Secretary of State, Damian Hinds, has made the case for more Catholic schools adopting academy status.  At a recent round-table meeting with leaders of faith education, the Secretary of State, himself a practising Catholic, highlighted the benefits of academy status as a means of schools embracing government reforms for higher standards.  A third of all Catholic schools have become academies.  See more on his position as reported in 'The Tablet' on 30th January 2019 here.

Dear Colleagues,

 

There are a number of wide-spread email phishing campaigns being distributed which we should all remain aware and vigilant of. Please disseminate this information immediately to all staff and governors. My thanks in anticipation.

 

What is a phishing email?

Phishing is an attempt by an attacker who will masquerade as a trustworthy entity/contact to acquire information.

Usually when such an email is received, the sender is reliant upon the recipient forwarding the email on or responding.

 

For example: a phish may generate an email posing as your Headteacher requesting that you click on a ‘secure link’ and input your username and password, or ‘pay an urgent invoice’ to gain access to the Academy bank details.

 

How to spot a phishing email:

 

Here are the most common signs of an email phishing attempt to watch for:

 

• The message may contain a mismatched URL / email address (when you hover on the URL, the email address will not be a trusted source)
• The URL may contain a misleading domain name (for example; ABC@KCSP.COM may appear as ABC@KSCP.COM
• The message may contain poor spelling and grammar or content that is not typically used by the person purporting to have sent the email;
• The message may ask for personal information (bank details / passwords);
• The contents of the email may seem too good to be true;
• You didn’t initiate the action (for example, you haven’t placed an order with that company / you haven’t participated in that competition);
• You are asked to send money or asked to pay an urgent invoice you are not aware of or is outside of normal process;
• The message contains threats, unrealistic or otherwise (if you do not respond then your contacts will be sent a message from you, or if you do not comply then your computer will be locked);
• Something just doesn’t look right (email signature / wording / request / content);

 

What should you do if you receive an email you are unsure of?

If you believe you have received a suspicious email – DO NOT FORWARD IT, DO NOT RESPOND.

Contact your IT administrator (EIS or similar), and notify the Data Protection Officerdpo@kcsp.org.uk

 

What can you do protect your Academy?

• Email addresses displayed on your Academy websites should be displayed as : nameATacademy.com rather than name@academy.com – this prevents web bots from crawling the website and harvesting email addresses for spam or phishing purposes.
• Remain vigilant and always check the email. If in doubt, call the sender to verify whether the email has been sent from a trustworthy source.

 

Ongoing Training

The Data Protection Officer is currently reviewing training for data leads and senior leaders, and a communication will be sent shortly. In the meantime, please ensure that all staff and governors remain aware and vigilant, some of our academies have received such emails.

 

Thank you and should this give rise to any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

 

 

Michelle Boniface

Company Secretary and Data Protection Officer

St Joseph’s Primary School, Broadstairs were crowned Thanet Table Tennis Champions this week at the Thanet Primary Schools table tennis competition organised by the Thanet Passport Scheme.

 

Hosted by Dane Court Grammar School, the team of 4 pupils showcased their ping pong skill set to carry off the coveted trophy – their coordination, balance, speed and quick reflexes winning the day against strong competition. Table tennis is one of the most underrated of Olympic sports but is a firm favourite at St Joseph’s, where quick feet and quick brains are the key to having ping pong fun!

St Joseph’s Year 6 class experienced history on their doorstep this week when they visited the Ramsgate Tunnels.

 

Classroom learning about World War II was brought to life during the visit which showed the thirty pupils first-hand how the people of Ramsgate were affected by the war. The tour guide was a young boy from World War II and his stories, together with his knowledge of the tunnels in their post war use as a civilian railway terminal, were enthralling.

 

The children were genuinely astounded at the distance the tunnels extend under Ramsgate with a network capable of sheltering up to 60,000 people. Exploring history below ground level was a first for the class and one that will act as a real stimulus for further learning above ground!

The beauty and mystery of the Holy Land came to life at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Broadstairs last term with the donation of a large scale photographic panorama of Jerusalem donated by Mr and Mrs Kmiec, who are parents at the Academy.

Mr and Mrs Kmiec travelled to the Holy Land last year and were so moved by the sights, sounds and stories of Jerusalem that they wanted to share their experiences with the St Joseph's by donating a large panorama to take pride of place in the RE learning zone. A keen photographer, Mr Kmiec’s photos of Jerusalem bring a welcome touch of colour to the RE learning space which will be enhanced by this generous donation.  With Jerusalem the focus for so many of the stories and events in the RE curriculum, the framed memento will be a real visual learning tool for all our pupils. Mr and Mrs Kmiec’s financial donation will also provide additional RE resources to further stimulate learning within St Joseph's.

St Edward's Primary, Sheerness were overwhelmed to receive a letter from the Pope's office, together with a photograph and a blessed crucifix. All of which have been beautifully framed and are now displayed in the Academy (pictured below).
 
Sara Wakefield, Headteacher of St Edward's Primary, said "In November 2018 the Isle of Sheppey celebrated 150 years of Catholic education. During the planning stage one of our Year 6 girls wanted to write to the Pope and invite him to our party. This was his response and we were so excited about receiving his letter that we called an assembly and read it out!"
 
On 25th November 2018 the majority of staff and Daniel Coleman from the Diocese attended a celebratory Sunday Mass and party, and Sara goes on to say "Father Frank had photographs of the old school grounds on display and we invited previous Headteachers present too. I met Mr Murphy who was the Headteacher in 1960 and his children. It really was a lovely event and after Mass party. We are now looking forward to the Summer when we will celebrate 90 years of St Edward's. I am sure that party will be fun too!"

A profile on KCSP's CEO, Clive Webster, is featured in the latest edition of Schools Week.  Please click here to download the magazine and then scroll to pages 23-25 for the full article.