E-Safety
CASTLE PRIMARY SCHOOL
E-safety Policy
E-Safety Lead – Miss J Mason
REVIEW DATE: SEPTEMBER 2024
(Sooner if required)
You can find our Online Safety Webpage through this link.
Rationale
E-Safety encompasses Internet technologies and electronic communications such as mobile phones and wireless technology. It highlights the need to educate children about the benefits and risks of using new technology and provides safeguards and awareness for users to enable them to control their online experiences.
The purpose of Internet use in school is to raise educational standards, to promote pupil achievement, to support the professional work of staff and to enhance the school’s management information and administration systems. Internet use is part of the statutory curriculum and a necessary tool for learning. It is an essential element in 21st century life for education, business and social interaction.
Access to the Internet is therefore an entitlement for pupils who show a responsible and mature approach to its use. Our school has a duty to provide pupils with quality Internet access. Pupils will use the Internet outside school and will need to learn how to evaluate Internet information and to take care of their own safety and security.
Policy Links
The school’s e-safety policy will operate in conjunction with other policies including those for Behaviour, Bullying, Child Protection, Safeguarding Children, Curriculum, Data Protection and Security, Confidentiality.
E-Safety depends on effective practice at a number of levels:
- Responsible ICT use by all staff and pupils; encouraged by education and made explicit through published policies.
- Sound implementation of e-safety policy in both administration and curriculum, including secure school network design and use.
- Safe and secure broadband for learning including the effective management of content filtering.
- National Education Network standards and specifications.
E-safety considers the following technologies:
- PC’s, laptops, tablets, webcams, digital video equipment, mobile phones, portable media players, games consoles and personal digital assistants.
All persons either using technology or supervising the use of technology are required to abide by this policy.
E-safety requirements relate to school-owned technology and also to personal technologies.
E-safety requirements are applicable during the times whereby the school is open; this applies to term-time, extended school events, lettings for community use. It is also relevant to residential/off-site events e.g. school trips and visits.
Designated Person for E-Safety Policy
The school will appoint an E-Safety Officer. In many cases this will be the Designated Child Protection Officer as the roles overlap.
The E-Safety Officer is Jill Mason supported by Hannah Bours in her role Deputy Child Protection Officer and Julia Gawn as SENDCO.
Our E-Safety Policy has been agreed by the Senior Leadership Team and approved by the Governing Body.
Internet: The Benefit to Education
Benefits of using the Internet in education include:
- Fully supports the school’s implementation and delivery of a creative Curriculum to enhance learning opportunities
- Access to world-wide educational resources
- Educational and cultural exchanges between pupils world-wide
- Access to experts in many fields for pupils and staff
- Professional development for staff through access to national developments, educational materials and effective curriculum practice
- Collaboration across support services and professional associations
- Improved access to technical support including remote management of networks and automatic system updates
- Exchange of curriculum and administration data with the Local Authority and DfE; access to learning wherever and whenever convenient
- The school Internet access will be designed expressly for pupil use and includes filtering appropriate to the age of pupils.
- Pupils will be taught what Internet use is acceptable and what is not and given clear safety rules for Internet use.
- Internet access will be planned to enrich and extend learning activities.
- Staff should guide pupils in on-line activities that will support learning outcomes planned for the pupils’ age and maturity.
- Pupils will be educated in the effective use of the Internet in research, including the skills of knowledge location, retrieval and evaluation.
Authorised Internet Access
Our school will comply with copyright law.
The school will maintain a current record of all staff and pupils who are granted Internet access.
All staff must read and sign the ‘Acceptable ICT Use Agreement’ before using any school ICT resource.
Parents will be informed that pupils will be provided with supervised Internet access.
Safeguarding Children and Child Protection
This policy is an extension of the safeguarding children and child protection policies. Caution is expressed to the whole school community as regards child safety in the virtual world as well as the real world. Social networking sites, the uploading of inappropriate web content and cyber-bullying are issues that adults must ensure vigilance and ensure appropriate means are put in place to safeguard and educate our children. It is expected that children are able to develop their own protection strategies for when adult supervision and technological protection are not available.
World Wide Web
If staff or pupils discover unsuitable sites, the URL (address), time, content must be reported to the Local Authority helpdesk via the E-Safety Officer.
School will ensure that the use of Internet derived materials by pupils and staff complies with copyright law.
Pupils should be taught to be critically aware of the materials they are shown and how to validate information before accepting its accuracy.
Pupils may only use approved e-mail accounts on the school system.
Pupils must immediately tell a teacher if they receive offensive e-mail.
Pupils must not reveal personal details of themselves or others in e-mail communication, or arrange to meet anyone without specific permission.
Whole class or group e-mail addresses should be used in school.
Staff should not access personal email accounts using school equipment.
For all school business, school email accounts should be used.
Staff using personal devices (ipads and mobiles) can access personal email account in school in their own time.
E-mails sent to external organisations should be written carefully and professionally, in the same way as a letter written on school headed paper.
The forwarding of chain letters is not permitted.
Social Networking
Schools should block/filter access to social networking sites and newsgroups unless a specific use is approved.
Pupils will be advised never to give out personal details of any kind which may identify them or their location.
Pupils should be advised not to place personal photos on any social network space.
Pupils should be advised on security and encouraged to set passwords, deny access to unknown individuals and instructed how to block unwanted communications. Pupils should be encouraged to invite known friends only and deny access to others.
Filtering
The school will work in partnership with the Local Authority, and the Internet Service Provider to ensure filtering systems are as effective as possible.
Video Conferencing
(At present video conferencing is not undertaken at Castle Primary)
IP video-conferencing should use the educational broadband network to ensure quality of service and security rather than the Internet.
Pupils should ask permission from the supervising teacher before making or answering a video-conference call.
Video-conferencing will be appropriately supervised for the pupils’ age.
Managing Emerging Technologies
Emerging technologies will be examined for educational benefit and a risk assessment will be carried out before use in school is allowed.
Mobile phones will not be used for personal use during lessons or formal school time. The sending of abusive or inappropriate text messages is forbidden.
Photographs of children must not be taken on a mobile phone.
Published Content and the School Web Site
The contact details on the Web site should be the school address, e-mail and telephone number. Staff or pupils personal information will not be published.
The SLT or nominee will take overall editorial responsibility and ensure that content is accurate and appropriate.
Publishing Pupils’ Images and Work
Photographs that include pupils will be selected carefully and will not enable individual pupils to be clearly identified or their image misused.
Pupils’ full names will not be used anywhere on the Web site or Blog, particularly in association with photographs.
Written permission from parents or carers will be obtained before photographs of pupils are published on the school Web site.
Work can be published with the permission of the pupil and parents.
Information System Security
School IT systems capacity and security will be reviewed regularly.
Virus protection will be installed and updated regularly.
Security strategies will be discussed with the Local Authority.
Regular Internet safety guidance will be given to the children (at least annually).
Protecting Personal Data
Personal data will be recorded, processed, transferred and made available according to the Data Protection Act 1998.
Assessing Risks
The school will take all reasonable precautions to prevent access to inappropriate material. However, due to the international scale and linked Internet content, it is not possible to guarantee that unsuitable material will never appear on a school computer. Neither the school nor Congleton Multi Academy Trust can accept liability for the material accessed, or any consequences of Internet access.
The school should audit IT use to establish if the e-safety policy is adequate and that the implementation of the e-safety policy is appropriate.
Handling E-Safety Complaints
Complaints of Internet misuse will be dealt with by a senior member of staff.
Any complaint about staff misuse must be referred to the Head Teacher.
Complaints of a child protection nature must be dealt with in accordance with school child protection procedures.
Pupils and parents will be informed of the complaints procedure.
Discussions will be held with the Police Youth Crime Reduction Officer to establish procedures for handling potentially illegal issues.
Communication of Policy
Pupils
Rules for Internet access will be posted on every computer.
Pupils will be informed that Internet use will be monitored.
Staff
All staff will be given the School e-Safety Policy and its importance explained.
Staff should be aware that Internet traffic can be monitored and traced to the individual user. Discretion and professional conduct is essential.
Parents
Parents’ attention will be drawn to the School e-Safety Policy in newsletters, the school brochure and on the school Web site.
Flowchart for Responding to E-Safety Incidents in School
E-Safety Incident/Unsuitable materials
Report to Head Teacher or SLT
If pupil: review incident and decide on appropriate course of action, applying sanctions as necessary
Inappropriate Activity
If staff: review incident and decide on appropriate course of action, applying sanctions as necessary
Debrief
Contact Safeguarding Children Advisory Service if deemed appropriate
Implement changes
Monitor
Review policies and technical tools
