Colin Stitt

Husband, Dad and Leader. Trying to live life to make a difference. Head of #OurSaferSchools & #SaferSchoolsNI at @ineqegroup All views expressed are my own.

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

Day 2 of awarding Safer Schools Certified statuses across NI. Congratulations to Strabane Primary school 👏

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

Knocknagin Primary School are our next stop of Day 2 of awarding Certified Status to schools across Northern Ireland! #DigitalProficiency

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

Garvagh Primary got a visit today from the Safer Schools team as one of the first Schools in NI to become Safer Schools Certified!

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

@Parkhall_IC was another of today’s certified safer schools recipients! Some inspiring words too from Ann McLoughlin, one of their inspiring staff leading the Digital Proficiency Course!
#digitalproficiency #saferschoolsni

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

A joy to be able to present Ballyclare primary school with their certification today 👏

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

Our forth stop of the day was to St Patrick’s Academy, Lisburn!

Their efforts towards the Digital Proficiency Course doesn’t go unnoticed 👏

Their display board just goes to show what you can do with the Safer Schools resources 🤩

@Education_NI @Ed_Authority

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

On to the next school 🤗

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

Our next stop was to Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Belfast.

Congratulations on your Digital Proficiency Certification 🌟

@Education_NI @Ed_Authority

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

Our third visit today was to Holy Trinity Primary School, Belfast .

What an amazing job this school has done to achieve their Digital Proficiency Certification, congratulations 🎉

It was also great to meet their e-safety mascot eSafetysaurus 🦖
@Education_NI @Ed_Authority

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

The service team are currently en route to present the Digital Proficiency Certification…. Watch this space ⭐️

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

Our first visit was to Hollybank Primary School! A huge congratulations for all of your efforts ✨
@Education_NI @Ed_Authority

[BBC Breakfast @BBCBreakfast]

'I don't think it's practical, I don't think it works'

Child safety expert Jim Gamble spoke to #BBCBreakfast about plans to ban under 16s from some social media platforms from Spring 2027

https://t.co/GHwlALNEbt

[Jim Gamble @JimGamble_INEQE]

The facts matter. In Northern Ireland, more young people are diverted from the criminal justice system than are prosecuted. In 2024/25, 1,084 cases were dealt with through Youth Engagement, and 826 via no further action compared with 674 assessed for prosecution. A system built around diversion is not a system designed to criminalise children. These figures relate up to 10 - 17 years of age.

[Jim Gamble @JimGamble_INEQE]

Whilst the age remains 10 in NI (in line with England and Wales), the fact is the criminal justice system here opts to divert children from the CJS into early intervention non crime pathways. The current proposal wasn’t well thought out, evidenced or considered in the widest sense. It simply moved one cliff edge, 10 to 14. It demonstrated a lack of consistency as it also sought to exempt certain serious crimes. That undermines the principle of responding on the basis of the child’s capacity and understanding, rather than the crime type. It lacked any safety net provisions. Pushing it through rather than pausing, reflecting and building a better structured approach to children between 10 and 14 and 14, onwards made no sense. This now presents an opportunity to rethink and revise the age via a mature Youth Justice Bill. Short-cuts produce bad law.

[Safer Schools @OurSaferSchools]

Is your news feed becoming a "blues" feed? 📱 It’s time to take back control of the scroll. Distressing headlines can weigh heavy on young minds and our own, too.

Knowing when to lean in and when to log off is a vital digital skill.

Our latest Teach Hub poster offers practical tips to help you and the young people in your care find balance in a busy world. 🌍

Log into the Teach Hub to access this resource to share with your school community today.

#OnlineSafety #Wellbeing #ControlTheScroll #SaferSchools

[Education NI @Education_NI]

As today’s launch of the Northern Ireland Curriculum comes to a close, Alistair Hamill, Lurgan College, Matthew Best, Greenisland Primary School, Karen Irwin Ballyclare Primary School and Noeleen Tiffney, St Catherine’s College are reflecting on what the new curriculum will mean for pupils and practitioners.

To have your say on the new currriculum, visit: https://t.co/Iy6t2RfmZo

#TransformED

[Education NI @Education_NI]

We are beginning to welcome over 400 school leaders, educationalists and academics to officially launch the new Northern Ireland curriculum consultation today.

Stay tuned as we’ll be sharing live takeaways throughout the afternoon.

#TransformED

[Safer Schools NI @saferschoolsni]

Is a blanket social media ban for under-16s actually the right move? 🚫📱

Our CEO, Jim Gamble, founding chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, joined BBC Breakfast to discuss the government’s plans to introduce a ban by next spring.

While the intentions are good, the reality is much more complex. As Jim highlights, a total ban risks doing more harm than good.

"We are great at the rhetoric, but not great at the reality. Harms exist, but so do opportunities." - Jim Gamble

Watch the full clip below to hear Jim break down why we need nuanced, workable solutions rather than blanket bans.

👇 Watch the interview here 👇

[Safer Schools @OurSaferSchools]

Is a blanket social media ban for under-16s actually the right move? 🚫📱

Our CEO, Jim Gamble, founding chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, joined BBC Breakfast to discuss the government’s plans to introduce a ban by next spring.

While the intentions are good, the reality is much more complex. As Jim highlights, a total ban risks doing more harm than good.

"We are great at the rhetoric, but not great at the reality. Harms exist, but so do opportunities." - Jim Gamble

Watch the full clip below to hear Jim break down why we need nuanced, workable solutions rather than blanket bans.

👇 Watch the interview here 👇

[Jim Gamble @JimGamble_INEQE]

Online harms have offline roots. Invest in Children and adolescent mental health provision, invest in policing and education and ban advertising on social media platforms that don’t keep people safe. #SocialMediaBan