Scope
This policy has been authorised by the Principal and is addressed to all Students. It is available to parents on request and parents are encouraged to read it. This policy can be made available in large print or other accessible format if required. In drafting this policy, the College has consulted with parents, Students and staff. The policy takes into account Becta guidance: AUPs in Context: Establishing Safe and Responsible Online Behaviours (AUPs: Acceptable Use Policies) and Cyber-bullying: safe to learn: embedding anti-bullying work in Schools (DCSF00658-2007), guidance issued by the Department for Children Schools and Families. The policy relates to the use of technology, including:
e-mail
the internet
Virtual Learning Environments
social networking or interactive web sites/software/content management systems for example Zenbe, Shareflow Facebook, Bebo, MySpace, Wordpress
instant messaging, chat rooms, blogs and message boards
gaming sites
mobile phones (including PDA and similar devices)
mobile phones with the capability for recording and/or storing still or moving images
webcams, video hosting sites (such as YouTube)
personal music players such as iPods
handheld game consoles
Interactive Whiteboards
other photographic or electronic equipment
It applies to the use of any of the above on College premises and also any use, whether on or off College premises, which affects the welfare of other Students or where the culture or reputation of the College are put at risk.
Aims
The aims of this policy are:
to encourage Students to make good use of the educational opportunities presented by access to the internet and other electronic communication
to safeguard and promote the welfare of Students by preventing "cyberbullying" (see 3.1 below) and other forms of abuse
to minimise the risk of harm to the assets and reputation of the College
to help Students take responsibility for their own e-safety
to ensure that Students use technology safely and securely
Definitions
Cyberbullying is the use of information and communication technology (ICT), particularly mobile phones and the internet deliberately to upset someone else (see Cyber-bullying: safe to learn: embedding anti-bullying work in Schools (DCSF00658-2007, guidance issued by the Department for Children Schools and Families).
E-safety means limiting the risks that students and young people are exposed to when using technology, so that all technologies are used safely and securely.
Protocols
Students should comply with the following protocols:
e-mail and internet protocol (Appendix 1)
mobile phone protocol (Appendix 2)
camera, photograph and video protocol (Appendix 3)
other electronic equipment protocol (Appendix 4)
protocol for communication between staff and Students (Appendix 5)
guidelines for students for whom the College has arranged accommodation (Appendix 6).
Sanctions
Where a Student breaches any of the College's protocols, the Principal has authorised the Director of Studies to apply any sanction which is appropriate and proportionate to the breach including, in the most serious cases, expulsion. Other sanctions might include: increased monitoring procedures, detention and withdrawal of privileges. .
Confiscation: unacceptable use of electronic equipment could lead to confiscation in accordance with the protocols attached to this policy and the College's policy on Behaviour and Discipline .
Procedures
Students are responsible for their actions, conduct and behaviour on the internet in the same way that they are responsible during classes or at break time. Use of technology should be safe, responsible and lawful . Expulsion is the likely consequence for any Student found to be responsible for material on his or her own or another website that would be a serious breach of College rules in any other context. Any misuse of the internet will be dealt with under the College's Behaviour and Discipline Policy . If you witness misuse by other Students talk to a teacher about it as soon as possible.
Students must not use their own or the College's technology to bully others. Bullying incidents involving the use of technology will be dealt with under the College's Anti-bullying Procedures. If you think that you might have been bullied or if you think another person is being bullied, talk to a teacher about it as soon as possible.
If there is a suggestion that a student is at risk of abuse, the matter will be dealt with under the College's Child Protection Procedures. If you are worried about something that you have seen on the internet, talk to a teacher about it as soon as possible.
The liability of the College
Unless negligent under the terms of this policy, the College accepts no responsibility to the Student or parents caused by or arising out of a Student's use of mobile phones, e-mail and the internet whilst at College.
The College does not undertake to provide continuous internet access. E-mail and website addresses at the College may change from time to time.
Monitoring and review
All serious e-safety incidents will be logged on the appropriate College database.
The Director of Studies has responsibility for the implementation and annual review of this policy, in consultation with parents, Students and staff. The Director of Studies will consider the record of e-safety incidents and new technologies. The Director of Studies will consider if existing security procedures are adequate.
The Director of Studies will make an annual report to the Principal on the effectiveness of the College's Acceptable Use Policy and associated procedures.
Authorised by |
The Principal |
Date |
November 2010 |
Effective date of the policy |
November 2010 |
Circulation |
T eaching staff / all staff / parents / Students on request |
We want each Student to enjoy using the internet, and to become proficient in drawing upon it both during your time at College, and as a foundation for your further education and career.
However, there are some potential drawbacks with e-mail and the internet, both for you and for the College.
The purpose of this protocol is to set out the principles which you must bear in mind at all times and also the rules which you must follow in order for all Students to use technology safely and securely.
For your own protection and that of others, your use of e-mail and of the internet will be monitored by the College. Remember that even when you have deleted an e-mail or something you have downloaded, it can still be traced on the system. Do not assume that files stored on servers or storage media are always private.
Passwords are there to protect users. It is a serious offence to use the username and password of another user. Users should not reveal their password to any other user, not even an administrator or member of staff. A user whose account has been disabled by an administrator must apply to an administrator to have the account enabled at times when it is needed for lessons. Impersonation of another user via e-mail is a serious offence. All of your files should be saved in your own area.
The use of e-mail and access to the internet from the College's computers and network must be for educational purposes only. You must not use our facilities for personal, social or non-educational use without the express, prior consent of a member of staff .
Personal, social or non-educational use is tolerated in the Common Area at all times and College Library between the hours of 1 and 2 pm and before and after normal College hours providing there is no breach of the College’s behaviour and acceptable use policies.
You must do all you can to protect the security of the College's computer network, and the security of networks belonging to others. In particular, this means being aware of the possibility of computer viruses and taking sensible precautions to avoid bringing them onto our system or passing them to others. You should tell a teacher if there is a failure in a technical safeguard e.g. if there is a problem with a firewall or if an area which should be password protected is not password protected.
You must also try to protect personal and confidential information about yourself and others, even if you receive or come across this inadvertently. Receiving or using this kind of information may be unlawful under data protection legislation and laws relating to confidentiality.
You must not knowingly obtain (or attempt to obtain) unauthorised access to any part of any computer system, or any information contained on such a system, including the College's system. This is known as "hacking" and is both a criminal offence and a serious breach of College discipline.
You should assume that all material on the internet is protected by copyright and you must treat such material appropriately and in accordance with the owner's rights - you must not copy (plagiarise) another's work.
You must not create, display, copy or otherwise distribute offensive material. Offensive material includes but is not limited to racism, sexism, pornography, bullying (including homophobic bullying), defamation, blasphemy or criminal activity including hacking. In cases of doubt, please ask any member of staff. As far as you are able, you must also make sure that you do not search for or receive such material. It is your responsibility to reject it if you come across it, and to inform a member of staff. Do not store executable files (.exe. files) or other copyright material such as MP3 files, wallpapers, movie clips and other formats or movie clips in your user area.
You must not bring the College into disrepute through your use of e-mail, mobile phones or your access to the internet. For example, you must not send or ask to receive anything which you believe the Principal and/or your parents would find inappropriate for a Student at Ashbourne College .
You must not enter into any contractual commitment, whether for yourself or on behalf of another (including the College), without the advance written authority of the Director of Studies.
You will also be liable to disciplinary sanctions including, in the most serious cases, expulsion, if you breach this protocol. The measures taken will depend on the seriousness of the offence. Normally a verbal warning will be issued for a minor misdemeanour but further sanctions may be taken against those who repeatedly offend or where the nature of the offence is more serious. You (or your parents) may also be asked to pay for any significant expenditure, or indemnify any significant liability, incurred by the College as a result of the breach.
It is a serious offence to destroy work (files) of another user, or to create or introduce a virus or other malicious code to cause a system malfunction. Users must not attempt to reconfigure the computer, place shortcuts, aliases, software or Clip Art onto any local hard disk. Programme files must not be downloaded from the internet. Personal floppy disks, USB pen drives and CD ROMs containing application software must not be brought into College. However, Students may bring in work on floppy disks or USB drives, if approved by staff beforehand.
You should treat all ICT resources responsibly, and avoid waste by not sending documents to print unless you have first previewed them, and are sure they are in final draft form. Colour printing is permitted, but Students are expected to use this facility sparingly and not print off web pages unless absolutely necessary. All colour printing is monitored.
Students are not allowed to access interactive or networking web sites when using College computers or, if using personal laptops or other devices, on College premises.
Rules
You may only use the College's computers whilst logged on with your own username and password.
You must never disclose your password to another Student, nor to anyone outside the College.
You may send and receive e-mail and have access to the internet at College only during term time and only during the College day. (The College will not forward e-mails received during the College holidays.)
You may not read anyone else's e-mails without their consent.
You must not send an e-mail to an entire address list or distribution list without the express, prior consent of a member of staff or a senior Student .
Except in the Common Areas, y ou must not use the College's computer system to play non-educational games, or use "chat" programmes, bulletin boards, usergroups etc.
You must tell a member of staff immediately if you have accidentally read, downloaded or have been sent inappropriate material, including personal information about someone else.
You must not load material from any disk, USB memory stick or storage device (such as an MP3 player or PSP) brought in from outside the College, unless the device has been virus checked by the IT and Premises Manager or one of his Assistants.
If you think or suspect that an attachment sent to you, or other material which you want to download, might contain a virus, you must not open the attachment or download the material without first speaking to the IT and Premises Manager or one of his Assistants to arrange a virus check.
You must not cancel or disapply the College autosignature / disclaimer attached to all e-mail messages.
You must not send or receive encrypted messages. If you receive any encrypted messages these must be referred to the IT and Premises Manager or one of his Assistants .
No 'laptop' or other portable devices may be connected to the College network without the consent of a member of staff .
Mobile phone protocol
Students may bring mobile telephones to College at their own risk and should be used respectfully and quietly at break-times and in free periods only. Mobile telephones should not be used in the College library and they should be switched off (and not just on silent mode) during lesson times.
Any member of staff has the authority to ask a student to refrain from using his or her mobile phone if they feel the student is using it disrespectfully or inappropriately. The device may be confiscated and handed to the Director of Studies.
Students may not bring mobile phones into examination rooms under any circumstances.
The College does not accept any responsibility for the theft, loss of, or damage to, mobile phones brought onto College premises, including phones that have been confiscated or which have been handed in to the Director of Studies.
The College reserves the right to confiscate a Student's mobile phone for a specified period of time if the Student is found to be in breach of this protocol. The Student may also be prevented from bringing a mobile phone into the College temporarily or permanently and at the sole discretion of the Director of Studies.
Camera, photograph and video protocol
Using photographic material of any kind to bully, harass or intimidate others will not be tolerated and will constitute a serious breach of discipline.
Students below year 12 may only use cameras or phones or other devices with the capability for recording and/or storing still or moving images with the express permission of a member of staff in and with the permission of those appearing in the image.
Year 12 and 13 Students may take images with phones or cameras only with the express permission of all those appearing in the image .
All Students must allow staff access to images stored on mobile phones and/or cameras and must delete images if requested to do so.
Posting of photographic material which in the reasonable opinion of the Director of Studies is considered to be offensive on web sites such as Youtube, Facebook etc is a serious breach of discipline and will be subject to disciplinary procedures whatever the source of the material. This is the position whether the computer used is a College computer or a computer operated elsewhere including the Student's home.
If the Director of Studies has reasonable grounds to believe that a Student's mobile phone, camera or personal laptop computer contains images, text messages or other material that may constitute evidence of criminal activity he / she may hand the phone, camera or laptop to the police for examination.
Use of cameras, mobile phones with camera facilities, laptop computers or other devices in breach of this policy may result in confiscation of the equipment until the end of term and the Student may be permanently banned from bringing a camera, mobile phone or laptop onto College premises in future.
Other electronic equipment protocol
Any other electronic equipment (such as MP3 players, games consoles, iPads, laptop computers) may be brought onto College premises entirely at the risk of the student. Any member of staff has the right to confiscate any such items if they are being used inappropriately or at an inappropriate time. All confiscated items will be passed on to the Director of Studies.
Mobile phones protocol for communication between staff and Students
Ashbourne College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students at the College. As part of our safeguarding policy we expect staff and Students, and where appropriate, parents, to follow this protocol on communication by mobile phone. Throughout this protocol the term mobile phone includes a PDA or similar device.
Staff should avoid using mobile phones to speak to or send messages to students (and vice versa) whilst in College. Phone numbers should not be exchanged or displayed. Any messages that are sent should be brief and courteous.
Staff on supervisory duties in the play ground, on playing fields or in relation to transport may carry and use a mobile phone to seek assistance from colleagues or emergency services.
Where a Student or group of Students are involved in an emergency situation they may use a mobile phone to seek assistance.
Staff should avoid using mobile phones to speak to or send messages to students (and vice versa) outside College. Any messages that are sent should be brief and courteous.
The leader of an educational visit will carry a mobile phone and, as part of the preparations for the visit, will ensure that other adults taking part in the visit are equipped with mobile phones and that relevant numbers are exchanged.
Staff should avoid using mobile phones to speak to or send messages to students (and vice versa) except in emergencies. Any messages that are sent should be brief and courteous.
If there are reasonable grounds to believe that inappropriate communications have taken place, the Principal will require the relevant mobile phones to be produced for examination. The usual disciplinary procedures will apply. Students may expect to have mobile phones confiscated if there has been a breach of this protocol.
Guidelines for boarders
Students in accommodation arranged by the College should be mindful of the other aspects of this protocol and should respect the rules and regulations of the homes/hostels in which they live.
Social Networking Sites
Download the following for guidance on Social Networking sites:
Staff - Download
Students - Download
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