1.
Guiding Principles
The capabilities of the internet and of the products, information and channels which operate
through it offer great opportunities for learning and for benefit to individuals and communities.
As such, the internet has great potential benefit for use in schools and by students in theirlearning,
for their integration within society, service as citizens and for social purposes.
However, the internet also has potential to cause serious and lasting harm in terms of the
messages that can be conveyed, damaging images that are stored and transmitted, unwitting
disclosure of personal information and dangerous relationships that can develop. The advent of
the internet has led to new phenomena that include cyber-crime, cyber-bullying and online
grooming of children by predators. The Home Office’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection
(CEOP) group report that the ‘community’ of online predators has grown and become selfreinforcing and mutually encouraging through the internet in a way that previously was unheard
of. This has apparently led to a rapid rise in the level of threat to children from online predators.
Schools, including Emmanuel College, have a responsibility to teach students how to use the
internet appropriately for many reasons are uniquely placed in this situation in a number of key
aspects:
 ICT capability is a taught part of the structured curriculum, and lessons provide opportunity
for e-safety to be learned.
 Schools have an ‘in loco parentis’ responsibility for children.
 Increasingly, curriculum subjects require students to use the internet both duringthe school
day and for homework.
 Students feel a sense of safety whilst using a computer inside the physical protectionofthe
home or school - which may in fact be a false sense of security.
 Schools are uniquely placed to keep students and their parents aware of and up-to-date
regarding threats to their e-safety, and also to respond to concerns of individuals or groups
of students.
 Incidents of cyber-bullying may need to be handled by the schools’ Pastoral staff.
2.
Operation and Accountabilities
2.1
Staff responsibilities, structure and education
The Assistant Vice Principal (Specialism and Events) has lead responsibility for e-safety in the
College, with the role of working together with the Vice Principal (Pastoral), Vice Principal ( 11-16
Achievement), Vice Principal (16-19 Achievement), Senior Tutor and Head of ICT in ensuring that
all staff have up-to-date awareness of e-safety issues. It is the duty of the Assistant Vice Principal
(Specialism and Events) to ensure, along with these other staff, that measures are in place to
protect students from e-safety threats. Along with all curriculum areas, but particularly given the
1
nature of this area, issues of child protection can arise during e -safety education and it is also the
role of the responsible parties to ensure that staff are properly equipped to manage issuesrelating
to child protection as they arise.
2.2
Education of students
Education of students regarding e-safety takes place principally within the College curriculumfor
ICT. It is the explicit responsibility of the Head of ICT to ensure that the curriculum and teaching
methods are up-to-date and responsive to the latest issues in the field of e -safety. Paragraphs 5
(Mobile Phones, Cameras and the Internet), 8 (Bullying) and 10 (Computer Network Acceptable
Use Policy) within the College Parental Agreement contribute to students’ (and their parents’)
understanding of safe use of ICT equipment.
2.3
Education of parents
Parents are kept up-to-date regarding issues of e-safety through a variety of channels available
including the College Parental Agreement, letters from the Principal, homework assignmentsfor
students, College website postings, presentations that accompany Parents’ Evenings, New
Parents’ Evenings, ClarionCall text messages, periodic College publications, ParentingEveningsetc.
2.4
Technical measures
The Assistant Vice Principal (Specialism and Events) will work with the Head of ICT and with the
Network Manager to ensure that the most effective technical measures are in place to protect
students from e-safety dangers. Measures will be constantly evolving with the changing threat,
but include at least preventing students from accessing social networking, monitoring all websites
and images for offensive content and monitoring e-mails for offensive content.
2.5
Pastoral system
The Pastoral system plays an important role in ensuring the e -safety of students. Issues of
protection of students may arise, and also problems such as cyber-bullying may need to be
addressed by discipline and correction of the perpetrators and support for students affected by
bullying or harassment in this way.
3.
Review
Given the rapidly changing nature of e-safety, this policy shall be reviewed annually for its
addressing of these issues. However, operational updating of practice will be as frequent as
required by the threat to safety and dependent upon continual review of the effectiveness of
approaches taken.
Interim review is at the Principal’s discretion as in the case of all policies.