Give Me the Dignity and Respect I Deserve

LINDON BENNETT SCHOOL

E-SAFETYPOLICY

My Requests

Give me the dignity and respect I deserve

Always give me time to respond

Remember I like to make choices, please help me to do so

Always look out for me and keep me safe

Always remember to tell me what is happening next

Stay calm and be patient with me

Give me the opportunity and time to communicate for myself

Talk with me, not about me

Please take the time to understand what I am trying to tell you

Please don’t judge me

Updated: August 2016

Next update due: September 2017

Background/Rationale

New technologies have become integral to the lives of children in society both within and outside school. The internet and other digital and information technologies are powerful tools which open up opportunities for everyone. Children at Lindon Bennett School have an entitlement to safe internet access.

The staff and governors at Lindon Bennett School are required to ensure that the school’s e-safety policy ensures the safe and appropriate use of the internet and other related information technologies for pupils and all other users.

The use of the internet and related ICT tools can raise educational standards and promote pupil achievement for pupils at Lindon Bennett School. For many pupils the internet and other ICT tools are very effective learning resources and can be highly motivating. Pupils can be very skilled at accessing ICT but do not have the understanding, knowledge or ability to use it safely.

Pupils can be put at risk. Dangers can include:

Access to illegal, harmful or inappropriate images or other content
Inappropriate contact/communication with others
Access to unsuitable video/internet games
Access to personal/confidential information that could be lost or exposed to unauthorised people

This policy should be used in conjunction with other policies (e.g. Behaviour Support, Child Protection, Keeping Children in education safe).

This policy applies to all members ofthe school community (including staff, pupils, parents/carers, volunteers, governors, students on placements, visitors) who have access to, and are users of school ICT systems both in and out of school.

Lindon Bennett School holds personal data on pupils, staff and other people. Some of this information is sensitive and could be used by another person, or criminal organisation to cause harm or distress to an individual. The loss of sensitive information can result in media coverage, and potentially difficult situations for the school.

Everybody in the school has a shared responsibility to secure any sensitive information used in their day to day professional duties. Those staff not directly involved in data handling should be made aware of the risks and threats and how to minimise them.

Roles and responsibilities

Governors

Governors are responsible for the approval of the E-Safety Policy and for reviewing the effectiveness of the policy. A member of the Governing Body will take on the role of E-Safety governor and will attend regular meetings with the E-Safety Co-ordinator and will regularly monitor e-safety incidents and other related information. The named governor will be responsible for reporting back to other governors.

Head Teacher and Senior Leaders

The headteacher is responsible for ensuring the safety (including e-safety) of members of the school community. Day to day responsibilitieswill be delegated to the Deputies or other senior leaders when appropriate.

The head teacher and senior leaders will ensure that appropriate training in e-safety for themselves and others is carried out regularly so that all staff can carry out their duties and responsibilities effectively.

Monitoring

Authorised ICTstaff will regularly inspect ICT equipment owned by the school.

Authorised ICT staff may,without prior notice, access the e-mail or voice mail account, where applicable, of someone who is absent in order to deal with business-related issues.

Parents/Carers

Lindon Bennett School will actively work with parents and carers to provide information and awareness through:

Letters, newsletters, school web site
Parents evenings, coffee mornings/afternoons
CEOP website

Guidance for acceptable use of ICT

For Pupils

Pupils will always be supervised by an appropriate adult when accessing the internet
Computers that are used by pupils will have denied access to unsuitable sites and to personal or confidential data/information
Suitable safety posters will be displayed around the school

Acceptable Use Agreement / Code of Conduct

(For Staff, Governors and all other visitors/students)

ICT (including data) and the related technologies such as e-mail, the internet and mobile devices are an expected part of daily working life in school. This policy is designed to ensure that all staff are aware of their professional responsibilities when using any form of ICT. All staff are expected to sign this policy and adhere to it at all times.

I will only use the school’s email/internet and related technologies for professional purposes or for uses deemed ‘reasonable’ by the Head teacher or Governing Body
I will comply with the ICT system security and not disclose any passwords provided to me by the school
I will ensure that all electronic communications are compatible with my professional role
I will only use the approved e-mail systems for any school business
I will ensure that personal data and confidential information is kept secure and is used appropriately
Personal data will only be taken out of school or accessed remotely when authorised by the Head or Governing Body. Any personal or sensitive/confidential information taken off site must be encrypted
I will not install any hardware or software without permission
I will not browse, download, upload or distribute any material that could be considered offensive, illegal or discriminatory
Images of pupils and/or staff will only be taken, stored and used for professional purposes in line with school policy and with written consent from parents/carers/staff members. Images will not be distributed outside the school without permission from parent/carer, staff member or Head teacher
I will support the school approach to online safety and not deliberately upload or add any images, video, sounds or text that could upset or offend any member of the school community
I understand that all my use of the Internet and other related technologies can be monitored and logged and can be made available, on request, to my Line manager or Headteacher
I will respect copyright and intellectual property rights (overall term that refers to all forms of idea protection e.g. patents, design, trade marks)
I will ensure that my online activity, both in school and outside school, will not bring my professional role into disrepute
I will support and promote the school’s e-Safety and Data Security policies and support pupils in using ICT safely and appropriately

Computer Viruses

All computers have anti-virus software installed
Never interfere with any anti-virus software installed on school ICT equipment
If you suspect there may be a virus on any school ICT equipment, stop using it and contact the ICT support provider immediately (or Mark Hutton – Business Manager)

Managing e-mail

The use of e-mail within Lindon Bennett school is an essential means of communication for staff. In the context of school, e-mail should not be considered private.

The school gives all staff their own e-mail account to use for all school business as a work based tool. This is to minimise the risk of receiving unsolicited or malicious e-mails and avoids the risk of personal profile information being revealed
It is the responsibility of each account holder to keep the password secure. For the safety and security of users and recipients, all mail is filtered and logged, and e-mail histories can be traced if necessary. The school e-mail account should be the account that is used for all school business
Staff should not contact parents/carers or conduct any school business using personal e-mail addresses
The school requires a standard disclaimer to be attached to all e-mail correspondence, stating that, “the views expressed are not necessarily those of the school or LA”
All e-mails should be written and checked carefully before sending, in the same way as a letter written on school headed paper
Staff sending e-mails to external organisations, parents or others must cc. the Head teacher or their line manager
E-mails created or received as part of your school job will be subject to disclosure in response to a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.You must therefore actively manage your e-mail account as follows:

-Delete all e-mails of short-term duration

-Organise e-mail into folders and carry out frequent house-keeping on all folders and archives

Staff must inform the ICT Support/line manager if they receive offensive e-mail
However you access your school e-mail (on or off site), the school e-mail policy applies
The use of Hotmail, BTInternet, AOL or any other Internet based webmail service for sending, reading or receiving business related e-mail is not permitted

Sending e-mails

Use your own school e-mailing account so that you are clearly identified as the originator of a message
Keep the number and relevance of e-mail recipients, particularly those being copied, to a minimum necessary and appropriate

Receiving e-mails

Check your e-mail regularly
Never open e-mails from a source you do not trust – seek advice if necessary
Do not use the e-mail systems to store attachments. Detach and save business related work to the appropriate shared drive/folder

E-mailing personal, Sensitive, Confidential or Classified information

Confidential data must only ever be emailed using a secure or encrypted method
The use of Hotmail, BTInternet, AOL or any other Internet based webmail service for sending e-mail that contains sensitive information is not permitted
Obtain express consent from your line manager to provide the information by e-mail
Exercise caution when sending the e-mail and always follow these checks before releasing the e-mail

Verify the details, including accurate e-mail address, of any intended recipient of the information

Verify (by phoning) the details of a request before responding to e-mail requests for information

Do not copy or forward the e-mail to any more recipients than is absolutely necessary

Do not send the information to any one whose details you have been unable to separately verify (usually by phone)
Send the information as an attached document to an e-mail sent via LGFL’s USO-FX
Where this is not possible - send the information as an encrypted document attached to an e-mail
Provide the encryption key or password by a separate contact with the recipient (s)NOT via an e-mail to the same account
Do not identify such information in the subject line of any e-mail
Request confirmation of safe receipt

Internet Access

The Internet is an open communication medium, available to all, at all times. Anyone can view information, send messages, discuss ideas and publish material which makes it both an invaluable resource for education, business and social interaction, as well as a potential risk to young and vulnerable people.

Managing the Internet

Staff will preview any recommended sites before using with pupils
All users must observe software copyright at all times. It is illegal to copy or distribute school software or illegal software from other sources
All users must observe copyright of materials from electronic resources

Internet use

You must not post personal, sensitive, confidential or classified information, or disseminate such information in any way that may compromise it’s intended restricted audience
Do not reveal the names of colleagues or any other confidential information acquired through your job on any social networking site or blog (See rules for Social networking sites)
On-line gambling or gaming is not allowed
Lindon Bennett has in place a web filtering system and anti-virus protection is installed and kept up-to-date on all school machines
Staff are aware that school based e-mail and internet activity can be monitored and explored further if required
If staff or pupils discover an unsuitable site, the screen must be switched off/closed and the incident reported to the e-safety co-ordinator or appropriate person
Staff using personal removable media, are responsible for measures to protect against viruses, for example, making sure that additional systems used have up-to-date virus protection software. All flash drives with school related information must be encrypted.

Parental involvement

We believe it is essential for parents/carers to be fully involved with promoting e-safety both in and outside of school and to be aware of their responsibilities. We will ensure that parents and carers are regularly consulted and have the opportunity to discuss issues related to ICT with appropriate staff.

Parents and carers are required to make a decision as to whether they consent to images of their child being taken/used in the public domain (e.g. on school web site)

Information is disseminated to parents and carers relating to e-safety where appropriate in the form of parents evenings, morning/afternoon workshops, newsletters, letters, school web site.

Passwords and Password security

Passwords

Always use your own passwords to access computer based services
Make sure you enter your personal passwords each time you logon. Do not include passwords in any automated logon procedures
Staff should change temporary passwords at first logon
Routinely change passwords every few months and whenever there is any indication of possible system or password compromise
Do not record passwords or encryption keys on paper or in an unprotected file
Never disclose passwords to anyone else, always enter it yourself if needed or change immediately after issue is resolved
Passwords must contain a minimum of six characters, be difficult to guess, and be a combination of upper and lower case letters, numerals and symbols
User ID and passwords for staff who have left the school are changed immediately

Password Security

When accessing pupil data staff are expected to have secure passwords which are not shared with anyone
All users read and sign an Acceptable Use Agreement to demonstrate that they have understood the school’s e-safety Policy and Data Security

Taking of images and film

Images of pupils can be taken or used with written consent from parents or carers and with school equipment only, according to the Staff Code of Conduct.
Staff are not permitted to use personal digital equipment, such as mobile phones and cameras, to record images of pupils other than with the express permission of the head teacher. Images must then be transferred immediately and solely to the school’s network and then deleted from the staff device

Personal Mobile Devices

The school allows staff to bring in personal mobile phones and devices for their own use. Staff should not contact parents or carers using their own personal device.
The school is not responsible for the loss, damage or theft of any personal mobile device
The sending of inappropriate text messages between any members of the school community is not allowed
Mobile phones and other devices should not be switched on during lesson times and working hours. In exceptional situations where staff need to be contactable, staff should seek permission from their line manager and have their device on ‘silent’. Mobile phones can be used discreetly during staff breaks and in emergency situations.