Sparklebox

[Upsy Daisy]

There's a thread on Mumsnet at the moment about this which includes some teachers saying they use it and have never been aware of the problem.

 

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1745141-AIBU-to-ask-my-sons-nursery-to-stop-using-Sparklebox-resources?pg=1

Can anyone share any LA or EYA advice they have received about this?

Is it seriously still being run by a convicted paedophile who was using malware to get photos of children through the site?

 

I haven't clicked on the site itself because I certainly don't want to give them any extra revenue.

Edited May 2, 2013 by Upsy Daisy

[Rea]

http://eyfs.info/forums/topic/30205-sparklebox-yesno/?fromsearch=1

 

There are discussions linked in here. I certainly wouldn't use it and never have.

[sunnyday]

Oh dear - reading all of that (the mumsnet thread) led to some very deep sighs.......

[louby loo]

Off to read the mumsnet link now, but I was wondering about whether it's 'safe' now. We were told by out LA not to use it- but have noticed it creeping back into schools so I was beginning to think it may have been sold on.

 

I refuse to even visit site - as I know at one point (may even still be happening) that he still got the revenue from the adds etc.

[louby loo]

Well I read the thread and got my answer .

 

Thanks for bringing this back up.. Upsy Daisy.

 

(although I am now going to try and find you on mumsnet - I shall be forever thinking is that Upsy??? ::1a )

 

xx

[Guest]

Was told that someone else runs it now so it shouldn't be an issue..... still doesn't sit comfortably with me though......

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8462650.stm

 

 

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6033403

[Guest tinkerbell]

I wouldn't use any Sparklebox resources and have not visited the site since the original conviction of the owner.I have thrown away all the resources I made and if I see any resources in schools that I visit I give the teacher a list of other sites they could use instead.

[narnia]

If it has been sold on, wouldn't you assume that the new owner would change the name? After all, who would want to be associated, in any way, shape or form, with a convicted paedophile?

[louby loo]

according to the mumsnet link, on which someone has put anotherr link (to companies house or similar) - he does still own the site.

[Upsy Daisy]

I guess if he keeps the site going for long enough people will forget and the advertising revenue will keep rolling in.

 

Shame.

 

I do have to confess to having had a little giggle at the comment about the film, The Nativity, being full of Sparklebox resources! Someone didn't do their homework properly there!

[Fredbear]

Sorry but cannot, will not use this site ever again,who ever owns it.

[narnia]

no, neither will I........BUT, here's one to think about: we ordered a resource box on loan from our local fire station. It's lovely, full of really nice tings.........including a 'teachers resource folder' which contains LOTS of beautifully laminated pictures, all of which have been downloaded from Sparklebox!!

I telephoned them :

' hello, just wanted to thank you for the lovely resource box'

oh thankks, yes, we're really pleased with it, so I am glad you like it'

'yes............err.........just one thing.......the teachers resource file......'

'oh yes, that, we're very pleased with it, lots of very valuable things in there, we get good feedback about that'

ah, well......um, do you KNOW who produces the images you are using?'

'oh yes!! Lovely, aren't they?? company called spaklebox, really great stuff'

' um yes, they ARE nice.............what do you know about sparklebox?'

'well, they produce all these resources, and lots of educators use them...........'

'ok, but do you know that it is run by a convicted paedophile?? That he gets an income from the advertisers who use the site??'

'oh my god!! No!! oh my god!'

'yup............but don't just take my word for it, google it and all the informationyu need will come up. We scrapped loads of pages of stuff because we felt we couldn't morally have anything to do with this company'

'oh my god................thankyou, no one has mentioned this before. I am going to have to recall ALL of the boxes and get this stuff out of them. thank you!'

Our LEA wrote to all groups in our county...........our village school has ignored it; the other settingin the village has ignored it.............we took action immediately and dumped the whole lot. Can not, will not, have anything to do, even innocently, anything to do with this vilest of men.

[Rea]

Apart from anything else, someone asked on here why would you want your resources to be the same as every other setting? What about individuality?

[Guest]

Our local authority banned the use of it soon after the conviction of the owner and our network has banned it for years and I would not use it again. However we had years upon years of resources downloaded and laminated from the site, it would cost a fortune to replace the lot so it is a gradual process of replacing with similar -usually from twinkl.

Debx

[narnia]

I also had lots of stuff that I had carefully and expensively laminated..........................and every single item went in the bin as soon as I found out. I reaised I had spent a lot of time and money...ink, laminating pouches etc..........but I could not have anything by this person in my setting. As I am the decision maker, it might have been easier for me I guess, but no, not in my setting thankyou. Some things are much more important than cost. This is one of those things

[HappyMaz]

I'm with you there narnia - I know I'm a bit more sensitive than most about this issue, but I feel very uncomfortable when I'm in a setting with his resources on display. I have written to our head of Early Years several times and whilst they have expressed concern, to my knowledge nothing has ever been said to local childcare providers. Perhaps finleysmaid can confirm that?

 

I also complained when I went on a training course at a local Children's Centre because the family noticeboard was plastered with it and it made me feel sick to have to sit and look at it.

 

This does make it a bit awkward now that I'm thinking of looking for a job again: I should put it on my CV. Early Years Professional. Available for part-time/volunteer position. No Sparklebox users need apply.

 

Is that discriminatory?

[Rea]

Is that discriminatory?

 

 

Not at all. People who are happy to fund a convicted paedophile have a strange way of thinking in my opinion.

I know one.

A friends father and he keeps (or kept) asking to be a friend on FB. Some people we know have allowed him I think in some part due to our friend, but I cannot fathom why loyalty to a friend would include accepting his dad especially knowing his history.

Makes me shudder and you know the way your face wrinkles when you smell something really nasty, thats what I'm doing now just thinking about the man.

We need to have priorities and funding someone who may use that money for unspeakable crimes is not one of mine.

[Guest]

I sometimes feel I am on a one woman mission to remove it all in my LA. My niece goes to a preschool (I'd say perfectly lovely but I have a few issues with them at present!) and whenever she comes home with resources sourced from their I print her some alternatives and tell her to take them in to show the 'aunties'. And my last teaching position had loads of the stuff up on display so I removed the lot and replaced it with my versions from a variety of websites and more importantly from the children. I've no doubt now I've left it will be back but at least it made a difference for a while. Incidentally this is in a LA that banned it and wrote to every school and PVI provider to inform them so.

[Rea]

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6041853

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/e-safety/74181-sparklebox-update.html

 

http://www.deni.gov.uk/ministers-statement-sparklebox-080210-english-2.pdf

 

http://companycheck.co.uk/company/06164228

[Inge]

and it makes me wonder if there re any other sites not known to be owned by him and earning him a good income ... the company website tht Rea posted showd a very good income from Sparklebox over last eyer.. imagine how much this could actually be..

how anyone could feel comfortable using these resources really does worry me.. particularly those working with children..

 

ignore my bad spellin.. red has kicked in, not had a drink for ages and seems one glass is too much now...

Edited May 3, 2013 by Inge

[Rea]

While I was finding those sites I read plenty of comments mostly from teachers who didn't see a problem with using the site. It saved them time and the letters and sounds stuff couldn't be found anywhere else. Maybe his is something we could ask our MPs to look into. It rather makes my recent email to my MP about Ms Truss a bit lame now.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Rea

[Greenfinch]

Can anyone recommend good sites to look for resources please?Haven't used sbox but would be intested to see most popular sites used.

[HappyMaz]

Greenfinch I quite like teachers pet. They have a facebook page as well as a website, I think. I'm well out of the pre-school loop now so I can't say what their resources are like now.

 

I have to say though, that the best display resources we had were the ones we made in the setting, sometimes featuring our children and sometimes made by them.

 

However, the ones you can buy or download are so convenient and sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day to do it all yourself. So I can understand why hard pressed teaching and support staff rely on them, but not after they know and understand what Mr Sparklebox has done.

 

I am always suspicious if I can't see who owns the website when looking at online suppliers of resources such as these. In these cases, doing a 'whois' search is always a good idea.

[Guest]

Using Maz's technical know how there I've tried to see if it is possible to search for other domains owned by him, but I'm not having success. Might be the wine I've drunk though.

[HappyMaz]

I tried that too, holly but I think it is just best to search each domain name we know to be sure it doesn't belong to him rather than do a global search for all his domain names. That's probably too big and complicated a job for google! Enjoy your wine - in fact could you have a glass for me please?

[HappyMaz]

Mr Sparklebox also has a twitter account. https://twitter.com/sparklebox

 

2,179 followers.

[Rea]

oh heck and fire!!

[sunnyday]

So that means he is not in prison???

[HappyMaz]

I imagine that he has been out of prison for some time, sunny. He was sentenced in January 2010 for twelve months, and I don't suppose he even served his whole sentence.

[sunnyday]

I imagine that he has been out of prison for some time, sunny. He was sentenced in January 2010 for twelve months, and I don't suppose he even served his whole sentence.