Council bosses have defended Nantwich headteachers for issuing a warning letter to parents about children playing 18-rated computer games.
The letter, sent by Nantwich Education Partnership, tells parents that they could be reported to police or social services if pupils reveal they are allowed to play adult-rated games.
Teachers say it is to protect youngsters from games which contain violence or sex, such Call of Duty, Dogs of War, and Grand Theft Auto.
The letter also warns parents about allowing younger pupils to set up social media accounts when they are below the minimum age.
In one part, the letter states: “Several children have reported playing, or watching adults play games which are inappropriate for their age.
“They described the levels of violence and sexual content they have witnessed.”
It was sent by all heads of Brine Leas Academy, Malbank High, Pear Tree Primary, Stapeley Broad Lane, Weaver, St Anne’s Catholic, Millfields, Highfields, Wyche, Willaston, Wybunbury Delves, Acton, Sound, and St Oswald’s Worleston.
Andrew Cliffe, headteacher of Nantwich’s largest school Brine Leas Academy, declined to comment further than what is said on the letter.
Many parents have welcomed the move, but others have reacted against it on social media, saying schools should not be involved in what children do in their own homes.
One Twitter user wrote: “Here’s a tweet to Nantwich Education Partnership…it’s none of your business what a student does outside of school.”
But a spokesman for Cheshire East Council said today it supports the advice given by headteachers in the Nantwich Education Partnership.
“Schools wrote to parents because they and the council regard this as an important issue for children’s health and well-being.
“Cases in which children have been exposed to violent or sexual content are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
“Where the circumstances indicate that neglect may be involved, schools have the option of reporting the matter to police and children’s social care.
“The schools, Cheshire Constabulary and the council’s safeguarding teams would then respond proportionately towards the parents and young people involved.
“The purpose of the letter is to remind parents of their responsibility to ensure that primary school age children are protected from inappropriate material.
“Headteachers say that parents have reacted positively to the advice.
“Safeguarding of children is a top priority for Cheshire East Council.
“Schools regularly take part in initiatives to protect children from risks such as ‘stranger danger’ and online bullying.
“Cyber safety is part of the curriculum and schools use a raft of ways to educate and raise awareness including newsletters, peer-to-peer support and assemblies.
“Schools are supported in this work by a very proactive Safer Schools Partnership.
“Recently the police and the safeguarding team worked together with pupils and school staff to launch ‘E Safety Cadets’, an initiative to help young people stay safe when using mobile phone applications.”
BE WARNED!!!! I reported to the NSPCC a mother who allowed her 3 and 5 yr old to have full adult facebook profiles, the NSPCC supported me and made a referral to Brighton and Hove Social Services whom took no action. The mother complained to Sussex Police that my reports where harassment, Social services agreed and gave a statement to the Police that the reports where malicious. Sussex Police served me with a Police Information Notice that states further conduct of this nature could lead to prosecution for harassment
As a parent who received the letter, I personally felt very relieved. I have primary school children, who were under pressure to join social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. The peer pressure to join these sites was immense, and when you have a child coming home crying and upset because all their friends are chatting on Facebook and Snapchat after school, it’s very hard not to give in. Kids are too young at this age, to be able to understand the consequences of what they do on-line. Thankfully it seems, since the letter went out, that other parents have closed their children’s accounts. The situation at our school was getting out of hand with children bitching and making threats. So the pressure has resided for now…….
Have any of you ever seen what the latest GTA has in it? Torturing the teacher… waterboarding, having sex with a prostitute then killing her afterwards, and the player is doing these things. If you think that is in anyway cool for youngster to play… you probably don’t have kids, or perhaps you do, and they join you at the pub for a pint after school, and smoke some hash with you on weekends. First read about the game then comment.
Yeah. Yeah. Here’s the problem with that.
Now I’m not from the UK, but let me ask you this. Have your schools *not* been spiraling downwards, starting to resemble feudal lordships rather than institutions of education? If so, I congratulate you on your superior social systems.
Here in North America we’ve got principals threatening to call universities students are applying to, so they can talk shit about them and hurt their chances of getting in, because said students hold personal politics the principals find disagreeable.
Then there was the one that suspended a kid for cutting his hair too short. Oh, and that one where electricity was used on a mentally handicapped kid to control him. Oh, and don’t get me started on the one with the padded windowless “Time out room”
So if you brits have educational institutions on a level of respectability where you don’t get uncomfortable with the schools sending out such letters, then bravo to you.
Here, though, I’d see it as more of an effort by schools that are more concerned about power and authority than nurturing children, to extend their reach into the homelife.
Yeah, Grand Theft Auto is stupid shit with stupid shit in it and any parent worth their salt will probably keep their kids from playing it.
But if I saw a local school sending out a letter warning to send the authorities swooping upon parents for allowing their kids to play it?
I’d see our newly crowned local baron solidifying his/er power over the home life. Not a good guy/gal principal looking out for the kids whose parents won’t look out for them.
Oh, the bit about sex scenes is where I draw the line ethically, though. What’s say instead we stop letting the religious authorities and the morality police teach us that clitoral stimulation is satan’s doorbell and stop shitting ourselves because a 14 year old boy saw a set of computer animated tits?
My daughter attends Malbank High School and she keeps complaining to me that lessons are regularly disrupted because a number of the other children in class play with their mobile phones during lessons – apparently the head allows it!!
It therefore seems a bit rich of Malbank to be behind this videogame policy when they can’t even enforce a mobile phone ban across the school. My daughter suffers when she’s in class due to other children – yet I’m supposed to monitor which games she’s allowed to play at home. Talk about double standards!!
When are we to receive the list of School approved activities that we are to carry out in the home with our children? Are we also to expect to be advised, under threat of prosecution as in this case, what our children are to eat? How about the music they are to listen to? Will this be mandated by the Partnership.
What other activities that are carried out in the privacy of our homes are we to expect to receive guidance on under threat of legal action? Are we expected to present the approved views on any particular topics? Politics, religion and sexuality will surely be in the next letter home?
If I allow my child to play one of these games and the school reports me, if I am successfully prosecuted and convicted and my child taken from me will the Partnership consider this as a Moral Victory against me personally or something as a bloody nose for the Video Games industry at large?
I await the Gulag transport for my re-education.
Will the schools also be reporting parents of children who watch films rated higher than their age or read books aimed at an adult audience?