Dear Parents, Carers and Families,

In the Headteacher Update last week we featured some information from Mrs Osborne, our Designated Safeguarding Lead, which she had produced in response to the Netflix drama, Adolescence. As part of the national interest in this work of drama, and it is drama not documentary, I was contacted by two different media organisations last week to ask for my views as a school leader. Headteachers are in a position of trust within their communities, or should aspire to be, and part of this should be that they aren’t afraid to metaphorically put their heads above the parapet and speak out on important issues. To that end, in this week's update I’d like to address some of the issues that Adolescence raises.

Firstly, I do think we as a nation need to think much more carefully about young people and social media. There is space in this conversation for the positive impact of connecting with different people but, in the main, do any of us think that children’s sense of happiness overall is improved by their access to social media? How many young people form unrealistic expectations about how they should look, what sex is like, how to live their lives, all based on social media? There are lots of things that we restrict children from doing as we judge that the impact on them and their ability to make wise decisions is limited, such as alcohol, sex or driving. Social media may be different, but it seems unlikely that the present largely unregulated state of affairs can continue. Schools have a role here in educating young people about these issues, and we do frequently and often, and so do parents and carers who can have this conversation at home and make sure that they are talking to their children about the risks of social media. However, we should all also be looking for much more robust guidance from central government as caring about how this impacts all our children shouldn’t be something that’s left to chance and if it’s a national problem it should be addressed on a national level.

Another question raised by the series is why young men might be drawn to a world of misogyny and hate in the first place. The online world might provide a breeding ground for this sort of hatred, but the disengagement doesn’t start there. It’s too easy for young men in 2025 to look ahead and not see a society that works for them, where they have a place. This broader alienation then allows those offering simplistic and false answers online to find their audience. I feel we saw this in the riots that took place in this country last summer, and we see it in young men who turn to people like Andrew Tate and others who say the world owes them more than they might currently feel they’re getting. The roots of misogyny are of course far more complex than this, its online form hasn’t appeared from a vacuum, and peddlers of hate have always used the excuse of blaming others to elevate their own position, but people who feel like they have a stake in the society, a sense of belonging, are far less likely to accept these twisted messages in the first place.

What can schools do, and what specifically do we do here at Framwellgate? We offer education around both the dangers of social media and misogyny, part of an education aimed at developing the whole child, someone who can think for themselves, knows to question those with easy but improbable answers and also develop within them the capacity to feel empathy. We also strive to make sure our students feel a sense of community, a sense of belonging, that they’re part of something real, that they are known and valued for who they are. This means providing opportunities to feel this sense both inside classrooms but also within the wider life of the school. Schools should also not just be isolated communities, but also actively engage with the wider communities they exist within. We celebrate the vast majority of students who get it right most of the time and meet with compassion and understanding those that don’t, both boys and girls. Finally, we should use what voice we have within society to say these things, to show that we care and ask that others with powerful voices support us with this. The people with the most powerful, most important voices for our students are always their parents and carers, so can I also thank you all for talking to your children and giving them that sense of love and care they all need and deserve.

There is some additional information below from Mrs Osborne around some of these themes.

Many thanks for your continued support of the school; I hope you all have a good weekend.

Michael Wright

Headteacher

Training Update

Staff met again in their departments this week to continue their work around meeting the needs of learners with ADHD in their specific contexts.

Bus 2

Just to note for those parents and carers impacted by the decision not to run this bus from September, we still await the formal response from the County Council who are, to quote, “in the process of investigating this with the bus operators to determine impact”. When we have more information, we will update you all.

Hidden Meaning Behind Emojis

Last week we wrote to you about the Netflix series 'Adolescence' which highlights concerns that a lot of young people and families are facing.

The new Netflix series, Adolescence, has sparked some powerful conversations about online safety - particularly how easily children can hide what they’re really saying in everyday conversations. Even when you think an emoji might have a certain meaning, it can actually mean something else a lot more worrying.

Smoothwall - our online digital safeguarding system - have published a recent article about The Hidden Meaning Behind Emojis: A Lesson from Netflix's Adolescence Series which you can access by clicking on the link.

If you have any worries, concerns or queries about this, please do not hesitate to contact myself or the relevant Year Team to discuss further.

Mrs Osborne, Designated Safeguarding Lead

Year 10 Assessment Period – Monday 28th April to Friday 23rd May

Last week your child received an assembly informing them of the up-and-coming assessment period. To support them through this process, your child is being provided with the following support:

  • Exam preparation assemblies.
  • Topic checklists to inform focused revision.
  • Revision booklet, including a weekly planner to devise their own revision timetables.
  • Tutor group sessions on 'How To Plan Your Revision Time'.
  • Tutor group sessions on the 'Fram 6' researched informed revision strategies.

Year 11 – The Final Countdown!

As we now enter the final few weeks of preparation with Year 11 students, we would like to share with you the help and support that is available for your child to access:

  • Final RAS block runs from 31st March to 9th May.
  • Mock results assembly - Friday 4th April.
  • Masters of Memory – 15-minute bite-sized revision sessions every morning tutor time.
  • Revision booklet and timetable templates issued to students this week.
  • Easter holiday RAS programme - please see below and register your child's intention to attend via link on Class Charts. https://forms.office.com/e/G9xbyNYm9U
  • Study leave, final exam arrangements and quick-tip sessions before exams will be explained to students on their return to school after Easter.