St Andrew’s School Acceptable Use Policy based on the Acceptable Use Policy of ACITT (formerly the National Association for Co-ordinators and Teachers of ICT, now the Association for ICT in Education) © 1996-97 ACITT ACITT acknowledges the work from Bellingham Public Schools in the US, which formed the initial ideas for the materials. and “Safe Use Of The Internet” © British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) Contents: * Introduction * Parent Permission letter * Parent Permission Form * Guide To The Internet * School Policy * School Procedures * Pupil Guidelines Introduction Use of the Internet by schools is growing rapidly. We are concerned by the problems and issues that have been highlighted by the media. Whilst some of the media interest is hype, there is real cause for concern and this policy document addresses the steps to be taken before allowing pupils access, supervised or unsupervised, to the internet using school equipment. There is no present or future technical solution which can completely guarantee the restriction of pupils to unwanted internet material. Most development work is concentrating on removing access to pornography and even here success is unlikely to be complete. Other areas of unacceptable materials, such as racist, extremist, political or violent material is beyond the scope of most safeguarding programs. In these circumstances it is necessary to treat this as an issue for education and parental involvement. Parents’ permission letter date Dear Parent, Internet Permission Form As part of the school’s ICT programme we offer pupils access to the Internet. Before being allowed to use the Internet, all pupils must obtain parental permission and we ask that both they and you sign and return the enclosed form as evidence of approval and acceptance of the school rules on this matter. You are also asked to give outline permission for images of your child to be displayed on the school’s websites, subject to the conditions set out on the permission form. All pupils in Preps 3 to 6 will be given the opportunity to register with GridClub, the official Department for Education and Skills education site for 7 to 11 year-old children. You are asked to give your permission for this registration. Access to the Internet will enable pupils to explore thousands of libraries, databases, and bulletin boards while exchanging messages with other internet users throughout the world. Our Internet provider operates a fully filtered service which allows access only to suitable sites on the World Wide Web and, during school, teachers will guide pupils towards appropriate materials but families should be warned that some material accessible via the Internet may contain items that are illegal, defamatory, inaccurate or potentially offensive to some people. Whilst our aim for Internet use is to further educational goals and objectives, pupils may find ways to access other materials as well, or may happen upon them by accident. We believe that the benefits to pupils from access to the Internet, in the form of information resources and opportunities for collaboration, exceed any disadvantages. Ultimately, parents and guardians of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their children should follow when using media and information sources. To that end, the school supports and respects each family's right to decide whether or not to apply for access. We would be grateful if you could read the enclosed guidelines and then complete the permission form which follows. If you have any specific questions please do not hesitate to contact the school. Yours sincerely Mrs J E Marsland Headmistress Internet Permission Form Please complete and return this page to your child’s form teacher. Pupil As a school user of the Internet, I agree to comply with the school rules on its use. I will use the network in a responsible way and observe all the restrictions explained to me by the school. Pupil Signature ________________________________ Date: ___/___/___ Name of Pupil (please print) _______________________________ Form: __________ Parent As the parent or person with parental responsibility of the pupil signing above, I grant permission for my son or daughter to use electronic mail and the Internet. I understand that pupils will be held accountable for their own actions. I also understand that some materials on the Internet may be objectionable and I accept responsibility for setting appropriate standards for my daughter or son to follow when selecting, sharing and exploring information and media. Parent Signature _______________________________ Date ___/___/___ As the parent or person with parental responsibility of the pupil signing above, I grant permission for images of my son or daughter to be used on the school web sites at www.standrewsschoolbedford.com and www.st-andrews.beds.sch.uk. I understand that pupils will not be identified individually and that this permission only covers photos of larger groups of pupils – small group or individual photos will not be used without my specific permission. Parent Signature _______________________________ Date ___/___/___ Only for parents of pupils in the Preparatory Department As the parent or person with parental responsibility of the pupil signing above, I grant permission for my son or daughter to be registered for and to use GridClub only whilst that pupil is registered at St Andrew’s School and is in Years 3, 4, 5 or 6. I confirm that I accept the conditions laid down by GridClub. These conditions can be found in detail at www.gridclub.com web site. Parent Signature _______________________________ Date ___/___/___ A parent’s guide to the internet ( What is the internet? The Internet is a large number of computers all over the world linked together. In most cases, each of these computers is also linked locally to a number of other computers, in a local network. It is possible for someone using one of these computers to access information on any of the other computers. This system was established by those working in Universities and Government organisations for the fast and efficient transfer of largely text-based information around the world directly from one computer to another. It is possible for other people, outside these local networks, to connect to the Internet by using standard telephone lines between their computers and those already connected to the Internet. A number of companies specialise in providing this service for a fee. ( What is the World Wide Web? To make the appearance of information available through the internet more attractive, and to assist people in finding information more easily, it is now possible for special pages of information to contain text, colours, and pictures, sound and even video. These pages, collectively, make up what is known as the World Wide Web. Most of these pages include information on the location of other pages on the World Wide Web, and it is possible to follow up links between pages with similar or related content. Moving from one page to another, regardless of where in the world they might be located, is called browsing, or surfing the net or web. Many of these Web pages contain information that may be useful in the classroom, and it is presented in a way which is often easy to use. A number of UK suppliers offer schools the facility of keeping their own pages on the internet. These school “home pages” might describe the school’s activities to outsiders or explain project work that pupils are involved in. ( What is Electronic Mail (E-mail) This is a way of sending messages from one person to another via the Internet. Each internet user has a unique e-mail address (such as anybody@msn.com) and by sending a message to this address, the recipient can read the message the next time he or she connects to the internet. Internet e-mail addresses are usually provided along with a schools’ connection to the internet. ( What are News Groups? These are collections of messages written for public readership rather than addressed to an individual. Each collection, or group, of messages is about a particular subject or theme. Individuals can reply to these messages, and these replies are also public. In this way it is possible to track a multi-way conversation about an important issue of the day. At present there are more than 10,000 different topics available for discussion, from speclialist science research to support groups for asthma to fans of James Bond movies. Most of the press concern for pornography on the Internet refers to newsgroups but they are the easiest for school internet providers to police. ( What are the dangers of the Internet referred to in the media? It is true that there is some material on the Internet that would be offensive to most people, such as pornography, racist and fascist material, and this can be accessed by children if using the internet unsupervised. The main educational providers try to 'filter' known offensive locations of material of this kind, but there is too much for this filtering to be very effective, and the locations change frequently. The only way to block access to this kind of material is to have a restricted range of pages available, in which case many of the advantages of the global and dynamic nature of the internet may be lost. It is a feature of the Internet that the information available is free. Increasing restrictions will undoubtedly lead to systems of charging for access to specific material, in addition to the other costs described. An alternative system is to educate pupils and encourage an acceptable use policy and partnership between home and school in dealing with the less savoury side of internet use. ( How can I get more information? There are many magazines in newsagents that cater for beginners and advanced users of the Internet. If you have any specific questions please contact the school and ask for the ICT Co-ordinator or try the following references: * The Association For ICT in Education 38 Warren Drive, Hornchurch, Essex. RM12 4QY www.acitt.org.uk * The Parents Information Network PO Box 16394, London. SE1 3ZP www.pin-parents.com * The British Educational Communications and Technology Association www.becta.org.uk * The National Grid For Learning www.safety.ngfl.gov.uk * National Children’s Homes www.nchafc.org.uk/internet/default.asp School Policies Pupil access to the Internet Adopted: ___________________ (date) The school encourages use by pupils of the rich information resources available on the internet, together with the development of appropriate skills to analyse and evaluate such resources. These skills will be fundamental in the society our pupils will be entering. On-line services significantly alter the information landscape for schools by opening classrooms to a broader array of resources. In the past, teaching and library materials could usually be carefully chosen. All such materials would be chosen to be consistent with national policies, supporting and enriching the curriculum while taking into account the varied teaching needs, learning styles, abilities and developmental levels of the pupils. Internet access, because it may lead to any publicly available site in the world, will open classrooms to electronic information resources which have not been selected by teachers as appropriate for use by pupils. Electronic information research skills are now fundamental to preparation of citizens and future employees during the coming Information age. The school expects that staff will begin to investigate possibilities and blend use of such information as appropriate within the curriculum and that staff will provide guidance and instruction to pupils in the appropriate use of such resources. Staff will consult the ICT co-ordinator for advice on content, training and appropriate teaching levels consistent with the school’s ICT programme of study. Pupil use of telecommunications and electronic information resources will only be permitted upon submission of permission and agreement forms by parents of pupils and by pupils themselves. Access to on-line resources will enable pupils to explore thousands of libraries, databases, and bulletin boards while exchanging messages with people throughout the world. The school believes that the benefits to pupils from access to information resources and increased opportunities for collaboration exceed the disadvantages. But ultimately, parents and guardians of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their children should follow when using media and information sources. To that end, the school supports and respects each family's right to decide whether or not to apply for independent access. The school’s ICT co-ordinator will prepare appropriate procedures for implementing this policy and for reviewing and evaluating its effect on teaching and learning. Images of Pupils on the School Web Sites Adopted: ___________________ (date) Including images of pupils on the school web sites can be motivating for the pupils involved and provide a good opportunity to promote the work of the school. It is important to balance the potential risks of including images of pupils on the web site against the design principles of creating colourful, attractive and relevant pages, just as the school would do with any publication. When assessing the potential risks in the use of images of pupils, the most important factor is the potential of inappropriate usage of images of children. Providing the name and photograph of a pupil on a web site allows for the possibility of people outside of the school identifying and then contacting pupils directly. Avoiding the use of images of named individuals therefore reduces the risk of unsolicited attention. Guidelines for Development of the School Web Sites 1.Avoid the use of the first name and surname of individuals in a photograph. This reduces the risk of inappropriate, unsolicited attention from people outside the school. The rule which will be applied is: •If the pupil is named, avoid using their photograph. •If the photograph is used, avoid naming the pupil. 2.Parental permission will be sought to use an image of a pupil. This ensures that parents are aware of the way the image of their child is representing the school. A general permission form is included as part of the home/school agreement on Acceptable Use of the Internet. Individual or small group photographs will require specific permission. 3.Photographs of items designed and made in technology lessons, excerpts from written work and scanned images of artwork, for example, will be used, thus allowing pupils to exhibit their work to a wider audience without increasing the risk of inappropriate use of images of pupils. 4.Notwithstanding 2) above, only images of pupils in suitable dress will be used to reduce the risk of inappropriate use. 5.As with any other school property or facilities any misuse in any way of images or communications must be reported to the Headmistress, Deputy Headmistress, ICT Coordinator or any other member of staff. Use of GridClub and Think.com Adopted: ___________________ (date) GridClub is specifically for children between the ages of 7 to 11*, registered for education in England. It is funded by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and is provided by Channel Four Television Corporation ("Channel 4"), in conjunction with Oracle Corporation UK Ltd. ("Oracle") and Intuitive Media Ltd. ("Intuitive Media"). The following is taken from the GridClub School Agreement to be found in full at www.gridclub.com. By registering for GridClub the School agrees with Channel 4 as follows: 1. The School will bring the existence of GridClub to the attention of all teachers and students of years 3 to 6. 2. The School will obtain all necessary parental consent relating to GridClub. If the School already has an “acceptable use” policy in force, it is recommended that GridClub be added as an additional notification. 3. If a parent indicates that there are any clubs or groups that they do not wish their child to join, the School will notify GridClub by either emailing gridclub@channel4.co.uk or writing to GridClub, Channel 4, 4Learning, 124 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2TX. 4. The School agrees to be bound by the GridClub Terms of Use, Rules and Privacy Policy that are all posted on www.gridclub.com. Any modifications to these documents will be binding on the School when posted online. The School also agrees to publicise these documents to teachers, students and those with parental responsibility. 5. Channel 4 may terminate the School’s participation in GridClub and individual students’ GridClub Membership at its own discretion. * "7 to 11 age group" is defined as children in the time range from 1 September after their 6th birthday to 31 July after their 11th birthday. The following is adapted from the Think.com Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Student Consent to be found in full at www.think.com. Consent for Student to Participate in Think.com Schools should aquire and keep on file a signed parental consent form for each student who will be using Think.com. Parents should review the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy (included, in part, below) before signing this form. There is no need to send copies of the parental consent form to Oracle. However it is required, per the "Online Community Agreement", that parental consent forms be kept on file at the school. Think.com is an online collaborative learning community in which users can create, communicate and collaborate in an educational and easy to use environment. It offers students a personal Web page, email account and the ability to interact in local and global communities. Think.com is not open to everyone; membership is restricted to students, teachers, administrators, school guests, and other select educational individuals and organizations. Personal information (e.g., name, grade, school) is collected from users of Think.com. There is detailed information relating how this information is used in the Privacy Policy. Because such information is collected, consent from a parent or legal guardian is required before a minor is allowed to use Think.com. The terms of use of Think.com are as follows: 1. Oracle Has Permission to Show Pupil’s Work – Oracle owns and runs Think.com. To make the site a great place for all members to share, we have to be able to post the work you do on the Web.  Oracle promises not to use your work in any place other than Think.com. 2. No Lies Allowed – You cannot create any content that is false or misleading. 3. Respect Others – You cannot create any content that harasses or invades someone else’s privacy, is hateful or promotes bigotry, or encourages harm against anyone. 4. No Bad Language or Pictures – You cannot post any material that is obscene or offensive. 5. No Borrowing Other People’s Work Without Permission - You cannot create content that violates another's rights, including but not limited to ‘intellectual property rights’.  This means that you should not copy someone else’s work without their permission or use copyrighted material. 6. No Mass E-mails – You cannot send unsolicited commercial email, or any other kind of email that might constitute ‘spam’ or ‘junk mail’. 7. Content Can Be Removed or Changed - You agree that Oracle may decide at any time to:  (a) remove content, information or material from Think.com; or (b) make changes to or discontinue any and all aspects of Think.com. 8. Protect Your Password – You need a password to use Think.com, and you are in charge of keeping that password secret.  Make sure you log out of Think.com when you finish using the site.  If you loose your password, or you think someone else knows’ what your password is, tell your School Manager or Teacher immediately. 9. Protect Your Friend’s Information - As a member of Think.com, you may want to exchange personal information with your friends and teachers.  That is okay, but Oracle does not want you to use the information you get from your friends in any way that breaks the rules you have read about above. 10. Think.com Guests – Sometimes teachers from other schools may visit Think.com to find out how students are using the Internet to learn, which we think is important.  They will contact your school and receive permission from your parents if they ever want to communicate with you or use your work as an example. 11. Account Terminated!  - Oracle can cancel your Think.com account at any time.  If you want to cancel your account, talk to your teacher and they will help you close your account.  Please email thinkcom_ww@oracle.com for more information about canceling your account. 12. Sometimes It’s Better to Tell - If you see or hear something that you think is inappropriate, tell your teacher immediately.  Your teacher is concerned for everyone’s safety on Think.com and will figure out what to do next.  Oracle will not censor or monitor Think.com, but will investigate complaints that are brought to its attention concerning inappropriate use of Think.com.  Your teacher can email thinkcom_ww@oracle.com with any questions or concerns. Think.com is a free service.  Oracle does not have anyone monitoring content and activity on the site.  For that reason, our lawyers put in the following information to make sure you know that Oracle is not responsible for the user activity within Think.com. Disclaimer The content, information or material contained in Think.com may be out of date or include omissions, inaccuracies or other errors. All content, information and material is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Oracle hereby disclaims all warranties with respect to Think.com, whether express or implied, including the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.  Any reliance on the content, information or material contained in Think.com is at your own risk. Limitation of Liability In no event shall Oracle be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or damages for loss of profits, revenue, data or use, incurred by you or any third party, whether in an action in contract or tort, arising from your access to, or use of, Think.com. Indemnity You shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless Oracle, its officers, directors, employees and agents from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses or expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, arising out of or in any way connected with your access to or use of Think.com. Links to Web Sites Think.com may contain hyperlinks to Web sites controlled by parties other than Oracle.  Oracle is not responsible for and does not endorse or accept any responsibility over the content or use of these Web sites.  You should refer to the policies posted by other Web sites regarding privacy and other topics before you use them. Applicable Laws All matters relating to your access to, or use of, this online community shall be governed by U.S. federal law or the laws of the State of California.  Any legal action or proceeding relating to your access to, or use of, this online community shall be instituted in a state or federal court in San Francisco or San Mateo County, California.  You and Oracle agree to submit to the jurisdiction of, and agree that venue is proper in, these courts in any such legal action or proceeding. Copyright © 1999-2001 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.Oracle is a registered trademark, and Think.com is a trademark or registered trademark of Oracle Corporation. School Procedures Resource Development In order to match electronic resources as closely as possible to the national and school curriculum, teachers need to review and evaluate resources in order to offer "home pages" and menus of materials that are appropriate to the age range and ability of the group being taught. The ICT co-ordinator will provide appropriate guidance to pupils as they make use of telecommunications and electronic information resources to conduct research and other studies. All pupils will 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 class or group. As much as possible, the school’s chosen information provider has organised information resources in ways that point pupils to those that have been reviewed and evaluated prior to use. While pupils may be able to move beyond those resources to others that have not been evaluated by staff, they shall be provided with guidelines and lists of resources particularly suited to the learning objectives. Pupils may pursue electronic research independent of staff supervision only if they have been granted parental permission and have submitted all required forms. Permission is not transferable and may not be shared. School Rules The school has developed a set of guidelines for internet use by pupils. These rules will be made available to all pupils, and kept under constant review. All members of staff are responsible for explaining the rules and their implications. All members of staff need to be aware of possible misuses of on-line access and their responsibilities towards pupils. Pupil guidelines for Internet use General Pupils are responsible for good behaviour on the Internet just as they are in a classroom or a school corridor. General school rules apply. The Internet is provided for pupils to conduct research and communicate with others. Parents’ permission is required. Remember that access is a privilege, not a right and that access requires responsibility. Individual users of the Internet are responsible for their behaviour and communications over the network. It is presumed that users will comply with school standards and will honour the agreements they have signed. Staff may review files and communications to ensure that users are using the system responsibly. Users should not expect that files stored on servers or disks will always be private. During school, teachers will guide pupils toward appropriate materials. The following are not permitted: * Sending or displaying offensive messages or pictures * Using obscene language * Harassing, insulting or attacking others * Damaging computers, computer systems or computer networks * Violating copyright laws * Using others' passwords * Trespassing in others' folders, work or files * Intentionally wasting limited resources Sanctions Violations of the above rules will result in a temporary or permanent ban on Internet use. Additional disciplinary action may be added in line with existing practice on inappropriate language or behaviour. When applicable, police or local authorities may be involved.