Important update from TheSchoolRun
For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.
What this means for subscribers:
- Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
- In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
- As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.
A few changes to be aware of:
- The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
- The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.
*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.
Game age ratings and what they mean
How important are age ratings for children’s gaming?
In some ways game classifications are just as important, if not more so, than age ratings for movies.
In a movie rated 18, children may witness adult scenes of violence and sex. In a game that is a PEGI 18, children would not only see these images but have the option to take part via their gaming character.
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Elizabeth Milovidov, Ph.D., J.D., is an eSafety consultant in Europe, an Independent Expert on Digital Parenting and the founder of DigitalParentingCoach.com. “Game age classifications are really crucial for parents to understand the suitability of the game before handing over the latest trendy game," she sayss. "But unfortunately many ratings are ignored because parents don't know or understand the proper age or because there may be some confusion when downloading an app.”
She explains that the PEGI (Pan European Game Information) in Europe and the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) system in the US rate games according to age, content and suitability for young children.
What game classifications mean and what you can expect to see
This rating means the game is suitable for all ages and it shouldn’t have any frightening images or sounds. Mild, comical violence is allowed but no bad language.
Games rated PEGI 3
- Fifa
- Mario Kart
- Rocket League
- Sonic Free Riders
- Pokemon Go
PEGI 7
Games with this rating can include sounds and images that may be frightening to very young children and mild violence is acceptable. Mild violence in this context means implied, non-detailed and non-realistic.
Games rated PEGI 7
- Crash Bandicoot
- Lego Worlds
- Minecraft
- Sonic Unleashed
PEGI 12
Violence gets slightly more graphic in this category, and you may see acts of ‘non-realistic’ violence towards ‘human-like characters’. Sexual innuendos or sexual posturing might also be included in games with this rating. Mild bad language and gambling images/references may also be present.
Games rated PEGI 12
- The Legend of Zelda
- Shadow of the Colossus
- The Sims 4
- Fortnite
PEGI 16
You will find this rating on games that present more realistic, life-like depictions of violence or sexual activity. Bad language is more prevalent and extreme and characters' use of drugs and alcohol may be seen.
Games rated PEGI 16
- Monster Hunter
- EA Sports UFC 3
- PlayerUnknown’s Battleground
PEGI 18
This is an adult classification and a game with this rating may include gross, excessive violence with motiveless killing and/or violence towards innocent characters. Sexual activity and the use of drugs may be glamourised in games with this PEGI rating.
Games rated PEGI 18
- Grand Theft Auto
- Call of Duty
- Fallout 4
- Just Cause 2, 3, and 4
Game content descriptors explained
Remember to keep an eye out for content descriptors that add extra information about the content of games. These come in the form of small images such as a clenched fist to indicate violence or a spider to indicate fear. Become familiar with these symbols and keep an eye out for any added information on game cases/in app stores.
