Pupils from Tullibody’s St Serf’s Primary School were among the winners of a Central E-Safety Partnership song-writing competition.

Earlier in February, the partnership launched its competition for youngsters aged eight-18, who had to express how they can make the internet a safer place with the power of music. Over 250 pupils from various schools around the Forth Valley entered.

The winners were announced earlier this month with an awards ceremony at the Tullibody school last Friday (19 June).

Minister for Children and Young People, MSP Fiona McLeod was at the school to present certificates to the winners, whose songs will be professionally recorded by Falkirk band Rock the Talk.

The MSP told the Advertiser: “It is so exciting to be a part of such a positive event. But a positive event, with a very serious message.” “The power of information for individuals, to get on in their lives, is so important. That’s why we teach our young folk to access, assess and utilise information. [Online you get] more information, but also you’ve got to be able to be sure that information is safe, correct and not intimidating.

“Different bits of the internet are bothering [this young age group] and different bits of the internet excite them and they are learning from each other. In doing the songs, they are using a medium that young folk understand, enjoy and participate in.

“It’s [about] getting that message out there – the internet is fun, but let’s stay safe.

“Using things like the Central E-Safety Partnership we are bringing education, police and different youth work together so we are making sure that these messages are across the generations. It is not just about young folk, it’s about the youngsters teaching their parents, grandparents and carers.

“These partnerships that we are building up through the national stakeholders group are important to make sure that across agencies, across ages and across the country [the messages are heard], because the internet has no boundaries, it has no geography.” The MSP added that it is important that the partnerships are up to date because modern technology moves so fast that it is “not between generations that our understanding changes it is almost between years that something new comes along”.

All the winning children - the P5 class of St Serf’s, four S2 pupils from Falkirk’s Braes High School as well as two P7 children from Stirling’s East Plean Primary School – received certificates and small gifts and all schools were gifted a mobile tablet device.

Also presenting at the awards, partnership chair PC Fiona Murphy of Police Scotland, explained why it is crucial to promote online safety. She told the Advertiser: “The world that [children] live in now is very much about technology, it is a whole part of their life.

“[The internet] can’t be seen as a different place, it is a place like everywhere else like school or like when they are hanging out with their pals. The behaviour that is not acceptable there, is not acceptable online, because it is just a place.

“The whole point of the competition was to get young people to start thinking about it and actually influence their peers by writing about their experiences and about what they see as the risks and how they see they can keep themselves safe.

“This allows us to do work with young people and actually learn from them as well.” The partnership began in 2010 and the chair said since then agencies were able to better engage with young and older people using online technology. She added: “We were able to engage with communities that are actually harder to reach. We reached individuals and groups at schools etc. who had some input and inspiration in relation to online activity.

“I think [the participation in the competition] was fantastic. Two-hundred and fifty kids across Forth Valley, each expressing themselves with music and song-writing, I think shows just how positive our young people are, and actually how we should be using them to work with all sorts of groups.”