Introduction

The internet is an essential element of 21^st century life for education, business and social interaction. The school has a duty to provide pupils with quality but safe Internet access as part of their learning experience.

This policy outlines our purpose in accessing the internet and explains how our school is seeking to avoid the potential problems that internet access could give rise to.

 

Ensuring Internet access is appropriate and safe

In common with other media such as magazines, books and video, some material available on the Internet is unsuitable for pupils. The school will take every practical measure to ensure that children do not encounter upsetting, offensive or otherwise inappropriate material on the internet. The following key measures have been adopted to help ensure that our pupils are not exposed to unsuitable material:

 

Our internet access has a filtering system which prevents access to material unsuitable for children, this filtering system is designed by educators to suit the age and curriculum requirements of our pupils.

The school will work with Kirklees to ensure that systems to protect pupils are reviewed and improve.

Children using the internet will be working in the classroom or computer suite and will be under the supervision of an adult at all times.

Staff will use their professional judgement and check that the sites pre-selected for pupil access are appropriate to the age and maturity of pupils.

Hector the Protector is installed onto all children’s desktops and they are taught how to use this facility.

Staff will report any unsuitable sites to the ICT coordinator.

 

 

Maintaining the security of the school ICT network

Security is maintained by up to date virus protection, checked regularly by our contracted Technician.

 

Teaching e-safety

Year three are taught about responsible internet when they join the school, these lessons are aimed to raise the awareness and importance of safe and responsible internet use. They must sign a ‘Responsible Use’ contract, as do their parents. Parents’ attention will be drawn to the schools Responsible Internet Use policy in newsletters and via the school website. Responsible Internet Use posters will be clearly posted in areas with internet access.

 

Different ways of accessing information from the Internet are used depending upon the nature of the material being accessed and the age of the pupils:

Access to the internet may be by teacher (or sometimes other adult) demonstration.

Pupils may be given a suitable web page or a single web site to access.

Pupils may be provided with lists of relevant and suitable web sites which they may access.

Pupils will be educated in taking responsibility for their own Internet access.

 

Using information from the Internet

When copying form the internet, pupils and staff are taught to observe copyright.

 

Using e-mail

Pupils learn how to use an e-mail application in year 3 and are taught e-mail conventions. The package that they use does not permit external e-mails. External e-mails are not facilitated at all by the pupils at our school.

 

Website

Images that include pupils will be selected carefully and will not enable individual pupils to be clearly identified

Pupils’ full names will not be used anywhere on the website, particularly in association with photographs

Work will only ever be published with the permission of the pupil and parent

 

Reviewing the Policy

This policy will be reviewed in three years.