Introduction

At Priory Woods we take Internet Safety very seriously and see it as our duty to keep our pupils safe whilst using technology not only in school but also at home. This also includes our responsibility to keep our children safe from radicalisation and extremism (Prevent Duty).

This document has been written in conjunction with the Northern Grid for Learning and Middlesbrough Local Authority E-Safety guidance. It has also followed guidance from the Revised Prevent Duty document (HM Government, July 2015).

The policy covers 3 main areas; children’s safety, staff’s responsibilities and support for parents.

E-Safety Committee

An E-Safety Committee has been set up which includes, the ICT Coordinator, a nominated Governor, a teaching representative, the  school technician, a parent and a member of the school senior leadership team.

The group’s responsibility is to annually review the E-Safety policy and curriculum. The group meets twice a year. Minutes are taken which are available in the E-Safety folder in Priory Woods ICT Department shared space on the learning platform. A hard copy is located in the E-Safety folder. The group will also meet if any new guidance regarding children’s online safety is published by the Government.

Network Safety

The school’s Network is presently looked after by our network manager.

A weekly meeting takes place between the network manager and the ICT Co-ordinator and representative of the senior leadership team. During this meeting any issues with the Network and E-Safety issues are dealt with.

Securus, which is a highly effective monitoring system which identifies cyberbullying and other safeguarding concerns, is used in school as part of the school’s support for keeping children safe online. This is checked weekly by the network manager and any issues that are highlighted in these checks are written in the Internet safety log and are then dealt with by Janis French.

The school network is also protected by Smoothwall which is updated and monitored by our network manager to make sure it is protecting our staff and students from all forms of inappropriate material.

Safety and Responsibilities for Staff

All staff are required to read and sign an Acceptable User Policy (AUP) which clearly states the responsibilities of staff using technology in the work place. This will be signed when they commence their employment at Priory Woods and will be re-inforced each year during the staff’s E-Safety Session.

All staff will attend both training on E-Safety and Prevent (dealing with radicalisation & extremism).

The AUP list the responsibilities of all staff and covers the use of digital technologies in school: i.e. E-mail, Internet, Intranet and network resources, Learning Platform, software, equipment and systems and complements the General Teaching Council’s Code of Practice for Registered Teachers.

All staff will agree to the following:

• I will only use the school’s digital technology resources and systems for professional purposes or for uses deemed ‘reasonable’ by the Head and Governing Body.
• I will not reveal my password(s) to anyone. I will not log on for another person.
• I will not allow unauthorised individuals to access E-Mail / Internet / Intranet / network, or other school / LA systems.
• I will ensure all documents, data etc., are saved, accessed and deleted in accordance with the school’s network and data security and confidentiality protocols.
• I understand that there is a difference between my professional and private roles.  I will not engage in any online activity that may compromise my professional responsibilities, this refers to social network sites such as Facebook. (Refer to Social Network Policy)
• I will only use the approved, secure E-Mail system(s) for any school business.
• I will only use the approved school E-Mail, school Learning Platform or other school approved communication systems with pupils or parents/carers, and only communicate with them on appropriate school business.
• At any time I will not use school equipment to browse, download or send material that could be considered offensive or inappropriate to colleagues or pupils.
• I will report any accidental access to, or receipt of inappropriate materials, or filtering breach to the appropriate line manager / school named contact (Derek Evans / Janis French).
• I will not download any software or resources from the Internet that can compromise the network, or are not adequately licensed.
• I will report any concerns I have about a child accessing inappropriate material on the Internet, including pornography, extremism, radicalisation and violence.
• I will not connect a computer, laptop or other device (including USB flash drive), to the network / Internet that does not have up-to-date anti-virus software, and I will keep any ‘loaned’ equipment up-to-date, using the school’s recommended anti-virus, firewall and other ICT ‘defence’ systems.
• I will not use personally owned digital cameras or camera phones for taking and transferring images of pupils or staff without permission and will not store images at home.
• I will ensure that any private social networking sites / blogs etc that I create or actively contribute to are not confused with my professional role.
• I agree and accept that any computer, laptop or IPad loaned to me by the school, is provided solely to support my professional responsibilities and that I will notify the school if a reasonable amount of personal use outside of school hours becomes “significant personal use” as defined by HM Revenue & Customs.
• I will ensure any confidential data that I wish to transport from one location to another is protected by encryption and that I follow school data security protocols when using any such data at any location.
• I understand that data protection policy requires that any information seen by me with regard to staff or pupil information, held within the school’s information management system, will be kept private and confidential, EXCEPT when it is deemed necessary that I am required by law to disclose such information to an appropriate authority.
• I will embed the school’s E-Safety curriculum into my teaching.
• I will only use LA systems in accordance with any corporate policies.
• I understand that all Internet usage / and network usage is monitored and that monitoring data could be made available to my manager on request.
• I understand that failure to comply with this agreement could lead to disciplinary action.

E-Safety and Prevent training will be provided to all members of staff at least once a year and it is each person’s responsibility to attend this session. These sessions will be arranged by the ICT coordinator and deputy head teacher.

It is very important that staff make sure that pupils they are responsible for are using the Internet safely. High risk students will be highlighted by the E-Safety team and staff will be made aware of these students.

Safety and Responsibility for Pupils

Although some of our pupils are unable to access the Internet we have a good percentage of pupils who are able to use the Internet independently and therefore are at risk from either deliberately accessing inappropriate material or, due to their level of literacy, accidently accessing harmful sites.

No child is able to access the Internet in school without their parents giving permission to do so. This consent form is filled in at the beginning of each school year. All children are supervised in school whilst using the Internet and all are made aware that all their activity within school is monitored.

All pupils who are able will have to sign an AUP and this will be completed every year during the students E- Safety session. This document will clearly state their responsibilities when using technology in school.

All pupils will receive E-Safety training at the beginning of each term, either as part of their ICT session or PHSE session. (All E-Safety materials including lessons plans, PowerPoints and videos are stored on the school network) They will also have the opportunity to attend sessions throughout the year provided by outside agencies. These extra sessions would also cover the issue of sexting which could be a serious issue for some of our students due to their learning difficulties.

All pupils will be taught how to use all technologies in a responsible and safe way. This will be part of the ICT curriculum.

No child may appear on the Web Site without their parent/carers consent, the consent form is completed at the beginning of each academic year.

Support for Parents

As a school we believe it is our duty to support parent and carers in keeping their child safe while using technology within the home environment. Computers and other devices in the home are more open and don’t have the security features which we have in school, which does make the child more vulnerable in this environment.

To inform the parents the school has an E-Safety information stand, which is present during school fayres, this includes information and leaflets about keeping young people safe.

The school web site will have information regarding E-Safety for parents / carers and young people.

Please check out the documents listed on the right hand side for more information on keeping children safe on the Internet and from the risk of radicalisation and extremism.

For more information on keeping safe on the Internet please check out the Think You Know Web site by clicking the link below. If you are concerned about possible abuse on the Internet or know someone who is in danger you can report this to the Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre (CEOP) using the link below.