Mab’s Cross Community Primary School
INTERNET POLICY
School Procedures
Resource Development
In order to match electronic resources as closely as possible to the local and national school curriculum, teachers need to review and evaluate resources in order to offer suitable materials and ‘starting points’ (home pages, favourites, recommended links, etc.) that are appropriate to the age range, interest and ability of the group being taught. The teaching staff should provide appropriate guidance to pupils as they make use of telecommunications and electronic information resources to conduct research and other studies and tasks. All pupils should be informed by staff of their rights and responsibilities as users before their first use, either as an individual user or as a member of a group or class. Regular reminders should also be given.
As much as possible Wigan Education and recognised providers (eg Eduweb, Living Library, BECTA, ‘Wigan Schoolsonline’ etc) organise information resources in such a way that point pupils to those sites/links which have been reviewed and evaluated prior to use. While pupils may be able to move beyond these resources to others which have not been evaluated by staff or recognised providers, they should be provided with guidelines and lists of resources particularly suited to the learning objectives.
Conditions of Internet Use Policy
The school and Governing Body have agreed conditions for Internet Use. These rules and guidelines must be made available to all users in an appropriate format and kept under review. A ‘Conditions of Internet Use’ is attached to this policy.
A copy of the conditions must be distributed to all users and pupils’ parents/guardians and they must sign to acknowledge acceptance of the conditions. A copy of the ‘Conditions of Internet Use’ policy should be displayed in every classroom, staff room and main entrance. All members of staff are responsible for explaining the rules and guidelines and their implications. All members of staff need to be aware of possible misuses of on-line access and their responsibilities towards pupils.
This policy forms part of the school’s ICT policy. Teachers, other staff, pupils and all other users are required to follow all the conditions laid down in the policy. Any breach of these conditions may lead to withdrawal of the user’s access to the Internet and in some instances could lead to further appropriate action. In the case of employees, any breach may also be considered a breach of the employee’s conditions of service which could lead to appropriate disciplinary action including dismissal on grounds of gross misconduct.
Use of the Internet and facilities such as ‘e-mail’ are intended for educational purposes only. It must be recognised that any view communicated over the Internet is deemed to be a view of the school and in some circumstances Wigan Education. Any expression of a personal view about the school or of Wigan Education’s business in an Internet communication must be endorsed to that effect.
Pupils are responsible for good behaviour on the Internet just as they are in a classroom or when representing the school in any way. General school rules apply.
The Internet is provided for pupils to conduct research and communicate with others. Parents/guardians permission is required. Access is seen as a privilege, not a right and that access to the Internet requires responsibility.
Individual users of the Internet are responsible for their behaviour and communications over the network. It is presumed that all users will comply with school guidelines and standards and will honour the agreements they have signed.
Computer storage areas, floppy discs and CD Roms will be treated like any other school property. Staff may review files and communications to ensure that users are using the system responsibly. Users should not expect that files stored on discs, etc. would always be private.
During school, teachers and staff will guide pupils towards appropriate materials. Outside of school, families bear responsibility for such guidance as they must also exercise with information sources such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, telephones, films and other potentially offensive material. Staff must also be careful when setting homework, eg recommending particular sites to investigate or topics to research, etc.
Sanctions for Pupils
If any breach of the conditions of Internet Use takes place this could lead to the following:
- A temporary or permanent ban on Internet use
- Additional disciplinary action may be added in line with the school’s behaviour policy
- When applicable parents/guardians and other external agencies may be contacted
Web Page Policy
A web page can celebrate good work, promote the school, reflect recent and future school events, publish resources for homework or projects, highlight other sites worth visiting and so on. Guidelines are important to ensure that the school’s Web Site reflects the school’s and Wigan Education’s ethos, that information is accurate and appropriate and that pupils are protected.
As the school’s Web Site can be accessed by anyone on the Internet, the security of staff and pupils must be maintained. The publishing of pupils and staff names and photographs that identify individuals on the web may be considered inappropriate, e.g. pupils with complicated family histories. The following rules and guidelines form part of the school’s Internet Policy:
- the Headteacher or his/her representative will have editorial responsibility to ensure that content is accurate and quality of presentation is maintained
- the Web Site will comply with the school’s and the LEAs guidelines for publications
- pupils will be taught to publish for a wide range of audiences which might include Governors, parents, prospective parents, past pupils or young children
- all material must be the author’s own work, credit other work included or accessed and state clearly the author’s identity or status
- the point of contact on the Web Site will be the school address, telephone number, fax number and ‘e-mail’ address
- except in exceptional circumstances, pupils are only referred to be their first names. Most importantly any images of pupils will only be labelled with their first names
pupils and staff should not publish their personal details, home addresses and contact numbers on the web.
M. Wilson 1.11