ICT _ Mobile Phones - Download as DOC

							             Guidance Policy on Pupils’ Use of ICT, Mobile Phones
                        and other Electronic Devices

Independent schools vary widely in terms of their size, pupil population, location, provision
and practice. The attached document is offered as guidance to help schools to prepare their
own policy in a way that suits their own circumstances and reflects the needs of their own
community. Remember, the following information is for guidance only. Before using it, and
particularly after adapting it, schools should consult their own legal advisers.

Please note that, where an insertion is required, square brackets are used without text or with
suggested text. Other square brackets indicate optional or alternative clauses.



  The ISBA acknowledges the assistance provided by guidance documents prepared by the
            following public bodies, charities and not for profit organisations:

      The Department for Education (DfE)
      Childnet International, UK Registered Charity No 1080173
      The Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI)
      The Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED)
      Bullying UK, Registered Charity No 1120 (www.bullying.co.uk)
      www.cyberbullyin.org
      The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS)


                                    The ISBA is grateful to:

      Hampton School for permitting its “Cyber-Safety” Booklet to appear as an ISBA
       Briefing Note
      Veale Wasborough Vizards LLP(www.vwv.co.uk) for their assistance with this policy
      The Boarding Schools Association (www.boarding.org.uk) and Veale Wasborough
       Vizardsfor the Boarding Briefing Paper “Cyberbullying”.
      Farrer & Co (www.farrer.co.uk) for the preparation of the ISBA Briefing Note
       “Cyberbullying”.

                                         September 2010


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ISBA September 2010
           GUIDANCE POLICY ON PUPILS’ USE OF ICT, MOBILE PHONES
                   AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES

                      A Legal Requirement, & an ISI Standard,
              An OFSTED Standard for Boarding Schools and EYFS providers

References:
: A: ISI Handbook for the Inspection of Schools: The Regulatory Requirements, January
2010
 (www.isi.net)
B: Boarding Schools: National Minimum Standards, July 2910
(http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/boarding)
C. “Safe and Secure Online Presentation” by Childnet International (http://www.childnet-
int.org/), and “Digizen” (www.digizen.org.uk) - a Childnet site.
D. www.cybermentors.org.uk
E “Cyberbullying” An ISBA briefing note by Farrer & Co
F. http://www.cyberbullying.org/
G. “Child Protection and New Technologies” by Childnet International (http://www.childnet-
int.org/)
H. Safe to Learn: Tackling Cyberbullying (www.teachernet.gov.uk)
JI “The Byron Review Action Plan”, 2008 (www.dcsf.gov.uk/byronreview/actionplan)
J. The UK Council for Internet Safety, UKCCIS (www.dcsf.gov.uk/ukccis)
K. “Cyberbullying” A Boarding Briefing Paper of April 2008 by Veale Wasborough Lawyers
and the BSA (www.boarding.org.uk).


                              REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Day schools (including those with EYFS provision):
Standard 1. (2)(a): “Full-time supervised education for pupils of compulsory school age,
which gives pupils experience in ..........technological ...education”
Standard 3(2) (a)/ (b)/ (d) “The school shall draw up and implement effectively a written
policy to prevent bullying............safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are
pupils at the school.... promote good behaviour amongst pupils and set out the sanctions to be
adopted in the event of pupils’ misbehaviour.”

Boarding schools: as for day schools, and:
NMS 2: Boarders are protected from bullying
NMS 2A: Boarders have access to information about the safer use of electronic means of
communication and are adequately safeguarded from potential harm”




INTRODUCTION

“Technology offers extraordinary opportunities for all of society including children and
young people. The interent allows for global exploration which can also bring risks, often
paralleling the offline world. Video gaming offers a range of exciting interactive experiences
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for children; however some of these are designed for adults. There is a generational divide
between parents and children which means that many parents do not feel empowered to
manage risks in the digital world in the same way that they do in the real world.”Dr Tanya
Byron “Children and New Teachnolgoy”

The latest National Minimum Standards for boarding schools, effective from September 2010,
introduced a standard specifically related to the safer use of electronic equipment and
safeguarding pupils from cyber bullying and potential harm. At present, the ISI’s child
protection and anti-bullying standards encompass issues relating to on-line safety and
cyberbullying; but do not, for the time being, deal with it as a discrete topic.
The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) was founded in 2008 to deliver an
authoritative “one shop stop” child internet safety web, and has developed advice and codes
of practice for public and private organisations covering young people and their use of the
internet and electronic devices. All schools need to establish guidelines for pupils, parents
and their own staff on the safe and responsible use of technology, setting out their
expectations of behaviour within the school environment, and the physical safeguards that are
in place. Since children of 7 or 8 or even younger use the internet, electronic games and
mobile phones, schools need to educate pupils from the earliest stages of education about
staying safe in the e-world outside of firewalls of the protected school environment.

Copies of the policy should be made available to pupils, staff and parents. It should be
discussed in PSHE lessons, by the School Council and revised regularly. It is important that
the document is “owned” by the entire community, and is regularly reviewed and updated.

CONTENTS OF POLICY

Growing evidence of the mismatch between the high technical abilities of pupils as users of
electronic devices, and their low awareness of safety issues involved may lead schools to
embed e-safety into the curriculum. This lack of awareness was graphically illustrated in a
report in the “Independent” Newspaper of 6th April 2009 on a survey of 1,000 girls aged
between 10 and 18, which stated that:

“Almost half of the girls had seen things online which upset or frightened them. More than
one in four had been bullied on the internet and a fifth had considered meeting someone they
met online in real life, although a similar number said they had found people who were not
who they said they were……..Almost all girls (95 per cent) believed carrying a mobile phone
makes them safer, unaware of the risks of displaying valuables. Nearly 80 per cent of girls
aged 16 to 18 listen to an iPod while walking alone at night”

By contrast, the Byron Review action plan of 2008 (see reference) highlighted that 57% of
parents do not know where to go to get information on how to protect their children online.
Whilst UKCCIS, supported by a strong Government commitment, can be expected to go
some way towards bridging the knowledge gap, schools have an important role in educating
pupils (and their parents and guardians) in ways of staying safe outside the protected
environment provided by the school’s own firewalls. Schools may wish to develop their own
Cyber –Safety Booklets, modelled on the ISBA Briefing Document that was made available
by Hampton School.



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RELATED POLICIES THAT ARE REQUIRED OF SCHOOLS

    Anti-bullying Policy (including Cyberbullying)
    Photography and using images of children
    Behaviour policy
    Discipline and exclusions policy
    Child Protection policy
________________________________________________________________________


                                      MODEL POLICY


ICT IN THE CURRICULUM

Technology has transformed the entire process of teaching and learning at [      ] school. It
is a crucial component of every academic subject, and is also taught as a subject in its own
right. [All] of our classrooms are equipped with electronic whiteboards, projectors and
computers. [We are progressively introducing fold-away desk units which store computers
neatly out of sight when they are not being used.] We have [ ] ICT suites in the school and
pupils may use the machines there and in the library for private study. [All of our boarding
houses are equipped with computers and network points].

All of our pupils are taught how to research on the internet and to evaluate sources. They are
educated into the importance of evaluating the intellectual integrity of different sites, and why
some apparently authoritative sites need to be treated with caution. Some sites that appear to
be serious, impartial, historical sites, actually masquerade as sources of racist, homophobic,
jihadist or other propaganda. Some free, on-line encyclopaedias do not evaluate or screen the
material posted on them.

THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN OUR PUPILS’ LIVES

Technology plays an enormously important part in the lives of all young people.
Sophisticated games consoles, or PSPs (play stations portable), like Wiis and Nintendo DS,
together with Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones provide unlimited access to the internet, to
SMS messages, to blogging (web logging) services (like Twitter), to skype (video calls, via
web cameras built into computers, phones and PSPs), to wikis (collaborative web pages), chat
rooms social networking sites (such as Bebo, Facebook and MySpace) and video sharing sites
(such as YouTube).

This communications revolution gives young people unrivalled opportunities. It also brings
risks. It is an important part of our role at [   ] to teach our pupils how to stay safe in this
environment and how to avoid making themselves vulnerable to a range of risks, including
identity theft, bullying, harassment, grooming, stalking and abuse. They also need to learn
how to avoid the risk of exposing themselves to subsequent embarrassment.




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ROLE OF OUR TECHNICAL STAFF

With the explosion in technology, we recognise that blocking and barring sites is no longer
adequate. We need to teach all of our pupils to understand why they need to behave
responsibly if they are to protect themselves. This aspect is a role for our Child Protection
Officer and our pastoral staff. Our technical staff have a key role in maintaining a safe
technical infrastructure at the school and in keeping abreast with the rapid succession of
technical developments. They are responsible for the security of our hardware system, our
data and for training our teaching and administrative staff in the use of ICT. They monitor the
use of the internet and emails and will report inappropriate usage to the pastoral staff.

ROLE OF OUR CHILD PROTECTION OFFICER

We recognise that internet safety is a child protection and general safeguarding issue.
[                ], our Child Protection Officer (CPO) has been trained in the safety issues
involved with the misuse of the internet and other mobile electronic devices. [S/he] works
closely with the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) and other agencies in
promoting a culture of responsible use of technology, that is consistent with the ethos of [
] school. All of the staff with pastoral responsibilities have also received training in e-safety
issues.    The school’s comprehensive PSHE programme on e-safety is the CPO’s
responsibility. [S/he] will ensure that all year groups in the school are educated in the risks
and the reasons why they need to behave responsibly online. It is [his/her] responsibility to
handle allegations of misuse of the internet.

MISUSE: STATEMENT OF POLICY

We will not tolerate any illegal material, and will always report illegal activity to the police
and/or the Local Child Safeguarding Board (LCSB). If we discover that a child or young
person is at risk as a consequence of online activity, we may seek assistance from the Child
Exploitation and Online Protection Unit (CEOP). We will impose a range of sanctions on any
pupil who misuses technology to bully, harass or abuse another pupil in line with our anti-
bullying policy.

INVOLVEMENT WITH PARENTS AND GUARDIANS

We seek to work closely with parents and guardians in promoting a culture of e-safety. We
will always contact you if we have any worries about your son or daughter’s behaviour in this
area, and we hope that you will feel able to share any worries with us. We recognise that not
all parents and guardians may feel equipped to protect their son or daughter when they use
electronic equipment at home. We therefore arrange [annual] discussion evenings for parents
when an outside specialist advises about the potential hazards of this exploding technology,
and the practical steps that parents can take to minimise the potential dangers to their sons and
daughters without curbing their natural enthusiasm and curiosity.

CHARTER FOR THE SAFE USE OF THE INTERNET AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES AT
[   ] SCHOOL

“Children and young people need to be empowered to keep themselves safe- this isn’t just
about a top-down approach. Children will be children - pushing boundaries and taking risks.
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ISBA September 2010
At a public swimming pool we have gates, put up signs, have lifeguards and shallow ends; but
we also teach children how to swim.” Dr Tanya Byron “Safer Children in a digital world:
the report of the Byron Review”.

E-safety is a whole school responsibility, and at [          ] school, the staff and pupils have
adopted the following charter for the safe use of the internet inside the school:

Cyberbullying

      Cyberbullying is a particularly pernicious form of bullying, because it can be so
       pervasive and anonymous. There can be no safe haven for the victim, who can be
       targeted at any time or place. Our school’s anti-bullying policy describes our
       preventative measures and the procedures that will be followed when we discover
       cases of bullying.
      Proper supervision of pupils plays an important part in creating a safe ICT
       environment at school; but everyone needs to learn how to stay safe outside the
       school.
      We value all of our pupils equally. It is part of the ethos of [ ] school to promote
       considerate behaviour, and to value diversity.
      Bullying and harassment in any form should always be reported to a member of staff.
       It is never the victim’s fault, and he or she should not be afraid to come forward.

Treating Other Users with Respect

      We expect pupils to treat staff and each other online with the same standards of
       consideration and good manners as they would in the course of face to face contact.
       They should always follow the school’s Rules and Regulations [copies of which are
       sent to parents and are in the homework diary].
      We expect a degree of formality in communications between staff and pupils, and
       would not normally expect them to communicate with each other by text or mobile
       phones. [Our policy on Educational Visits explains the circumstances when
       communication by mobile phone may be appropriate. In such circumstances, [staff
       use school, as opposed to personal, mobiles and] pupils’ mobile numbers are deleted
       at the end of the visit, [and pupils are instructed to delete staff numbers].
      Everyone has a right to feel secure and to be treated with respect, particularly the
       vulnerable. Harassment and bullying will not be tolerated. Our Anti-bullying policy is
       set out in the [Parent Handbook]. The school is strongly committed to promoting
       equal opportunities for all, regardless of race, gender, gender orientation or physical
       disability.
      All pupils are encouraged to look after each other, and to report any concerns about
       the misuse of technology, or worrying issue to a member of the pastoral staff.
      The use of cameras on mobile phones is not allowed in washing and changing areas.
       [Careful thought needs to be given before using them in the bedrooms of boarding
       houses].

Keeping the School Network Safe

      We adhere to best practice regarding E-teaching and the internet.

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ISBA September 2010
      Certain sites are blocked by our filtering system and our IT Department monitors
       pupils’ use of the network.
      The IT Department monitors email traffic and blocks SPAM and certain attachments.
      We issue all pupils with their own personal school email address. Access is via
       personal LOGIN, which is password protected. We give guidance on the reasons for
       always logging off and for keeping all passwords securely.
      Access to sites such as “hotmail” is not allowed on the school’s network.
      We have strong anti-virus protection on our network, which is operated by the IT
       Department.
      Any member of staff or pupil, who wishes to connect a removable device to the
       school’s network, is asked to arrange in advance with the IT Department to check it
       for viruses.

Promoting Safe Use of Technology

The whole school takes part in the annual Safe Internet Day. Pupils of all ages are encouraged
to make use of the excellent online resources that are available from sites such as:

      UK Council for Child Internet Safety (http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/ukccis)
      Childnet International (www.childnet-int.org)
      Digizen (www.digizen.org.uk) -
      Cyber Mentors (www.cybermentors.org.uk)
      Cyberbullying (www.cyberbullying.org)
      E-Victims (www.e-victims.org)
      Bullying UK (www.bullying.co.uk)


They prepare their own models of good practice, which form the subject of presentations at
Assemblies and discussion in the meetings of the School Council. They cover the different
hazards on the internet, such as grooming, stalking, abuse, bullying, harassment and identity
theft. Guidance covers topics such as saving yourself from future embarrassment, explaining
that any blog or photograph posted onto the internet is there permanently. Anything that has
been deleted may be cached in a search engine, company server or internet archive and cause
embarrassment years later.

Safe Use of Personal Electronic Equipment

      Our guidance is that no one should put anything onto the web that they would not say
       to their grandmother!
      We offer guidance on the safe use of social networking sites and cyberbullying in
       PSHE lessons, which covers blocking and removing contacts from “buddy lists”.
      Our PSHE lessons include guidance on how pupils can identify the signs of a Cyber-
       stalker, and what they should do if they are worried about being harassed or stalked
       online.
      We offer guidance on keeping names, addresses, passwords, mobile phone numbers
       and other personal details safe. Privacy is essential in the e-world.
      We give guidance on how to keep safe at home, by encrypting your home wireless
       network, not opening unknown attachments and reporting any illegal content.
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ISBA September 2010
      Similarly we cover how a mobile phone filter can be activated, and how to block
       nuisance callers.
      We advise on the responsible use of skype. [But we appreciate that free video calls
       can provide boarders, particularly overseas boarders, with an invaluable means of
       maintaining contact with their families and friends]

Considerate Use of Electronic Equipment

      Mobile phones, ipods and other personal electronic devices should be switched off and
       stored securely during the school day. They may be used during lunch-times [and in
       boarding houses after school].
      Staff may confiscate personal equipment that is being used during the school day for
       periods of up to [ ] days.
      Sanctions may be imposed on pupils who use their electronic equipment without
       consideration for others.

We expect all pupils to adhere to this charter for the safe use of the internet. Copies are given
to all pupils and their parents, and we may impose sanctions for the misuse, or attempted
misuse of the internet, mobile phones and other electronic devices.




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