POLICY DOCUMENTINTERNET ACCESS at DOROTHY GOODMAN SCHOOL
It is current Government policy to connect all schools to the Internet by 2002. Dorothy Goodman School was connected to the Internet in 2000. The educational benefits of access to the Internet are now available to the school, but we are mindful too of the risks that exist because of the availability of unsuitable material. Our aim in developing this policy is to take full advantage of the learning opportunities that exist through the Internet, and at the same time to identify and manage the risks associated with it. This aim will be achieved through setting up procedures that are clear, and making those procedures known to and understood by all. THE BENEFITS OF INTERNET ACCESS The purpose of Internet access in school is to raise educational standards, not only in ICT, but also across the curriculum. Amongst those benefits are the following: - Access to world-wide educational resources - for pupils and for staff - Innovative teaching techniques - Communication and sharing of ideas between students and staff world-wide - The facilitation of professional development - Access to on-line discussion forums - The development of ICT skills - The capability to develop our own web site, in order to share information and practice with others RISKS ASSOCIATED with USING the INTERNET It is important to acknowledge that it is difficult, if not impossible to remove completely the risk of accessing undesirable material on the Internet. We use a secure, filtered system (Edex), but the continual development of new sites means that it is impossible to guarantee that undesirable material will not appear on the monitor screen. For this reason, we will seek to ensure that Internet access is always under the supervision of a member of staff; it is school policy not to allow pupils to use the Internet independently. The control measures that we have put into place are detailed in the next section. Our Internet policy will be made known to parents, and parents will be informed of the risks and of the measures that we take to minimise them. Express written permission will need to be given by parents to enable their child to use the Internet in school. HOW WILL the RISKS be MINIMISED? 1. Pupils using the Internet will be supervised at all times. Unsupervised access will not be permitted. 2. Internet access in the main school has been purchased from an educational supplier, which provides a filtered service designed specifically for pupils. Whilst this cannot guarantee that undesirable material is not available, it ensures that the vast majority of unsuitable sites are blocked. If a site that is available is deemed to be unsuitable, it can be blocked by a member of staff. In the Life Skills Unit the same filtered service cannot be used. Students will, however, not be using the Internet independently. The room containing the Internet line and computer is kept locked unless in use. When the computer is in use, it is supervised by a member of staff. 3. Pupils will be educated in the responsible use of the Internet, and will be taught the educational benefits that it can bring. 4. When pupils access the Internet they will have clear objectives for its use, appropriate to their level of understanding and their work. "Surfing the net" in an undirected way will be actively discouraged! 5. Internet access within lessons will be planned to enrich and extend learning opportunities as an integrated aspect of the curriculum. Staff will check that sites selected for school use are appropriate to the age and maturity of the pupils concerned. 6. Prior parental permission will always be sought for pupils to access the Internet. 7. The school will work with the LEA and the Internet provider to ensure that systems designed to protect pupils are continuously reviewed, improved and up-dated. HOW WILL STAFF, PUPILS and PARENTS be KEPT INFORMED - Rules for responsible Internet use will be posted near computer access points (see separate document at the end of this policy - Appendix 1). These rules detail what is considered to be acceptable use of the Internet. - All staff will be provided with access to the Internet policy, and its importance will be pointed out to all. - All new staff will be informed of the rules for responsible Internet use as part of their induction. - All staff will complete a form before they are allowed to use the Internet in school (see Appendix 2). - All parents will need to sign a form in order to give their written permission for their child to use the Internet in school (Appendix 3). If we do not receive this permission, then we will assume that parents do not wish their child to use it. Forms will be issued in the pack that is given to new parents. CONCLUSION The school is developing a partnership approach amongst all concerned - parents, pupils and staff. It is known that there are educational benefits to using the Internet, and that these benefits will contribute towards the raising of standards. But equally the school is aware of the risks to young people. What we aim to do is to ensure that we can embrace the advantages fully, and at the same time minimise the risks. If we work together, and if we make clear what is appropriate and responsible within the school environment, then we will achieve this aim.
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