Policies for Schools

• Schools should have Acceptable Internet Use Policies, for pupils and for staff.
• Policies should take into account supervised and unsupervised use, both during schooltime and also outwith school hours.
• These policy documents should include a clear section about the school's responsibilities regarding publishing pupils' information on a school website.
• Policies should include reference to Child Protection procedures.
• Guidelines for Internet use should be displayed in obvious places, perhaps on the sides of the computers themselves.
• Any guidelines that are developed within the school should be shared with others to increase networking and make efficient use of resources.

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Professional Development

• Teachers should be fully aware of the school's Internet access arrangements so that they know whether access to the web and to newsgroups is filtered or blocked at all.
• Senior management should ensure that appropriate time and resources for professional development are made available so that staff can keep themselves up to date with Internet issues and use.
• All staff should be able to engage in a professional development programme which covers at least the following basic objectives:

  • using and understanding the Internet;
  • appreciating the strengths and weaknesses of the Internet;
  • understanding the potential role of the Internet across the curriculum;
  • recognising how Internet use and Personal Safety Programmes can reinforce each other;
  • developing Internet-related policies with ethically-sound foundations; and,
  • responding to queries from other professionals and from the wider community regarding the Internet arrangements and policies within their own establishment, and the underlying rationale.

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Home/School Liaison

• Pupils should be encouraged to share good practice between home and school.
• Schools should consider the benefits of sharing their policies and practice on Internet access and use with parents.
• The support of parents should be sought.
• The ClickThinking as a Family Resource can be photocopied and distributed for home use.
• Where School Boards are in place, these bodies may be instrumental in forging good Internet liaison between school, parents and the community. School Boards should consider including discussion of children's use of the Internet at open forums for parents such as their AGM.
• School handbooks should include information on Internet policies and practice, and also refer parents to the Local Authority, the school or the website for copies of the ClickThinking as a Family Resource.

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The Role of the Authority

"Our feeling was that we should think about the issues before Internet usage in schools is widespread"
John Rooney, Curriculum Services Manager, Renfrewshire Council

Providing guidance

• The Authority should assign personnel to keep up to date with Internet and personal safety issues.
• On behalf of those in their schools, the authority should ensure it has access to legal advice concerning the Internet as well as to Internet specialists.

Developing policies

• The Education Authority should have clear policy guidelines regarding personal safety on the Internet for all those in its employ and within its schools.

Disseminating information and exemplars

Some Education Authorities, such as Renfrewshire Council, have produced full sets of policy exemplars for their schools.

• Authorities that have not already done so should approach those who have, to share information, ideas and resources.
• As new Internet-related curricular issues arise, Education Authorities should form a view and disseminate information to schools.
• Education Authorities should have mechanisms in place to help schools to share Internet-related information.

Professional development

Significant professional development is required for those involved in the Internet in schools.

• Education Authorities should ensure that an appropriate resource commitment is made, and that internal staff, as well as those in schools, have the opportunity to participate.

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Safe Communications Mechanisms

At all stages of an Internet connection there are mechanisms, initiatives and strategies which can be implemented to assist safe communications. None of them is the "silver bullet" or magic solution which some may claim.

• Senior management, teachers, parents and pupils should consider together whether any combination of the strategies below could serve their purposes.
• Each authority should identify a small group to keep up to date with these developments.

At the Internet level

Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS) is a framework for rating schemes (see below) which makes it possible for web designers to classify their sites according to themes, and for users to decide the intensity of theme they wish to view.

At national level

SEED regularly publishes and disseminates booklets and other publications on the educational opportunities and implications of the Internet.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) manages a hotline to deal with instances of illegal activity or material. It also helps to develop rating categories based on PICS.

• Schools are advised to circulate relevant documents, remembering the School Board and parents where appropriate.
• The contact details for the Internet Watch Foundation should be available to all staff. (Contacts and Useful Websites)

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There are several services that an ISP can offer to help those looking for child safe Internet access:

However closely an ISP's policy appears to meet the school's filtering needs, teachers and managers should remember that the responsibility lies with each Internet user for the material that is posted or accessed.

• Prospective clients are recommended to inquire about an ISP's policies and filtering criteria before signing up.

At computer level

Rating Schemes

The main browsers contain rating systems controls. Internet Explorer 4.0 and Netscape Navigator 4.06 use the rating framework called RSACi produced by the Recreational Software Advisory Council to enable users to set their own level of acceptability for topics such as violence, nudity, sex and language. This is a password protected feature within the browser software.

The advantages of such systems include the degree of individual tailoring which is possible, without restricting the access of others. Because PICS enables many different rating systems to coexist, future Internet users may be able to choose one rating system from many.

At present, the situation is very different because very few sites have registered themselves and consequently the usefulness of this technique is limited.

Blocking software

Blocking software works by checking Web addresses and sites against a list considered inappropriate. Different features are available with different programs and potential users are advised to consider their requirements carefully.

Some products block by site, file type or newsgroup type, while others will bar access to games, Internet relay chats, or limit online time. Outgoing transmission of personal information can also be blocked. In some cases the user is informed of the block. Most products include an update service.

• Users are recommended to request the criteria for blocking sites and to ensure that there are user definable options and a password control to turn the software on and off.

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At network level

Firewalls and proxy servers can be used on school networks to assist in safe communications. A firewall is software that can protect a network from users on other networks. A proxy server is a hardware and software device, which can enhance security, control and caching (short-term storage of websites). Both firewalls and proxies are successful and secure ways of blocking access. However, their sophistication for filtering is less developed.

At user level

No software or hardware exists that can confound the curious mind. Responsible use is more effective than digital barriers.

• Education and empowerment are the recommended strategies.

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