Irish Society's Primary School
Using the Internet

Policy Statement

The Internet facility now available offers vast, diverse and unique resources to both
pupils and teachers.

What is the Internet?

The Internet is an electronic highway connecting thousands of computers across the
world and millions of individual subscribers. This worldwide network of computers is all
linked together through telephone lines. Pupils and teachers have access to electronic
mail (e-mail) enabling them to contact individuals or organizations in any country in the
world in a matter of minutes. There is also access to national and international research
institutions (Science Museum, London, NASA etc) and the opportunity to correspond with
'experts' in various fields. There is also the opportunity for developing a 'home page'
and school site to provide others with information about the school.

In summary, the Internet can provide three main functions

Taking information
Publishing information
Exchanging information

and can offer the following educational benefits

Access to information not readily available using traditional methods
Exchange of information
Access to a varied set of resources
A stimulating environment in which children search and discover information
Facilitates both individual and collaborative learning

Areas of Concern

While the Internet is a source of much useful and excellent material, it is unrestricted
and has no international boundaries. It is also a constantly changing environment; no one
owns it or controls it, and no one regulates the content. This freedom also provides
access to undesirable and often useless information. With access to computers and
people all over the world also comes the availability of material that may not be
considered to be of educational value in the school setting. There is a vast amount of
undesirable and potentially damaging information accessible through an 'open' Internet
access, and it is the school's aim to prevent access to such material through the use of a
filtered service and close monitoring of pupil use. There can also the difficulty in
accessing relevant and appropriate information from the vast amount of material
available. Pupils need to be instructed and guided in how to evaluate and accept or reject
information, as well as how to keep themselves safe on-line. The role of the teacher will
be one of enabler and facilitator rather than the source of the information itself. Staff
training will continue to address these issues.




In summary, possible concerns arising out of Internet access include

Undesirable material
Child Safety Online
Inappropriate or inaccurate material
Difficulty in finding relevant information
Staff time and training



Addressing these Concerns

In order to address the concerns of staff, parents and others when allowing pupils to
access the Internet, it is proposed that the following guidelines be adhered to. While the
filtered service offered by the school's ISP offers a 'protected environment', and
prevents access to known undesirable Web sites, it remains the teacher's responsibility
to ensure that materials being accessed are appropriate at all times. Relevant sites may
be bookmarked' in the Favorites folder or stored on the network as appropriate. Search
engines should be used carefully and suggested responses vetted beforehand if possible
by the teacher. Close supervision remains the only way to monitor effectively what
children are reading. Children will be supervised at all times when using the Internet in
school. Unsupervised access by children will not be permitted. Staff reserve the right to
monitor all files and e-mail of pupils to ensure that the Internet facility is being used in
an appropriate manner. Staff may prohibit or terminate any pupil's use of the Internet at
any time as required. Pupils accessing the Internet within class will be aware of and
consent to such monitoring.

The following sample Code of Practice on Managing the Internet in schools provides a
useful summary

Assign the task. Ensure the children have a clear idea of what they are looking for or
which message they intend to send
Keep pupils on task. Close monitoring is required to ensure that pupils do not become
distracted with the vast amounts of information available.
Vet material and be aware of commercial advertising.
Teach 'accept or reject' skills. Pupils must evaluate the information available
Make use of the materials and information gathered
Before embarking on the use of the Internet, teachers will have a clear idea of the end
product they expect of pupils.



On-Line Safety & Responsibilities of Users

All users of the Internet facility in school are expected to abide by the generally
accepted rules of Internet use, which include (but are not limited to) the following.


· Do not use the Internet for any illegal activity (e.g. violating copyright or other
contracts, gaining illegal access or entry into other computers);
· Do not use Internet for financial or commercial gain, or for any unapproved
commercial purpose;
· Do not use your account in such a way that you would disrupt the use of the facilities by
other users;
· Do not use this facility in a wasteful or frivolous manner (e.g. tying up resources with
computer-based game playing, sending trivial or excessive messages, and downloading
excessively large files);
· Do not reveal your personal address/phone number or that of any other individual

· Vandalism will result in future access being denied. Vandalism is defined as any
malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user or the Internet; this includes,
but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses;
· Respect the privacy of other individuals;
· The playing of computer games or the use of interactive 'chat' sites is not permitted,
unless specifically assigned by the teacher.
· Subscribing to any services, or ordering of any goods or services, on behalf of the
school will only be permitted, when specifically approved by the school.
· Files/data belonging to others are to be considered private property unless the owner of
the files gives explicit authorization;
· Be polite. Do not be abusive in your messages to others. Use appropriate language.

The following safeguards, as outlined in the DENI Circular 1999/25, will be adopted and
applied by all users of the Internet in school

1. Staff and Pupils

a. When using the Internet, all users must comply with copyright, libel, fraud,
discrimination and obscenity laws.
b. Pupils are responsible for their good behaviour on the school networks, just as they are
on and off school premises. While the use of information and communication
technologies is a required aspect of the statutory Northern Ireland Curriculum, access to
the Internet and to C2K remains a privilege and not a right. It is given to pupils who act
in a considerate and responsible manner, and should be withdrawn if they fail to maintain
acceptable standards of use.

2. Location and Supervision

a. It is an absolute requirement that the school ensures that access to the Internet
provided to staff and pupils in school through any Internet Service Provider is a filtered
service. All users should be aware that the school can and does track sites visited and use
made by individuals.
b. Internet access for pupils in schools should be made available only on computers that
are in highly used areas of the school such as classrooms and libraries.
c. While using the Internet in school, pupils should be supervised.
d. Schools should ensure that all pupils understand how they are to use the Internet
appropriately and why the rules exist.
e. Network administrators may review files and communications to maintain system
integrity and ensure that users are using the system responsibly.


Advice for Parents

a. While in school, teachers will guide pupils toward appropriate materials on the
Internet. Outside school, parents or guardians bear the same responsibility for such
guidance as they would normally exercise with information sources such as television,
telephones, films and other media.
b. Appropriate home use of the Internet by children can be educationally beneficial, and
can make a useful contribution to home and school work. Parents should also be aware
that internet access at home may not be filtered to the same extent as the school network.
The use of an appropriate Internet Security package with some level of parental control
is also recommended. It should, however, be supervised, and parents should be aware that
they are responsible for their children's use of Internet resources at home

More information is available from a range of online sites

GetNetWise is a public service provided by the Internet Industry to help ensure that
families have safe, constructive online experiences. See www.getnetwise.org

Other useful details are available from http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/

http://www.childnet-int.org/




SCHOOL WEB SITE

Including images of pupils and their work on the school website can be motivating for the
pupils involved and provide a good opportunity to promote the work of the school. As the
school develops its own website, which may include images as well as information, the
following guidelines drawn up by Becta (the British Educational and Communications
Technology Agency) will be followed. The school has a responsibility to ensure that every
child in their care is safe and that no individual child could be identified or directly
contacted by visitors to the school website. Avoiding the use of images of named
individuals reduces the risk of unsolicited attention. Parental permission should be
sought to use an image of a pupil on the school website. Consequently the school website
should not include:

photographs of named individual children (group or class images with general labels may
be used )
personal details of any child or adult in a photograph
personal email/postal addresses, telephone/fax numbers


This policy will remain under review as Internet use develops within school.




This policy will remain under review as Internet use develops within school.