Stay Safe on the Internet                                                            Back

E- SAFETY POLICY

 RATIONALE

To create an ICT learning environment which allows an effective range of technological tools to be used safely by children, staff and parents/carers. E-Safety encompasses Internet technologies and electronic communications such as: mobile phones, collaboration tools and personal publishing.

It highlights the need to educate children, staff and parents/carers about the benefits and risks of using technology and provides safeguards and awareness for users to enable them to control their online experience.

 

AIMS

  • To provide a clear comprehensive procedure for ICT use within the school and Children’s Centre.
  • To ensure all Internet use is safe, protecting the anonymity of the users.
  • To ensure cyber-bllying and harassment does not occur.

 

PROCEDURE

E-Safety depends on effective practice at a number of levels:

  • Responsible ICT use by all staff and students
  • Sound implementation of e-safety policy in both administration and curriculum.
  • Safe and secure broadband including the effective management of a filter.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

  • The Internet is an essential element for education, business and social interaction. The school has a duty to provide students 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.
  • The school Internet access is designed for child use and includes filtering appropriate to the age of children.
  • Children will be taught what Internet use is acceptable and given clear objectives for Internet use.
  • Children will be educated in the effective use of the Internet in research
  • Coppetts Wood Primary School and Children’s Centre will ensure that the use of Internet derived materials by staff and children complies with copyright law.

MANAGING INTERNET ACCESS

  • Internet Access will be managed in accordance with Coppetts Wood Primary School and Children’s Centre ICT Security Policy and will be reviewed regularly.
  • Virus protection is updated regularly.

 

E-MAIL

  • Children may only use approved e-mail accounts on the school system.
  • Children must immediately tell a teacher if they receive an offensive e-mail.
  • Children must not reveal personal details of themselves or others in email 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.

 

PUBLISHED CONTENT AND THE SCHOOL WEB SITE

  • Staff or children’s personal contact details information will not be published on the school and Children’s Centre websites.
  • The Head Teacher will take overall editorial responsibility and ensure that content is accurate and appropriate.
  • Children’s full names will not be used anywhere on the websites particularly in association with photographs.
  • Written permission from parents/carers will be obtained before photographs of children are published on the school or Children’s Centre websites.
  • Children’s work is only published with the permission of the child and Parent/carers.

 

SOCIAL NETWORKING AND PERSONAL PUBLISHING

  • Coppetts Wood Primary School and Children’s Centre will block/filter access to social networking sites.
  • Newsgroups will be blocked unless a specific use is approved.
  • Children are advised to never give out personal details of any kind which may identify them or their location.
  • Children and parents/carers will be advised that the use of social network spaces outside school is inappropriate for primary aged pupils.

 

MANAGING FILTERING

  • Coppetts Wood Primary School and Children’s Centre will work with the Local Authority, DCFS and the Internet Service Provider to ensure systems to protect children are reviewed and improved.
  • If staff or children discover an unsuitable site, it must be reported to the named e-Safety person.
  • The Senior Management Team will ensure that regular checks are made to ensure that the filtering methods selected are appropriate, effective and reasonable.

 

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

  • Mobile phones are not to be used during school hours.
  • The sending of abusive or inappropriate text messages is forbidden.
  • Emerging technologies will be examined for educational benefit and a risk assessment will be carried out before use in the school or Children’s Centre is allowed.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

PROTECTING PERSONAL DATA

Personal data will be recorded, processed, transferred and made available

according to the Data Protection Act 1998.

 

ICT ACCESS

  • All staff will be given the School e-Safety Policy and its importance explained.
  • All staff or parental/carer users will be given the Security of ICT policy before Internet Use.
  • Children’s access to the Internet will be under adult supervision at all times.
  • Everyone will be made aware that Internet traffic can be monitored and
  • traced to the individual user
  • E-safety rules will be posted in all rooms where there is computer access and discussed with the children at the start of each year.
  • School children will be informed that network and Internet use will be monitored.
  • Children’s Centre Parents/carers will be informed that network and Internet use will be monitored.
  • Parents/carers’ attention will be drawn to the School e-Safety Policy in newsletters and on the school and Children’s Centre Web site.
  • Parents/carers will be asked to sign and return a Internet access consent form.
  • Coppetts Wood Primary School and Children’s Centre 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 or Children’s Centre computer. Neither Coppetts Wood Primary School and Children’s Centre nor the Local Authority can accept liability for the material accessed, or any consequences of Internet access.
  • Complaints of Internet misuse will be dealt with by the Head Teacher.
  • The leadership team undertake an e-Safety audit each year to assess whether the e-safety basics are in place

E-Safety Officer

Coppetts Wood Primary School and Children’s Centre has appointed ANGELA DEFOE to co-ordinate e-Safety.

 

                                                                                                                      Policy Date: July 2009

                                                                                                                      Review Date: July 2011