The Heath
A STEM Centre of Excellence and Leadership Development School
ICT Acceptable Use Protocol
Introduction
The statutory curriculum requires students to learn how to locate, retrieve and exchange information using
information and communications technology (ICT). In delivering the curriculum, teachers need to plan to integrate
the use of communications technology such as web-based resources and e-mail. In addition to this the
development of online learning resources across the curriculum and the use of new technology in schools to
enhance the learning experience and engage students mean that students are regularly engaged in activities which
involve the use of ICT. Computer skills are vital to access life-long learning and employment; indeed we must
consider ICT a life-skill.
The purpose of Internet use in The Heath School is to raise educational standards, to promote student achievement,
to support the professional work of staff and to enhance the school’s management information and business
administration systems.
The Internet is an essential element in 21st Century life for education, business and social interaction. The school
has a duty to provide students with quality Internet access as part of their learning experience.
Aim
The aim of this Acceptable Use Protocol (AUP) is to ensure that students will benefit from learning opportunities
offered by the school’s Internet resources in a safe and effective manner. Internet use and access is considered a
school resource and privilege. Therefore, if the school’s AUP is not adhered to this privilege will be withdrawn and
appropriate sanctions will be imposed.
The Internet and Learning
The Internet will enhance students’ educational opportunities at The Heath School. Students, through Halton Local
Authority infrastructure, can access the North West Learning Grid and the Joint Academic Network and take
advantage of searching the World Wide Web and using e-mail.
Benefits to Learning:
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Access to world-wide educational resources including museums and art galleries;
Communication and collaboration between students and schools;
Transfer of information between students and schools;
Educational and cultural exchanges between students world-wide;
Cultural, vocational, social and leisure use in libraries, clubs and at home;
Access to experts in many fields for students and staff;
Staff professional development through access to national developments, educational materials and good
curriculum practice;
Communication with support services, professional associations and colleagues;
Improved access to technical support including remote management of networks;
Exchange of curriculum and administration data with the LEA and DfES.
School Strategy
The school will employ a number of strategies in order to maximise learning opportunities and reduce risks associate
with the Internet. These strategies are as follows:
General
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Internet sessions during lesson time will always be supervised by a teacher. Adult supervision will be in
place in the vicinity of student internet activity at breaktimes and other non-teaching times
Filtering software and /or equivalent systems will be used in order to minimise the risk of exposure to
inappropriate material.
The school will regularly monitor students’ Internet usage.
Students and teachers will be provided with training in the area of Internet safety.
Uploading and downloading of non-approved software will not be permitted.
Virus protection software will be used and updated on a regular basis.
The use of personal USB devices in school requires a teacher’s permission.
Students will observe good “netiquette” (i.e., etiquette on the Internet) at all times and will not undertake
any actions that may bring the school into disrepute.
Supply teachers are not granted access to ICT.
Using the Internet in the Curriculum
Initially, students will be educated about the Internet, and its use, in ICT lessons. During these sessions students will
be taught research techniques including the use of subject catalogues and search engines. They should be
encouraged to question the validity, currency and origins of information – key information handling skills. They
should also use alternative sources of information for comparison purposes. They will also be educated to follow
sensible rules for personal safety. Internet access will be planned to enrich and extend learning activities. Access
levels will be reviewed to reflect the curriculum requirements and age of students. The Internet will also be used in
other subject areas in addition to ICT either directly or through resources located on the school’s Virtual Learning
Environment (VLE). The VLE will provide access to specific curriculum resources with an identified learning outcome
and revision materials. Interactive forums will offer the opportunity for learners to collaborate on school work and
access learning materials outside of the classroom wherever they have access to the Internet. Use of the VLE will be
via an individual username and password and all students will receive an induction into its use.
Risk Assessment of Internet Materials
As the quantity and breadth of the information available through the Internet continues to grow The Heath School
realise that it is not possible to guard against every undesirable situation. However, in common with other media
such as magazines, books and video, some material available via the Internet is unsuitable for students. The school
will take all reasonable precautions to ensure that users access only appropriate material. However, due to the
international scale and linked nature of Internet content, it is not possible to guarantee that unsuitable material will
never appear on a school computer. Neither the school nor HBC can accept liability for the material accessed, or any
consequences of Internet access. However, The Heath School will ensure that the methods used to identify, assess
and minimise risks will be reviewed regularly. Similarly, staff, parents, and HBC will work to establish agreement that
every reasonable measure is being taken.
World Wide Web
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Students will not visit Internet sites that contain obscene, illegal, hateful or otherwise objectionable
materials.
Students will use the Internet for educational purposes only.
Students will be familiar with copyright issues relating to online learning.
Students will never disclose or publicise personal information.
World Wide Web (Cont’)
 Students will be aware that any usage, including distributing or receiving information, school-related or
personal, may be monitored for unusual activity, security and /or network management reasons.
 Students will report any concerns or inappropriate materials to their teacher or the supervising member of
staff.
 Students will not engage in illegal file sharing, including exchange or distribution of copyrighted, illegal or
otherwise inappropriate material.
Email
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Students will use approved class email accounts under supervision by or permission from a teacher.
Students will not send or receive any material that is illegal, obscene, defamatory or that is intended to
upset, annoy or intimidate another person.
Students will not reveal their own or other people’s personal details, such as addresses or telephone
numbers or pictures.
Students will never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they only know through emails or the
Internet.
Students will note that sending and receiving email attachments is subject to permission from their teacher.
Internet Chat
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Students will only have access to chat rooms, discussion forums or other electronic communication forums
that have been approved by the school.
Chat rooms, discussion forums and other electronic communication forums will only be used for educational
purposes and will always be supervised.
Usernames will be used to avoid disclosure of identity.
Face-to-face meetings with someone organised via Internet chat will be forbidden.
Mobile Internet Technologies
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Students will only use mobile internet hardware e.g. laptops, PDA’s, webcams, digital cameras, under
supervision and for legitimate subject related learning.
Where students are issued with mobile technologies to support learning for a specific project these may be
subject to a separate home/school agreement.
Digital Media/Image Capture and Storage
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The use of digital media to capture and transfer images (camera phones or PDA’s) is forbidden unless
authorised by a member of staff and deemed appropriate technology for the planned learning activity.
No information, image or digital video footage, gathered within The Heath or at a Heath event, is to be
posted onto the internet without permission from the Principal. Images captured by staff or students must
be used for an authorised purpose and not stored on personal devices.
The use of digital media as a form of evidence to assess learning may be used in curriculum areas. This will
only be shared with the relevant assessment bodies.
School Computers/Network
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Users will not install any software without explicit permission.
Users will not engage in any activity that compromises the security of the network.
Users are to immediately report any damage or faults involving equipment or software, however this may
have happened.
Users will not try to obtain other peoples personal information or passwords or access confidential data
through hacking, use of malware or any other means.
Mobile Phone Protocol
The use of mobile phones is not allowed at The Heath – however, it is understood that some students may carry them
so that they can contact home after school. In this case the phone must be switched off throughout the school day
including break and lunch time and kept out of sight at all times. If parents wish to contact their child during the day
then they should phone school and a message will be passed to their child.
If a phone is seen or heard it will be confiscated, taken to the front office, recorded, locked away and returned on
Friday afternoon at 3.30 pm. If a phone is confiscated on a Friday, it will be returned on the following Friday.
This protocol has become necessary due to problems arising from widespread use of mobile phones in schools
throughout the country. These have included the spreading of illegally taken images, illegal videoing and cyber-bullying.
These can cause great distress in addition to the obvious interruption to teaching and learning.
School Website
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Students will be given the opportunity to publish projects, artwork or school work on the World Wide Web.
The publication of student work will be co-ordinated by a teacher.
Students’ work will appear in an educational context on Web pages with a copyright notice prohibiting the
copying of such work without express written permission.
Digital photographs, audio or video clips may be published on the school website as a record or celebration
of events.
Personal student information including home address and contact details will be omitted from school web
pages.
Students will continue to own the copyright on any work published.
The school will inform students and parents of key support structures and organisations that deal with illegal
material or harmful use of the Internet.
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
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The VLE (called IZONE) will allow students access to an online portal where they can store work, access
curriculum resources and collaborate with other learners
Individual user accounts will be issued to students which must be kept secure
All activity through the portal can be traced to individual accounts
The VLE can be accessed outside of school wherever an internet connection is available
Students should not post any comments that may be found offensive or inappropriate on any areas of the
VLE
How will ICT system security be maintained?
The Heath School realise that it is important to review the security of the whole system, from user practice to
Internet service provider (ISP). At the simplest level, occasional checks on user’s files, temporary Internet files and
history files can reveal potential mischief. A number of agencies can advise on systems security including LEA
support teams and suppliers. However, review of external agencies’ opinions on systems security raises the
following issues for further discussion:
Local Area Network (LAN) security issues include:
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The user must act reasonably. Loading non-approved software could cause major problems. Good
password practice is required including logout after use.
Cabling should be secure and wireless LANs safe from interception.
Servers must be located securely and physical access restricted.
The server operating system must be secured to a high level.
Virus protection for the whole network must be installed and current.
Wide Area Network (WAN) security issues include:
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All external connections must be assessed for security risks including the wide area network connection and
any modems staff may wish to use.
Firewalls and routers should be configured to prevent unauthorised use of software such as FTP and Telnet
at the protocol level.
Decisions on security made by external agencies such as the LEA or ISP must be discussed with schools.
Third-party security testing should be considered.
The Internet is a connection to the outside world that could compromise system performance or threaten user or
system security. The downloading of large files such as video and MP3 can compromise system performance. A
WAN connection introduces further risks such as students trying to access another school. However it also brings
the opportunity for industrial strength security in the form of hardware firewalls and the expertise to design and
operate them. Therefore:
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The school ICT systems will be reviewed regularly with regard to security.
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Virus protection will be installed and updated regularly.
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E-Safe software is installed on the school network, this will track and monitor all student activity and will
protect against risks associated with internet use
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Security strategies will be discussed with the LEA, particularly where a wide area network connection is
being planned.
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Personal data sent over the Internet will be encrypted or otherwise secured.
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Personal USB devices may not be used in school without specific permission from the teacher and a virus
check.
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Unapproved system utilities and executable files will not be allowed in students’ work areas or attached to
e-mail.
Files held on the school’s network will be regularly checked.
The ICT co-ordinator/network manager will ensure that the system has the capacity to take increased traffic
caused by Internet use.
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Handling Complaints
Responsibility for handling incidents will be given to a senior member of staff through the faculty line manager
hierarchy in The Heath School. Students will be informed of the process and parents and students will work in
partnership to resolve any issue.
Any students found to be infringing the conditions laid down in the Conditions of Acceptable Use Protocol will be
initially referred to the Head of ICT and, subsequently, dealt with by the school’s sanctions procedures. Misuse of
the Internet may result in disciplinary action, including written warnings, withdrawal of access privileges and, in
extreme cases exclusion. The school also reserves the right to report any illegal activities to the appropriate
authorities.
Legislation
The school will provide information on the following legislation relating to use of the Internet which teachers,
students and parents should familiarise themselves with:
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Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003
Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998
Interception Act 1993
Video recordings Act 1989
The Data Protection Act 1988
Student name ______________________________
Date of birth _______________________
Student responsibility code
for all ICT, digital and electronic resources in school
As members of the school community we each have responsibility for our own behaviour and to recognise that at times it
can impact on other people. Digital and electronic resources give huge opportunities for learning but in sharing network
and internet access all users must accept responsibility for their own behaviour so that all students are kept safe and
within legal guidelines. The student responsibility code is a summary of what The Heath School considers to be student
responsibilities with regards e-safety but for full details of our policy please consult the Acceptable Use Protocol.
It is my responsibility to:
 Keep my username and password details secure and only known to me
 Use computers, recording equipment, mobile devices and the internet specifically for the purpose of the lesson or
learning activity
 Listen to the advice and instruction given by my teachers relating to all activities using ICT, digital and electronic
resources and follow those instructions
 Avoid giving out my personal details or those of my friends online such as name, age, address etc.
 Report any incidence of cyber-bullying, against either myself or a friend to a teacher or mentor
 Use the School network files and Learning Platform/VLE responsibly and make sure that school materials are not
downloaded or circulated elsewhere on the web
 Protect the school network by not downloading video, music, software or other inappropriate material onto
machines from the internet or from a portable disk drive
 Inform people if I am filming or audio recording them in any way or where it is a group shot involving lots of
people to make sure that individuals are not individually identifiable
 Make sure that I do not offend others by producing offensive materials which contain abusive, coercive,
defamatory, blasphemous, pornographic, obscene or racist language or images.
 Ensure that all materials I use are within copyright laws, if I am not sure I must ask permission from the school
 Make sure that my mobile phone is not switched on or visible during school hours unless I have been specifically
requested to use it for a learning activity by a teacher. If my phone is seen or heard I understand that it will be
confiscated, taken to the front office, recorded, locked away and returned on Friday afternoon at 3.30 pm
 Use school resources appropriately outside of timetabled lessons and always for school related activities
 Inform my teachers or an adult that I trust if I encounter anything or if anyone approaches me or asks me to do
anything I am not comfortable with via digital or electronic means.
I accept the terms of the student responsibility code and agree to abide by it:
Name of student: ________________________________
Date: ___________________
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Signed: _______________________________ student
Staff responsibility code
for all ICT, digital and electronic resources in school
Digital and electronic resources give huge opportunities for learning but in sharing network and internet access all users
must accept responsibility for their own behaviour so that all students and staff are kept safe and within legal guidelines.
The staff responsibility code is a summary of the key features of our policy but for full details please consult the Acceptable
Use Policy.
It is my responsibility to:
 Keep my username and password details secure and only known to me.
 Use the School network files and Learning Platform/VLE responsibly and make sure that school materials are not
downloaded or circulated elsewhere on the web without agreement from the school.
 Ensure that all digital images are stored on a shared drive
 Protect the school network by not downloading video, music, software or other inappropriate material onto
machines from the internet or from a portable disk drive and ensure that students I am responsible for or
supervising do the same
 Use my laptop, school e-mail account and internet access for work related purposes only except in the case of
designated break times when appropriate personal use is acceptable
 Use school media equipment only for school related purposes
 Use only school owned hardware to capture images of students
 When publishing work on the internet make sure that only the first name of the student is used
 Ensure that no student or other unauthorised person has access to confidential files or information stored on my
laptop
 Inform people if I am filming or audio recording them in any way or where it is a group shot involving lots of
people to make sure that individuals are not individually identifiable
 Control levels of access to any resources I personally upload to the VLE according to the age and ability levels of
the students they are aimed at
 Make sure that I do not offend others by producing offensive materials which contain abusive, coercive,
defamatory, blasphemous, pornographic, obscene or racist language or images.
 Ensure that I do not seek out materials in the categories above using my staff laptop or internet access
 Ensure that all materials I use are within copyright laws, if I am not sure I must ask permission from the school
 Make myself aware of the protocols relating to cyber-bullying and child protection related to internet and use of
digital media
 Inform my line manager if something I am concerned about occurs during a lesson or whilst students are using
digital and electronic equipment
 Keep all data secure which could identify a child through a combination of their name with date of birth, address,
phone number etc and where I have a work related requirement to download this data to use an encrypted
memory stick available to borrow from the Systems Manager.
I accept the terms of the staff responsibility code and agree to abide by it.
Name: __________________________________
Signature:________________________________
To be returned to Trish Jordan in the office
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Date: _____________
Staff – Internet Usage
Staff will be responsible for all web content viewed from their appointed workstation.
The following uses are considered unacceptable:
Illegal Activities
Staff will not attempt to gain unauthorised access to any other computer system through or go beyond the school
authorised access account. This includes attempting to log in through another person’s account or access another
person’s files. These actions are illegal, even if only for the purpose of “browsing”.
System Security
Staff are to seek advice when downloading programmes or files from the ICT co-ordinator. All Internet access logs will be
reviewed daily and may, at a later date, be regularly published to the administration intranet for whole staff consumption.
All E-mail sent via the administration E-mail system (i.e. heathschool.org.uk) will be monitored.
Inappropriate Language
Restrictions against Inappropriate Language apply to public messages, private messages and material posted on Web
pages. When acting in an official capacity on behalf of the school, or using the school e-mail accounts, the following points
are to be noted.
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Staff will not use obscene, profane, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening or disrespectful language.
Staff will not post information that could cause damage or a danger of disruption.
Staff will not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks.
Staff will not harass another person. Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys
another person.
Staff will not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or organisation.
Respect for Privacy
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Staff will not repost a message that was sent to you privately without permission of the person who sent you the
message.
Staff will not post private information about another person.
Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement
Staff need to be aware of copyright laws with regards to information on the World Wide Web. The same precautions are
to be taken with information from the World Wide Web as those of print. When in doubt, contact the Webmaster of the
site you seek information from.
Inappropriate Access to Material
You will not use administration workstations to access material that is profane or obscene (pornography), that advocates
illegal acts, or that advocates violence or discrimination towards other people (hate literature). A special exception may be
made for hate literature if the purpose of your access is to contact research.
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Due Process
The school will co-operate fully with local officials in any investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through
the school system.
Working with Children
Under no circumstances should a pupil be allowed to use an administration workstation.
Non-Work Related Material
During designated break periods and only designated break periods the administration workstations may be used to access
non-work related material (as long as it does not contradict any of the previous rules).
I have read and understood the above document.
Signed: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Print name : …………………………………………………………………………………………………
Date: ……………………………………………………….
Return to Trish Jordan who will maintain this declaration as evidence of your acceding to the internet usage policy
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