Student ICT Acceptable Use
Information and Guidance
We offer all our students a wide variety of ICT resources which are under constant improvement and development. They are offered access to the Haybridge High School (HHS) network, internet and electronic mail (email). Keeping our students ‘safe’ on the internet and supporting them to use the HHS network appropriately is one of our key responsibilities. As a consequence we operate a ‘Student ICT Acceptable Use Policy’ and hope that parents/carers will support us. The ‘Student ICT Acceptable Use Policy’ will be explained to all new students during their first 2 weeks in school and then reiterated annually. Access to the Haybridge High School (HHS) network, internet and electronic mail (email) will stop once students have left the school.
At the outset we must emphasise that the majority of our students use the Haybridge High School (HHS) network, internet and electronic mail (email) safely and sensibly and this document acts to increase awareness for all. We take any infringement of the ‘Student ICT Acceptable Use Policy’ very seriously and have installed software to monitor the use of the network, internet and email. Any case reported will be thoroughly investigated and judged on an individual basis. Students should expect serious sanctions to apply.
As part of the school’s ICT programme, we offer students supervised access to the internet. Before the school allows students to use the internet, they must obtain permission from their parent/carer. Various projects have proven the educational benefits of internet access, which enables students to explore thousands of libraries, databases, and bulletin boards. They will also be able to exchange messages with other learners throughout the world.
It is the school's policy that every reasonable step should be taken to prevent exposure of students to undesirable materials/contacts on the internet. It is recognised that this can happen not only through deliberate searching for such materials, but also unintentionally when a justifiable internet search yields unexpected results. To reduce such occurrences, the school has adopted filtered access via the Local Authority and has also installed the ‘Policy Central’ software. This facility stops students accessing sites deemed inappropriate for use at school and also provides a full audit trail.
We believe that the benefits to students from access to the internet exceed any disadvantages. However, as with any other area, parents/carers are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their sons/daughters should follow when using media and information sources. The school therefore supports and respects each family’s right to decide whether or not to apply for access. During school, teachers will guide students towards appropriate material. At home, families bear the same responsibility for guidance as they exercise with other information sources such as television, telephones, films and radio.
YouTube, Bebo, Facebook, Orkut, Friendster, MSN and MySpace. These are the names of well known and popular websites many people - adults and children - will probably have come across. When used positively they allow people to share music, video, art, opinion, collaborate on work or indeed just have social discussions. Most of the content is harmless; other content can be cruel and cutting. The sites are not rigorously censored in terms of content. For example, on YouTube the BBC is putting video trailers for its forthcoming TV programmes whilst other contributors are posting more inappropriate material. The other sites allow ‘members’ to write about themselves, and other people of course. Not all of it is appropriate.
Anyone can view the content on YouTube, although for access to some sites users have to register details on the site. MySpace requires the user to sign up immediately and Bebo lets you see some material but expects you to join in order to use more of the functionality.
Access to these sites is very easy. For students, having their own ‘social networking’ space is a very popular thing to have, but both parents/carers and students aren’t always aware of the risks they face when using sites like MySpace or Bebo. One of the rules that you may not be aware of is the minimum age for the sites: 13 for signing up to Bebo and 14 for MySpace. Also it is worth remembering that these are public spaces which anyone can view and use the information how they please.
Your son/daughter may already be a member of them and a contributor, not just a reader of material. That means they have access to material which you may well consider inappropriate. The users of these sites have the ability to create their own material and post whatever they like on to their site i.e. films, images or text. As it is accessed solely by user identification and a password, it is their choice who views it and whom they choose to pass it to.
Here are the main e-safety issues which should be discussed with your son/daughter:
- Personal Identity Fraud: there is a concern if students post personal details or complete online surveys. They should avoid giving out their full name, mailing address, telephone number, the name of their school, or any other information that could help someone determine their actual identity.
- Public Domain Information: all images, comments are stored and made available to the public. There are privacy settings and they should be used.
- Online Bullying: this can be in the form of comments, blog entries and chat rooms.
- Exploitation/ Misrepresentation: clearly people may try to make contact with students and they may not be who they say they are. Students should never meet anyone they have met online.
You know your son/daughter best. Visit the sites and see for yourself what’s being said and the potential of what could be said or shown. Ask your son/daughter if they use the sites at all. If so you might engage in a discussion with them about the issues we have highlighted above. The websites can be useful and are a part of life nowadays. However educating our children on the issues will mean they can use them safely.
Electronic mail (email) provides a quick and effective means of communication. Students must be made aware that they will be held responsible for the content of any email message they transmit and that they should not contain messages using language or content that is unacceptable. It is also recognised that some people may try to use email to identify and contact students for unacceptable reasons.
To avoid these problems the school has adopted the Local Authority’s system for filtering all emails sent or received. The following points should be supported at all times:
- Steps should be taken to verify the identity of any school, organisation, adult or child seeking to establish regular email with the school or its students.
- Students should avoid revealing their identification within email messages. Students should only be identified by their network username and the student’s own address is never revealed.
- Information should never be given that might reveal a student’s identity or their current whereabouts.
We also have a number of leaflets from national bodies that explain issues further and also cover internet use at home. If you would like copies of these, please contact the school. Further information about e-safety can be found at:
This document aims to outline the key aspects of using the ICT facilities but if you require any further advice please contact the school.