Every Child Deserves to Be the Best They Can Be s1

‘Every child deserves to be the best they can be’

Website Content Policy and Guidance Note

Introduction

This document outlines EMLC Academy Trust’s Website Content Policy. It also provides advice and guidance on how to use the academy’s website effectively. Appendix One provides a checklist of documents required to be published online.

Regulations no longer require schools to publish a prospectus and have a curriculum policy, thus avoiding duplication of effort and unnecessary cost.Instead, schools will be required to publish key information online. Academies are already required to publish much of the above information through their Funding Agreements and the Independent Schools Regulations. Information is also published centrally by the DfE. This includes a school’s SEND Policy, approach to the Curriculum, arrangements for Admissions, Discipline and Exclusions, Behaviour and Anti-Bullying Policy, as well as the results of attainment tests and public examinations.

Funding Agreements also require academies to publish the same information as maintained schools, including their Pupil Premium allocation, spend and impact on attainment.

The benefits of having an academy website

Each academy website highlights the academy’s work and will aid the following:

·  Marketing: To promote the academy, increase admissions and share pupils’ achievements, especially within its catchment area;

·  Publishing children’s work: Publishing high-quality materials that can be seen by teachers, parents, other pupils and people all over the world motivates and develops pupils’ self-esteem;

·  As a learning experience: When pupils are involved in web publishing they learn to work creatively with text, graphics and sound, and develop their ICT skills in a meaningful, collaborative context;

·  Sharing resources: Documents that are produced electronically can be made available on the website for pupils, teachers and parents at any time in any location;

·  Communication: The website can be a way of involving parents, carers and the community in children’s learning. Communication can be a two-way process if visitors are offered the opportunity to get in touch with the academy via the academy’s enquiries e-mail address or to submit their views on academy activities / policies.

Required Content

i.  Contact details

The academy contact details should be clearly displayed, with a link on each page to the Contact Us section which includes the following information:

·  Academy name

·  Address

·  Postal address

·  Name of principal

·  Name and address of Chair of LGB

·  Name of SENCO

·  Full Trust contact details

·  Phone number (with telephone opening times)

·  Fax number

·  General enquiries email address and name

·  A clear and easily readable map (preferably Google)

It is required that the name of the academy secretary or whoever will answer the phone is also displayed

ii.  About the academy

Principal’s welcome

A welcome note from the Principal must be included on the website. The welcome should clearly display the Principal’s name with first name or initial (Mrs J Smith or Mr Richard Jones), a clear professional photo of the Principal and the up-to-date welcome note.

Sponsor’s welcome

A welcome note from the Chief Executive of EMLC Academy Trust will be provided on request, as a welcome from the sponsor.

Academy Vision

The academy website should include a statement about the academy’s vision – its aims and values.

Academy dates and timetables

The following should also be included on the academy website:

·  Term dates for the next two years;

·  Times of school day, lessons and assemblies;

·  Holidays in Term Time Policy and application forms;

·  Complaints Policy;

·  Newsletter and copies of letters to parents;

·  Link to academy social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter (if applicable);

·  Link to Parent View (Picture links available from Ofsted for a Parent View logo).

The following are required by legislation to be published online:

·  Pupil Premium Statement - Details of the academy’s Pupil Premium allocation and plans to spend it in the current year; summary of eligible pupil barriers; how and why allocations will be spent; how impact will be measured; date of next review of Pupil Premium strategy; and, for the previous year, a statement of how the money was spent and the impact that it had on educational attainment of those pupils at the academy in respect of whom grant funding was allocated, including disadvantaged children;

·  Curriculum Overview - Content of the academy’s curriculumin every year for every subject, , list of courses available at KS4, including GCSE, approvcah to the curriculum, how to find out more information

·  Approach to Reading - The academy’s approach to the teaching of reading, including whether reading is taught through systematic synthetic phonics, along with details of the academy’s reading schemes (for KS1);

·  Admissions Policy - Full details or links to admission arrangements, including the academy’s selection and oversubscription criteria, statement of the academy’s current published admission number (PAN) and the academy’s process for applications through the local authority;

·  Complaints Policy and Procedure – All academies are required to publish their procedure to deal with complaints relating to the school and to any community facilities or services the school provides; details of contact person

·  Charging and Remissions Policy - Details of all the circumstances under which the academy will make charges, and the levels of such charges for academy activities and academy visits;

·  Behaviour Policy – Lists the rules of conduct for pupils before and after school as well as during the school day and is supported by the behaviour principles, including self-discipline and respect for authority, promoting good behaviour and respect, anti-bullying strategy, securing acceptable standards of behaviour, securing completion of work, rules and provision for disciplinary penalties, exclusion arrangements;

·  Written policy on behaviour principles – The policy which sets out sanctions against pupils who misbehave;

·  SEN and Disability Policy - information about implementation of policy for SEND pupils, links to local offer, proportion of SEN support and EHCP pupils compared with national averages, any additional resourced provision, admission arrangements for SEND, steps taken to prevent less favourable treatment of pupils

·  Latest Ofsted and Performance Data - Links to Ofsted reports, and achievement and attainment performance data including: KS4 results (Progress 8 score, attainment 8 score, %of pupils achieving C or above in English and Mathematics, % of pupils achieving English Baccalaureate), KS2 results (% of pupils achieving expected standards in reading, writing and maths, average progress children have made in [separartely] reading, writing and maths, pupils’ average score in reading and maths test), KS5 results (progress students have made in English and maths, progress students have made compared with students across England, average grade that students get at KS5, student retention, % of students who continue in education and training, or move on to employment at the end of KS5)

·  A statement of the academy’s ethos and values.

·  PE and Sports Premium- How much PE and sports premium funding was received this financial year, breakdown of spending, effect on PE and sport participation and attainment, how improvements are sustainable

·  Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium- how much was received this financial year, how the funding will be spent, how it was spent last year, how the effect was assessed and the impact on attainment

·  Accessibility Plan- how have disabled pupils’ ability to participate in the curriculum been increased, improvements in physical environment so disabled pupils can take better advantage, improvement in availability of accessible information to disabled pupils.

·  Equality objectives- how academy is complying with public sector equality duty, equality objectives, how is discrimination being eliminated, how is equality of opportunity being improved for people with protected characteristics, how are stakeholders consulted and involved by decisions to promote equality and eliminate discrimination

·  Information about governors- names, business and financial interests, governance roles in other schools, structure and responsibility of governing body and committees

All academies will need to ensure that they continue to comply with any separate requirements that apply in respect of developing specific policies and communicating them.

Useful information that the academy may include:

·  Academy uniform;

·  Pupil achievements;

·  Newsletters;

·  News and events;

·  The range of out-of-school activities offered;

·  Easy-to-understand summaries of academy policy statements;

·  Governors page – with up to date details of the structure of the LGB/AIB, any committees, together with the names of their governors and their particular roles and responsibilities with that structure;

·  Minutes of LGB / PTA meetings;

·  Academy meal menus, prices, etc.;

·  Breakfast clubs and after-school care, costs, kit, etc.;

·  Support provided for pupils with additional support needs;

·  Web link suggestions to assist with topic work and homework;

·  Direct links to the authority website and local community sites;

·  Academy Improvement Plan and school progress report;

·  Applying for a place – with direct link to Application form and Admissions policy;

·  Our staff – a list of staff – teaching and support;

·  Homework;

·  Links to policies, in particular:

·  SEN and Learning support – policy – link;

·  Admissions;

·  Behaviour.

·  Parents section:

·  Academy day and lesson times;

·  Term dates;

·  Academy calendar;

·  Academy uniform;

·  Academy canteen;

·  Learning resources;

·  Useful links;

·  Letters to parents.

The academies should also publish their positions on the following DfE policies on their websites:

·  Safe to Learn – Embedding Anti-Bullying in Schools;

·  Health and Safety – Responsibilities and Powers;

·  Health and Safety – Pupils on Educational Visits.

Online policy

The DfE has said that academies are required to have an Online Policy, even though it has not been included in the list of statutory documents. This should be displayed on the website. An overview of what is contained in this policy in regard to website content is set out below:

i.  Safety and copyright:

The same principles should be applied to the virtual presence of the academy as those which apply to the academy’s physical buildings to ensure that every child in the academy’s care is safe. The academy must make sure that no individual child can be identified or contacted either via the academy website or as a result of a visitor using it. Websites should not include personal details or names of any child or adult in photographs, personal e-mail / postal addresses or telephone / fax numbers. Parents’ permission to include children’s work / photographs / input to the site should be obtained.

There must be a senior member of staff responsible for the academy’s website, ensuring that there are clear policies and approval processes regarding the content that can be loaded to the academy website. If pupils are involved with the actual loading and maintenance of content on the academy’s website, there must be clear guidelines and checking procedure for their work.

The academy should adopt safe practices regarding the publication of images and names of pupils on the website. The website should be regularly checked to ensure that there is no content that compromises the safety of pupils or staff. If the academy website makes use of a webcam, safety measures must be put in place to prevent misuse, accidental or otherwise.

If the academy website uses facilities such as guestbooks, noticeboards or weblogs, the academy must check to ensure that they do not contain personal details. If the academy allows pupils to create their own websites on the academy network, the academy must ensure that they adhere to website policy.

ii.  The Copyright, Design and Patents Act (1988)

The academy should be aware of the Data Protection Act 1998 when publishing information on the site. This includes unauthorised use of data personal data held by the academy. Also, be aware that the academy does not infringe the intellectual property rights of others through any of the materials available via its website. Copyright may apply to text, images, music or video that originate from other sources. The academy should ensure that it protects its own copyright in terms of the materials it publishes on its website.

The act of creating text, images, video, sound, etc. creates a piece of “work”. Such work is automatically covered by the Act and any copying, distribution or re-use without permission is therefore unlawful. As a general rule under the Act, any work created at work or for work purposes by staff will belong to the employer.

Appendix One - Summary of Academy website ‘must haves’:

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