Category Security Document Name e-safety Procedures Accountable Body Brantridge School Governing Body Reference SY.P2.02 Date Ratified Version 2.1 Last Update March 2015 Related Policies & Documents Document E-Safety Policy Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy Protocol for Acceptable Use of Internet and Email by Staff Behaviour Management Procedures Parent Carer Handbook Student Acceptable Use Policy (KS1, 2 and 3) Reference SY.P2 SC.P1 SY.P2.T1 BM.P1.01 Reference Material Guidance DfE Cyberbullying: advice for Headteachers and school staff Nov 2014 DfE Advice for parents and carers on cyberbullying Nov 2014 1. Introduction Brantridge School complies with RADIUS Trust s e-safety policy and has appointed Danielle Harry as the school s e-safety co-ordinator who has been trained in e-safety awareness and has the roles and responsibilities identified in this procedure. 2. Roles & Responsibilities Governing Body The Lead Governor for e-safety is responsible for reviewing the effectiveness of the schools e-safety procedures and to attend: regular meetings with the school s e-safety co-ordinator regular monitoring of e-safety incident logs regular monitoring of filtering / change control logs reporting any concerns to the Governing Body Headteacher The Headteacher: maintains procedures in relation to e-safety and monitors the effectiveness of these procedures. has procedures in place that are to be followed in the event of a serious e-safety allegation being made against a member of staff. ensures that the e-safety co-ordinator and other relevant staff receive suitable training to enable them to carry out their e-safety roles and to train other colleagues, as relevant. 1 of 7
ensures that there is a system in place to allow for monitoring and support of those in school who carry out the internal e-safety monitoring role. This is to provide a safety net and also support to those colleagues who take on important monitoring roles. The Senior Leadership Team reviews regular monitoring reports from the e-safety co-ordinator, prepares an annual report to the Governing Body and supports the implementation of any action plan from this review. e-safety co-ordinator The e-safety co-ordinator: takes day to day responsibility for e-safety issues and has a leading role in establishing and reviewing the e-safety school procedures to comply with the Trust policy identifies risks and discusses potential amendments to procedures to reduce or eliminate risk with the Senior Leadership Team ensures that all staff are aware of the procedures that need to be followed in the event of an e-safety incident taking place provides training and advice for staff and pupils liaises with school / Trust technical staff receives reports of e-safety incidents and creates a log of incidents to inform future e-safety developments meets regularly with the Lead Governor for e-safety to discuss current issues, review incident logs and filtering / change control logs reports regularly to senior mangers co-ordinate the investigation / action / sanctions if an e-safety incident is raised support e-safety awareness raising/education initiatives for parents/carers keep up-to-date with local and national e-safety awareness campaigns and issues surrounding existing, new and emerging technologies IT Staff The Trust s IT department is responsible for ensuring that the school s technical infrastructure complies with the Trust e-safety policy. Teaching and Support Staff All staff are responsible for ensuring that: they have an up to date awareness of e-safety matters and of the current Trust e-safety policy and related school procedures they have read, understood and signed the Staff Acceptable Use Policy (refer to SY.P2.T1 Protocol for Acceptable Use of Internet & Email by Staff) they report any suspected misuse or problem to the Headteacher / e-safety co-ordinator for investigation / action / sanction all digital communications with pupils / parents / carers should be on a professional level and only carried out using official school systems e-safety issues are embedded in all aspects of the curriculum and other activities pupils understand and follow the e-safety and acceptable use procedures SY.P2.01 BRA v2.1 DRAFT March 2015 2 of 7
pupils should be taught to be critically aware of the materials they read and shown how to validate information before accepting its accuracy. pupils have a good understanding of research skills and the need to avoid plagiarism and uphold copyright regulations they monitor the use of digital technologies, mobile devices, cameras etc in lessons and other school activities (where allowed) and implement current policies and procedures with regard to these devices in lessons where internet use is pre-planned pupils should be guided to sites checked as suitable for their use and that processes are in place for dealing with any unsuitable material that is found in internet searches Safeguarding & Child Protection Designated Person The DSP is trained in e-safety issues and aware of the potential for serious Safeguarding & Child Protection issues to arise from: sharing of personal data access to illegal / inappropriate materials inappropriate on-line contact with adults / strangers potential or actual incidents of grooming cyberbullying Pupils Pupils are responsible for using the school digital technology systems in accordance with the Pupil Acceptable Use Policy as outlined in the Home School Agreement. have a good understanding of research skills and the need to avoid plagiarism and uphold copyright regulations need to understand the importance of reporting abuse, misuse or access to inappropriate materials and know how to do so will be expected to know and understand policies and procedures on the use of mobile devices and digital cameras. They should also know and understand policies and procedures on the taking / use of images and on cyberbullying. should understand the importance of adopting good e-safety practice when using digital technologies out of school and realise that the school s e-safety procedures cover their actions out of school, if related to their membership of the school Parents / Carers Parents / Carers play a crucial role in ensuring that their children understand the need to use the internet / mobile devices in an appropriate way. The school will take every opportunity to help parents understand these issues through parents evenings, newsletters, letters, website / VLE and information about national / local e-safety campaigns / literature. Parents and carers will be encouraged to support the school in promoting good e-safety practice and to follow guidelines on the appropriate use of: digital and video images taken at school events access to parents sections of the website / VLE and on-line pupil records their children s personal devices in the school SY.P2.01 BRA v2.1 DRAFT March 2015 3 of 7
3. Authorising Internet Access All staff are required to read and sign the Staff Code of Conduct for ICT before using any school ICT resource (refer to SY.P2.T1 Protocol for Acceptable Use of Internet & Email by Staff) Brantridge School maintains a current record of all staff and pupils who are granted access to school ICT systems. Pupils access to the internet is supervised activities with access to specific, approved on-line materials. 4. Teaching and Learning With so much information available online it is important that pupils learn how to evaluate internet content for accuracy and intent. This is approached by the school as part of digital literacy across all subjects in the curriculum. Pupils will be taught: Rules what internet use is acceptable and what is not and given clear objectives for internet use. the safe, effective use of the internet research, including the skills of knowledge location, retrieval and evaluation. to use age-appropriate tools to search for information online. to acknowledge the source of information used and to respect copyright. how to evaluate internet content Pupils should be taught to be critically aware of the materials they read and shown how to validate information before accepting its accuracy. Pupils will be taught how to report unpleasant internet content. The school teaches the pupils what is and what is not classed as acceptable use of ICT at school, and given clear objectives for internet use and mobile technologies. These rules are displayed around the school, in particular, wherever there may be internet access, e.g. computer suite, or any room with Wi-Fi connection. Both pupils and their parents/carers are required to sign the Home School Agreement to ensure they have read, understood and agreed to the Pupil Acceptable Use Policy. Sanctions Where incidents occur, there are clear sanctions in place to address e-safety issues, linked with the school s Behaviour Management procedures. E-safety rules and sanctions are discussed with the pupils to ensure they understand. Further details are provided in the school s Curriculum. 5. Web Filtering Filtering strategies are selected by the school, in discussion with the IT Manager. The filtering strategy will be selected to suit the age and curriculum requirements of the pupil. If staff or pupils discover unsuitable sites then the URL is reported to the Headteacher and IT manager. Any material found by members of the school community that is believed to be unlawful will be reported to the appropriate agencies. Regular software and broadband checks ensure that filtering services are working effectively and internet activity reports are sent to the senior managers on a weekly basis. SY.P2.01 BRA v2.1 DRAFT March 2015 4 of 7
Emails The school has the right to monitor emails and their contents (refer to SY.P2.T1 Protocol for Acceptable Use of Internet & Email by Staff). The school ensures that the following applies: Pupils and staff 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. Staff to pupil email communication must only take place via a school email address or from within the learning platform and will be monitored. Incoming e-mail should be treated as suspicious and attachments not opened unless the author is known. The school will consider how e-mail from pupils to external bodies is presented and controlled. The forwarding of chain letters is not permitted. 6. Published content and the school website The School Website Administrator takes overall editorial responsibility to ensure that content is accurate and appropriate. For information on the policy on pupil images on the school website refer to the Trust s SY.P1 Data Security, Protection & Retention Policy. 7. Social networking and social media Online forums are the more obvious sources of inappropriate and harmful behaviour and where pupils are most vulnerable to being contacted by a dangerous person. It is important that we educate pupils so that they can make their own informed decisions and take responsibility for their conduct online. Pupils are not allowed to access social media sites in school. Social media sites have many benefits for both personal use and professional learning; however, both staff and pupils should be aware of how they present themselves online. Pupils are taught through the curriculum about the risks and responsibility of uploading personal information and the difficulty of taking it down completely once it is out in such a public place. RADIUS Trust schools follow general rules on the use of social media and social networking sites in school: Pupils are educated on the dangers of social networking sites and how to use them in safe and productive ways. They are all made fully aware of the school s use of ICT and technologies and behaviour online. Any sites that are to be used in class will be risk-assessed by the teacher in charge prior to the lesson to ensure that the site is age-appropriate and safe for use. Pupils and staff are encouraged not to publish specific and detailed private thoughts, especially those that might be considered hurtful, harmful or defamatory. The school expects all staff and pupils to remember that they are representing the school at all times and must act appropriately. Safe and professional behaviour of staff online will be discussed at staff induction. Handheld technologies, including games and mobile phones, often have internet access which may not include filtering. Care will be taken with their use within the school. Further information is available in SY.P2.T1 Protocol for Acceptable Use of Internet & Email by Staff. SY.P2.01 BRA v2.1 DRAFT March 2015 5 of 7
8. Mobile phones and personal devices While mobile phones and personal communication devices are commonplace in today s society, their use and the responsibility for using them should not be taken lightly. Some issues surrounding the possession of these devices are: they can make pupils and staff more vulnerable to cyberbullying they can be used to access inappropriate internet material they can be a distraction in the classroom they are valuable items that could be stolen, damaged, or lost they can have integrated cameras, which can lead to child protection, bullying and data protection issues. Brantridge school ensures that mobile phones are used responsibly in school including the following: The school will not tolerate cyberbullying against either pupils or staff. Sending inappropriate, suggestive or abusive messages is forbidden and anyone who is found to have sent a message of such content will be subject to disciplinary procedures Mobile phones can be confiscated by a member of staff, and the device can be searched by a member of the senior leadership team if there is reason to believe that there may be evidence of harmful or inappropriate use on the device. Mobile phones must be switched off during school lessons or any other formal school activities. Any pupil who brings a mobile phone or personal device into school is agreeing that they are responsible for its safety. The school will not take responsibility for personal devices that have been lost, stolen, or damaged. Images or files should not be sent between mobile phones in school. If staff wish to use these devices in class as part of a learning project, they must get permission from a member of the senior leadership team. Staff should not use their personal mobile phones to make contact with pupils or parents. 9. Handling e-safety Incidents All e-safety incidents are to be reported to the e-safety co-ordinator who is required to log what has taken place and suggest action. All e-safety complaints and incidents will be recorded by the school including the actions taken. Complaints of internet misuse will be dealt with by a senior member of staff and processed through the school s complaints procedure. Any complaint about staff misuse must be referred to the Headteacher or e-safety co-ordinator. Concerns of a child protection nature must be dealt with in accordance with the school s Safeguarding & Child Protection procedures. Where there is cause for concern or suggestion that illegal activity has taken place the school will contact the safeguarding team in their local authority and escalate the concern to the police if appropriate. Pupils and parents will be informed of the complaints procedure. Pupils and parents will be informed of consequences and sanctions for pupils misusing the internet and this will be in line with the Behaviour Management procedures. SY.P2.01 BRA v2.1 DRAFT March 2015 6 of 7
After any concerns or complaints the school will identify actions and implement any changes required. 10. Cyberbullying Cyberbullying, as with any other form of bullying, is taken very seriously by the school. Information about specific strategies or programmes in place to prevent and tackle bullying is set out in the schools Behaviour Management Procedures. Bullying of staff online by parents/carers is equally unacceptable and members of staff are advised to report any derogatory comments in social networking sites to the e-safety co-ordinator for support, further advice and action (such as gathering evidence and contacting internet providers / site owners / external agencies to request that inappropriate material is removed). Further information can be found from the DfE guidance Cyberbullying: advice for Headteachers and school staff Nov 2014. Staff should take the necessary precautions to protect themselves online such as being familiar with privacy and security settings, checking online presence (i.e. typing their name in a search engine to detect negative comments), keeping personal and school business separate (i.e. do not use personal emails for school business). 11. Monitoring Brantridge School regularly monitors logs of internet activity (including sites visited) received by the Charity Office ICT section as well as having access to real time activity if required for investigative purposes. SY.P2.01 BRA v2.1 DRAFT March 2015 7 of 7