February 11th 2026

Dear Parents

I am writing to you today, as I am concerned about the use of WhatsApp groups within the youngest Year Groups of our student body. 

Over the last week we have been made aware of several WhatsApp groups which each have a very large number of members. These types of groups are often responsible for directing unkind and often bullying type behaviour towards other members of the school community. 

This behaviour is distressing and is having a detrimental impact upon the emotional wellbeing of these students. Groups of this scale are very difficult to control, and I would suspect that there are members who students would not know personally. They may not even be able to verify the identity of some members.

I recognise the importance that WhatsApp and other social media platforms have in young people’s lives.But we must also be alert to and recognise the negative experiences that some young people have of social media platforms and WhatsApp. 

Recent government advice (February 2026) has advised parents to conduct weekly, "friendly and curious" check-ins with their children by actively scrolling through social media apps together to monitor content. 

Please scroll through the social media apps and WhatsApp groups your child uses to ensure the content is appropriate and safe. 

Please also note that many Social Media platforms have minimum age requirements of 13. These include WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, X and YouTube.

As parents and educators, we share the challenge of keeping the children safe online in a world where technology transforms and reinvents itself in what feels like the blink of an eye and where for many (if you are anything like me) the children seem so much more adept with the technology than we are. This was very much my experience as my own children were growing up and discovering technology and social media.

In my Friday letter, I will signpost you further information designed to support parents with the task of keeping their children safe online.

Yours sincerely

Charles Joseph

Principal