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  • Why write an e-safety policy?
  • What is e-safety?
  • How do I use the policy template and online generator?
  • Statement of authority
  • Responsibilities of school staff
  • Routes to e-safety - primary pupils
  • Routes to e-safety – secondary pupils
  • e-Safety for vulnerable children and young people
  • Response to an incident of concern
  • School responsibilities
  • Use of Social Media Tools as a school or establishment
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  • Notes on the legal framework
  • e-Safety Contacts, Resources and References
  • Acknowledgements
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  • Register to use
  • Information on how to get an account
  • Icons and symbols

Routes to e-safety – secondary pupils

The safe and effective use of the Internet is an essential life-skill, required by all students and staff. Unmediated Internet access brings with it the possibility of placing students in embarrassing, inappropriate and even dangerous situations. Schools need to write and implement a policy to ensure responsible ICT use and the safety of students in consultation with staff, parents, governors and students. The e-Safety Policy should work in conjunction with other school policies including Behaviour, Anti-Bullying and Curriculum planning.

 In writing their e-Safety Policies, secondary schools should consider these issues:

Guided educational use

Internet use produces significant educational benefits including access to information from around the world and the ability to communicate and publish widely. Internet use should be planned, task-orientated and educational. It should take place within a regulated and managed environment in order to enrich and extend learning activities. Directed and successful Internet use will also reduce the opportunities for activities of little education value. Staff should guide students in on-line activities that will support the learning outcomes planned for the students’ age and maturity.

Risk assessment

21st century life presents dangers including violence, racism and exploitation from which children and young people need to be reasonably protected. At an appropriate age and maturity they will need to learn to recognise and avoid these risks — to become “Internet-wise”.

Schools need to perform risk assessments to ensure that they are fully aware of and can mitigate risks of Internet use. Students need to know how to cope if they come across inappropriate material or situations.

Students may access the Internet in Youth Clubs, Libraries, public access points and at home. Ideally a similar approach to risk assessment and e-Safety would be taken in each of these locations. Schools may decide to take a lead in their local area.

Responsibility

e-Safety depends on schools, staff, governors, parents and the students themselves taking responsibility for their actions online. Staff have a particular responsibility to supervise students, plan access and be an appropriate role model. The balance between educating students to take a responsible approach and the use of regulation must be judged carefully.

Regulation

The use of the Internet requires regulation. In some cases, access within schools must simply be denied, for instance un-moderated chat rooms present immediate dangers and are usually banned. Fair rules, clarified by discussion, which are prominently displayed at the point of access, will help students make responsible decisions. Schools may wish to engage students in devising their own rules for responsible Internet use.

Students need to be taught what is acceptable and what is not, and to be given clear objectives for Internet use.

The school should keep an up-to-date record of access levels granted to all network users. Parents should be informed that students will be provided with supervised Internet access and parents and students should sign an acceptable use agreement. Senior staff are responsible for checking that filtering and monitoring is appropriate, effective and reasonable. Technical staff should not take the responsibility for educational or disciplinary issues.

Appropriate Internet Access Strategies

There are no straightforward or totally effective solutions and staff, parents and the students themselves must remain vigilant. The school should take all reasonable precautions to ensure that users access only appropriate material. Internet access and monitoring strategies will be selected by the school, in discussion with the filtering or Internet service provider where appropriate. The access strategy should be matched to the age, maturity and curriculum requirements of the student.

However, due to the international scale and connected nature of Internet content, it is impossible to guarantee that unsuitable material will never appear on a school computer or network.

Principles behind Internet use

The purpose of Internet use in school is to raise educational standards, to promote student achievement, to support the professional work of staff and to enhance the school’s management information and business administration systems. Internet access is an entitlement for students who show a responsible and mature approach to its use. The school has a duty to provide students with safe and secure Internet access as part of their learning experience.

e-Safety education

Students will need to be educated in the responsible and safe use of the Internet and other technologies through a range of strategies including:

• Think U Know training which is provided by the CFE e-Safety Officer or other CEOP ambassadors.

• The Becta publication “Signposts to Safety: Teaching e-Safety at Key Stage 3 and 4” discusses in detail how e-Safety themes and ideas can be integrated with subjects across the curriculum.

• Reactive discussion when a suitable opportunity occurs.

• A range of appropriate materials are available via the Kent Trust Web site: See www.kenttrustweb.org.uk?esafety

Schools should ensure that the use of resources by staff and students complies with copyright law. Students should be made aware of plagiarism and issues relating to work research being undertaken for coursework.

Staff and students should be trained to become critically aware of the materials they read online and be shown how to validate information before accepting its accuracy. Students should be taught to acknowledge the author of the information used and to respect copyright when using material from the Internet in their own work.

Staff and student electronic communications

Staff and students need to understand that the use of the school’s network is a privilege which can be removed should a good reason arise. The school may monitor all network and Internet use in order to ensure student safety.

All users should be expected to adhere to the generally accepted rules of network etiquette (netiquette). These include but are not limited to the following:

• Be polite.

• Use appropriate language.

• Do not use abusive language in your messages to others.

• Do not reveal the address, phone number or other personal details of yourself or other users.

• Do not use the network in such a way that would disrupt the use of the network by other users.

• Know that illegal activities are strictly forbidden and may be reported to the authorities.

• Note that email is not guaranteed to be private.

• Know that system administrators monitor and have access to all email.

• Never share passwords with others.

Using new technologies in education

New technologies should be examined for educational benefit and a risk assessment carried out before use in school is allowed. Secondary schools (and certainly their students) are at the forefront of a huge range of new technologies and learning opportunities. This includes:

• Mobile phones may come with Internet, Bluetooth connectivity and a camera.

• New virtual learning environments such as Kent Learning Zone, Moodle and Becta approved learning platforms.

• The use of games and simulations to develop thinking skills.

• Internet voice and messaging systems such as Skype and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).

• Digital storytelling and online publication such as Blogging, Wikis, Microsites.

• Podcasting, broadcasting and recording lessons.

• Digital video and video conferencing.

Page last updated: 06/05/2010

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