Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Board E-Safety Policy Guidance 2015/2016 Northamptonshire safeguarding children board believes that the use of information and communication technologies in schools and organisations brings fantastic benefits for young people. However recognising issues around e-safety and planning accordingly will help ensure appropriate, effective and safer use of electronic communications. This policy template will help schools and organisations affectively review their e-safety policy.
Provides vast amounts of multi media opportunities such as video’s, pictures and animations Access to experts in many fields for pupils and staff. Staff and students can communicate with people from all over the world via email or video conferencing. Managing Information Systems It is very important that a regular review of security of the whole system from user to internet often takes place. ICT security is a very complex issue and cannot be fully covered within this document. Local Area Network (LAN) security issues include: Users must act responsibly at all times especially downloading large files this could affect the service others receive. All users must take responsibility for their network use. Workstations should be secured against user mistakes and deliberate actions Servers must be located securely and physical access restricted The server operating system must be secured and kept up to date Virus protection for the whole network must be installed and current Access by wireless devices must be proactively managed, secured and encrypted The schools broadband network needs to be DFE approved plus monitored by a specialist security command centre. Areas for consideration The security of the school / organisations information systems and users will be reviewed regularly. Virus protection will be updated regularly Personal data sent over the internet or taken offsite will be encrypted Portable media may not be used without permission and it’s always a good idea to run an anti-virus/malware scan. Unapproved software will not be allowed in work areas or attached to email. Files held on the school / organisations network will be regularly checked. The ICT coordinator or network manager will review system capacity regularly
Written permission from parents or carers will be obtained before images are used for publicity purposes. Pupils work can only be published with the permission or the parents Once written consent is obtained it must be kept by the school / organisation, until the image is no longer in use. It is worth considering a policy regarding the use of photographic images of children and young people which outlines a number of the areas highlighted above. Photos or videos being uploaded to social media account It is extremely important the school community or organisation are aware how easily identifiable a young person is wearing a school uniform or from just a picture, the school has a duty of care to minimise such opportunities for people who may wish to contact young people inappropriately. The school or organisation should strongly consider requesting parents/carers to refrain from publishing images of young people on the internet such as Facebook especially on events such as sports days, Christmas plays etc. The school community / organisation should be promoting the importance of high privacy settings on all social media accounts. Managing social media – Please refer to acceptable use policy It’s important the school community / organisation are aware that social media is a fantastic resource if used appropriately but allows the publication of unmediated content. Social networking sites can connect people from all over the world. However users can be invited to view personal information and leave comments often with very limited control. Young People must be made aware of how dangerous it is to upload personal information. Young People also need to be reminded on a regular basis that once an image or comment is made or posted via social media or an app it becomes extremely difficult to remove that image or comment. All pupils’ primary, secondary, staff and parents needs to be made fully aware of the risks that go with social networking sites. The whole school community / organisation must be made aware of the importance of the material they post online, ensuring and strongly advising that all profiles on social media accounts are set to private. When young people set up a social media account up at any age then it is strongly advisable that profile settings are set to high, parents communicate with sons and daughters about the importance of keeping safe using social media, young people only accept friends they know in the real world and they know here to go if they see anything upsetting or someone is persistently asking or making inappropriate comments over the internet. Areas of consideration Children and Young People will be advised never to give out personal details of any kind which may identify them or their location. Examples would include real name,