo, username, and bio are still visible to all users on the platform
- Turn on restricted mode to filter out inappropriate content – although this feature doesn’t appear to make much difference to the content, and we would not recommend relying on it to protect your child.
- You can manage who can comment and direct message your child on the app and set it to “friends only”. You can also put comment filters on to reduce obscene comments.
- Supervise your children and stick to songs you already know.
- Block anyone sending inappropriate messages or videos or set to “friends only”.
- Consider sharing an account with your child or following them so you can see what material they are accessing or set up family safety mode.
- Set up time restrictions as with the endless autoplay of short videos, it is very addictive. This can be done via the app itself or via screen time or equivalent on your phone. For further info, go to: https://smartsocial.com/tik-tok-app-guide-parents/
Family Phone Contracts
It will make your life easier if you can agree a contract with your child when they get their first phone. This is a list of what they can and can’t do and the consequences should they overstep. You can stick this on the fridge door, so it is seen every day and easy to refer to.
However, behind every contract needs to be conversation, trust, and relationship. Having an open communication channel is the most important thing to have in place at whatever point you are on the tech journey.
If you are delaying buying a smartphone, this is a perfect time to discuss why and get your child on board. If, on the other hand, your child has a phone and you are trying to reign it in slightly, talking about everyone’s tech use as a family is a great place to start. The conclusion which you are trying to reach is a shared agreement on some set family values.
Some things you might wish to discuss as a family:
- How do we, as a family, want to communicate?
- What do we value most about our family?
- What do you/ don’t you like about our family’s use of technology?
- What do we / don’t we like about social media?
- What are our BIG NO’s and why?
- What compromises can we all agree to?
- What will the consequence be if we push the boundaries?
- How much screen time is reasonable? In the week? At weekends?
- Are phones in bedrooms a good idea? What should our family decision be?
You can find a sample template of a family media contract on the papaya parents’ website – https://www.papayaparents.com/solutions#anchor-link-familycontracts
Parent Control Apps
When looking at some of the technological solutions available, the first issue is one of trust vs control.
There is a difficult balance between trusting your child with unmonitored access to the internet and putting more boundaries in place to keep them safe (children are often innocent victims online of harmful content sent to them rather than actively going to look for it).
It is worth considering that even sensible and trustworthy children can still be inadvertently drawn into all sorts of mishaps through links from friends, adults posing as children, seemingly innocent searches on google, and algorithms on Instagram.
Putting basic filters on your child’s phone is just like insisting children wear a seat belt in a car.
You can use parental control apps to
- Monitor screen time
- Filter adult content and block sites
For a general guide on parent control apps go to
https://www.papayaparents.com/solutions#anchor-link-Parentcontrolapps
The best parental control app will depend on what type of phone your child has:
iPhone
If your child has an iPhone, the simplest way to restrict their phone use is to use the inbuilt software. This can control screen time, block adult content, limit or block access to games and restrict internet searching. You can set time limits for different apps and schedule downtime. It is all controlled by a parent password.
Parent control apps on android phones
There are dozens of parental control apps for android phones. Some examples include Qustodio, Google family link, Kapersky, Norton Family
Smartphones and addiction
Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that makes you feel good. It is released in anticipation of a reward – like the build-up and excitement before you go on holiday – it’s that feel-good buzzy feeling before something good happening. Our brains are flooded by dopamine as we subconsciously anticipate reward (a nice comment on our photo, a message from a friend or achieving the next level on a game).
Social media and gaming sites have been specifically designed to use these so-called “variable reward schedules” to make our brain release more dopamine (making us feel good) and thereby making them more addictive as we crave more dopamine.
Tech companies like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and google are all caught in a competition for our attention (humanetech.com). They need our attention to make money, and the more, the better. The more we scroll, the more they make, the more we click, the more income they generate.
Dangerous algorithms
Tech companies are employing the best psychologists in Silicon Valley to increase the persuasive technology of their apps and to keep us glued to them – whether its scroll downs, auto-plays on YouTube, notifications, or streaks on Snapchat – they are actively learning how to hook us in more and more deeply.
Questions you can discuss with your child:
- How do you feel knowing tech companies are making money from your use of social media?
- Do you mind?
- What do you think about tech companies making their apps specifically more addictive for young people?
- How do you react to the fact that Bill Gates sends his children to a tech-free school and limits their tech use?
- Do you think tech companies have a duty of care towards young people?
- Ask the question: “How would you feel if you were unexpectedly separated from your phone for more than an hour?”
- There is no right wrong /answer. However, if you feel worried, agitated and anxious without your phone, it could be a sign that you may be overly reliant on it.
Wi-fi parental controls
In the home, you can set up restrictions to the type of content your child can access and limit screen time through your internet provider settings. You can also pause wi-fi if you need to get children offline straight away or take a break, although if your child also has access to a data plan, they may still be able to access the internet.
Explore safety and privacy settings together
Encourage young people to review their settings on their social media accounts, including providing an accurate date of birth. This can help the algorithms select age-appropriate content. Exploring where block/mute, unfollow and report features are can also equip young people with strategies to deal with inappropriate content that may appear in their feeds.
Provides the latest information on the sites young people like to visit, mobiles and new technology. It's separated into different age groups: 5-7years, 8-10 and 11-16 years. There is also a 'parent/carer' and 'teacher/trainer' section. It discusses what's good; what's not so good about the internet; about online risks and what you can do about them.
This site contains advice on how to use the internet and new technologies safely and responsibly as well as a range of practical resources, news and events focussing on the safe and responsible use of the internet and new technologies.
A site designed to teach younger children about some of the pitfalls of the internet in a fun-way; using cartoons, quizzes and games.
The Cybersmile Foundation is a multi-award winning anti cyberbullying non-profit making organisation that provides expert help and advice for cyberbullying victims and their families. Founded by parents of children directly affected by cyberbullying, it provides support to those that are bullied online, and changes the behaviour of the bullies themselves, through education.
This charity aims to prevent bullying and child sexual abuse, by working with children and young people aged 6 to 19, concerned parents and grandparents, teachers and carers.
ChildLine is a confidential counselling service for children and young people. They can contact ChildLine about anything - no problem is too big or too small. You can phone ChildLine on 0800 1111, send them an email, have a 1-2-1 chat or send a message to Ask Sam. You can also post messages to the ChildLine message boards or text them.
Find advice on handling social media, screen time and how to use parental controls and privacy settings to keep your children safe online. Take Vodafone’s digital family pledge and help your family set some digital house rules.
N.B Each of the mobile networks including the top 5 e.g. EE, GiffGaff, O2, Sky Mobile, Tesco and Virgin Mobile etc. have their own internet safety pages.
Data/ OFSTED
Our performance against other schools can be found via the Department for Education’s School Performance Table.
KS2 Performance Data - 2018/19
KS2 Results Over Time
Ofsted & Parent View
Our latest Ofsted report can be found here.
Parent Documents
Medicine in School
If your child requires medicines and you must complete the appropriate medical forms at the office or electronic forms. Medicines must be labelled, kept in the box with instructions and be prescribed to the child. Over the counter medicines may be administered in some cases in the short term. Where a medicine is needed to be given over a long term period, a doctors letter must be obtained and a medical plan put in place.
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- Wraparound Care Booking Form
