Web Safety Guidelines

Web Safety Guidelines -
Acceptable Use Policies: Ideally every school will draw up its acceptable use policy before it is involved in any use of the internet. Ideally this AUP will be the product of a perfect meeting of minds between parents, teachers and children. Ideally it will thus be rendered impossible for any mishap to occur in the process of using ICT's in the school. Ideally! Alas, matters are seldom so simple. If it's not already clear to you, it will be as you go through these pages that there are some risks relating to the use of ICT's about which parents have the right to know. However, most dangers are extremely remote and are well out-weighed by advantages, provided that sensible precautions are taken. Many of the kinds of issues you will want to cover are discussed on other pages but the most important thing when it comes to writing an AUP is simply to write it. The first draft should be short and seem totally inadequate. Like a web-site an AUP should be constantly under construction and if the first version requires months of soul-searching before a word is put to paper (or screen) then no one will want to look at it again for several years to come which rather takes away the point of doing it. Look at the issues raised in the pages that follow, discuss them among your staff and decide which are relevant and what you want to do about them. If this results in half an A4 page of one-line rules then great - you have an AUP. The next step is to discuss it with the parents and that may be a tricky one. The trouble is, if we ask parent's permission before putting a child's picture on a school web-site (and we should) the parent has an entirely natural inclination to ask: "Why are they asking my permission?" And if we don't have a convincing answer their natural response may be: "Maybe I shouldn't give it!" So it is very important that before going to the parents you have really considered the activities you propose to carry out with ICT's and you have definite ideas on the benefits. In any group of parents today you will have many who are scared of what they've heard about the Internet but you will also have substantial numbers who beleieve that "Computers are the future" and these will only need minimal reassurances to get them on your side. Whatever the situation in your school you should appreciate that an AUP is only half-formed until it has a section signed up to by parents. You may also want to require older children to sign up on their understanding of the privileges they expect to get. Either way all children who are going to have direct access to the Internet need to be fully familiar with a set of Stay Safe rules. If you find it really impossible to put together an AUP, well, there are many examples to be found around the Internet and any search engine will provide you with more of them than you will ever want to see. With a lot of luck you will find one which reflects enough of your concerns to allow you to easily edit it and come up with one that suits your school. Finally, in considering your AUP, don't forget that it should be applicable to staff as well as students. Some schools take a very hard line on teachers using a school e-mail address for personal correspondence while others see this as a small "perk" for a teacher who has taken the trouble to learn how to use it. Such matters can, as usual, only be dealt with by each school on an individual basis.

Web Safety Guidelines -

Acceptable Use Policies:

Ideally every school will draw up its acceptable use policy before it is involved in any use of the internet.

Ideally this AUP will be the product of a perfect meeting of minds between parents, teachers and children.

Ideally it will thus be rendered impossible for any mishap to occur in the process of using ICT's in the school.

Ideally!
Alas, matters are seldom so simple. If it's not already clear to you, it will be as you go through these pages that there are some risks relating to the use of ICT's about which parents have the right to know. However, most dangers are extremely remote and are well out-weighed by advantages, provided that sensible precautions are taken.

Many of the kinds of issues you will want to cover are discussed on other pages but the most important thing when it comes to writing an AUP is simply to write it. The first draft should be short and seem totally inadequate. Like a web-site an AUP should be constantly under construction and if the first version requires months of soul-searching before a word is put to paper (or screen) then no one will want to look at it again for several years to come which rather takes away the point of doing it.
Look at the issues raised in the pages that follow, discuss them among your staff and decide which are relevant and what you want to do about them. If this results in half an A4 page of one-line rules then great - you have an AUP. The next step is to discuss it with the parents and that may be a tricky one.
The trouble is, if we ask parent's permission before putting a child's picture on a school web-site (and we should) the parent has an entirely natural inclination to ask:

"Why are they asking my permission?"

And if we don't have a convincing answer their natural response may be:

"Maybe I shouldn't give it!"

So it is very important that before going to the parents you have really considered the activities you propose to carry out with ICT's and you have definite ideas on the benefits. In any group of parents today you will have many who are scared of what they've heard about the Internet but you will also have substantial numbers who beleieve that "Computers are the future" and these will only need minimal reassurances to get them on your side.
Whatever the situation in your school you should appreciate that an AUP is only half-formed until it has a section signed up to by parents. You may also want to require older children to sign up on their understanding of the privileges they expect to get. Either way all children who are going to have direct access to the Internet need to be fully familiar with a set of Stay Safe rules.
If you find it really impossible to put together an AUP, well, there are many examples to be found around the Internet and any search engine will provide you with more of them than you will ever want to see. With a lot of luck you will find one which reflects enough of your concerns to allow you to easily edit it and come up with one that suits your school.
Finally, in considering your AUP, don't forget that it should be applicable to staff as well as students. Some schools take a very hard line on teachers using a school e-mail address for personal correspondence while others see this as a small "perk" for a teacher who has taken the trouble to learn how to use it. Such matters can, as usual, only be dealt with by each school on an individual basis.