Alexander Hosea Primary School E-Safety Policy

Introduction

The Internet offers great experiences for adults and children. There are opportunities to improve your life, have some fun, enhance your education or pursue business interests. Nowadays, young people are often enthusiastic Internet users - particularly of interactive services like: Email, Chat and Instant Messaging. However, like many exciting activities, there are risky situations to deal with and hazards to avoid.

Aims

Why Internet use is important

The Internet is an essential element in 21st century life for education, business and social interaction. The school has a duty to provide children with quality Internet access as part of their learning experience.   Internet use is a part of the statutory curriculum and a necessary tool for staff and pupils.

Internet use will enhance learning

The school Internet access is designed expressly for pupil use and includes filtering appropriate to the age of pupils.   Pupils will be taught what Internet use is acceptable and what is not and given clear objectives for Internet use.   Pupils will be educated in the effective use of the Internet in research, including the skills of knowledge location, retrieval and evaluation.

Pupils will be taught how to evaluate Internet content

The school will ensure that the use of Internet derived materials by staff and pupils complies with copyright law.  Pupils should be taught to be critically aware of the materials they read and shown how to validate information before accepting its accuracy.

Guidelines and Expectations

Managing Internet Access

Information system security

School ICT systems capacity and security will be reviewed regularly with our service provider.

Virus protection is updated regularly.

Advice on security strategies will be monitored and discussed with our service provider.

E-mail

Pupils may only use approved e-mail accounts on the school system and email usage should be supervised and monitored by a staff member.

Pupils must immediately tell a teacher if they receive offensive e-mail.

Pupils must not reveal personal details of themselves or others in e-mail communication, or arrange to meet anyone without specific permission.

E-mail sent to an external organisation should be written carefully and authorised before sending, in the same way as a letter written on school headed paper.

The forwarding of chain letters is not permitted.

Published content and the school web site

The contact details on the Web site should be the school address, e-mail and telephone number. Staff or pupils' personal information will not be published.

The head teacher will take overall editorial responsibility and ensure that content is accurate and appropriate.

Publishing pupil's images and work

Photographs that include pupils will be selected carefully. 

Pupils' full names will not be used anywhere on the Web site, particularly in association with photographs.

Written permission from parents or carers will be obtained before photographs of pupils are published on the school Web site.

Pupil's work can only be published with the permission of the pupil and parents.

Social networking and personal publishing

The school will block/filter access to social networking sites.

Newsgroups will be blocked unless a specific use is approved. Pupils will be advised never to give out personal details of any kind that may identify them or their location. 

Pupils and parents will be advised that the use of social network spaces outside school is inappropriate for primary aged pupils.

Managing filtering

The school will work with the LA, DCSF, SWGFL and the Internet Service Provider to ensure systems to protect pupils are reviewed and improved.

If staff or pupils discover an unsuitable site, it must be reported to the ICT Coordinator.

ICT Coordinator will ensure that regular checks are made to ensure that the filtering methods selected are appropriate, effective and reasonable.

Managing videoconferencing

When this becomes available within the school, videoconferencing will use the educational broadband network to ensure quality of service and security rather than the Internet. 

Pupils will be required to gain permission from the supervising teacher before making or answering a videoconference call.

Videoconferencing will be appropriately supervised for the pupils' age.

Managing emerging technologies

Emerging technologies will be examined for educational benefit and a risk assessment will be carried out before use in school is allowed.

Mobile phones will not be used during lessons or formal school time. The sending of abusive or inappropriate text messages is forbidden.

Protecting personal data

Personal data will be recorded, processed, transferred and made available according to the Data Protection Act 1998.

Policy Decisions

Authorising Internet access

All staff must read and sign the ‘Acceptable Use Agreement' before using any school ICT resource. (See Appendix C)

All parents will be asked to sign and return the ‘Pupil Acceptable Use Agreement and E-Safety Rules' and internet consent form. (See Appendix B)

The school will keep a record of all staff and pupils who are granted Internet access. The record will be kept up-to-date, for instance, a member of staff may leave or a pupil's access be withdrawn.

For Key Stage 1, access to the Internet will be by adult demonstration with occasional directly supervised access to specific, approved on-line materials.

Assessing risks

The school will take all reasonable precautions to ensure that users access only appropriate material. However, due to the international scale and linked nature of Internet content, it is not possible to guarantee that unsuitable material will never appear on a school computer. Neither the school nor SGCC can accept liability for the material accessed, or any consequences of Internet access. 

The school will audit ICT provision to establish if the E-safety policy is adequate and that its implementation is effective.

Handling E-safety complaints

Complaints of Internet misuse will be dealt with by a senior member of staff and noted on the incidents of misuse form. (See Appendix A)

Any complaint about staff misuse must be referred to the head teacher.

Complaints of a child protection nature must be dealt with in accordance with school child protection procedures. 

Pupils and parents will be informed of the complaints procedure.

Discussions will be held with the Police Youth Crime Reduction Officer to establish procedures for handling potentially illegal issues.

Communications Policy

Introducing the E-safety policy to pupils

E-safety rules will be posted in all networked rooms and discussed with the pupils at the start of each year.

Pupils will be informed that network and Internet use will be monitored.

Staff and the E-Safety policy

All staff will be given the School E-Safety Policy and its importance explained.

Staff should be aware that Internet traffic can be monitored and traced to the individual user.  Discretion and professional conduct is essential.

Enlisting parents' support

Parents' attention will be drawn to the School E-Safety Policy in newsletters, the school brochure and on the school Web site.

Our E-safety policy has been written by the school, building on the SWGFL policy and government guidance.

Policy written- July 2009                                                   Robert Cockle