Online Safety and ICT Acceptable Use Policy
1. Rationale:
The aim of this policy is to protect the welfare of staff and students at Bartholomews Tutorial College (Barts), maintain the operation of Barts’ hardware and software, and protect the integrity of the College.
2. Monitoring:
Barts has appropriate filters and monitoring in place as part of our obligation to comply with Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2021) and the Prevent Duty.
As all of Barts’ ICT equipment, internet and email accounts are provided for business purposes, we maintain the right to monitor internet and network traffic, together with the email system. The specific content of any transactions may be monitored, investigated and/or used in order to meet our obligations regarding;
- monitoring and filtering arrangements;
- if there is a suspicion of improper use;
- to confirm or obtain College business related information;
- to confirm or investigate compliance with College policies, standards and procedures (including safeguarding);
- to ensure the effective operation of College ICT;
- for quality control or training purposes;
- to comply with a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act 2018, or to prevent or detect crime.
Use of Barts WiFi is restricted to staff. Only in exceptional circumstances will a student be given the password for internet use on their personal device. In these instances, staff will consider resetting the password the next day.
Staff and students must not access, store, post or send, from College ICT, content that is deemed unacceptable. This includes material that is, or may be considered to be, illegal, offensive, libellous, pornographic, obscene, defamatory, intimidating, misleading or disruptive to the College or may bring the College into disrepute. This includes, but is not limited to, jokes, chain letters, files, emails, clips or images that are not part of the College’s business activities; sexual comments or images, nudity, racial slurs, sex-specific comments, or anything that would offend someone on the basis of their age, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or beliefs or disability (in accordance with the Equality Act 2010).
3. Students:
3.1. Emails
All emails from students to staff must be appropriate in style, tone and content; and be concise.
3.2 Use of College Wifi
Students do not have access to the Barts Wifi. In exceptional and specific circumstances, a student may be given access to the Wifi but this is to be agreed by one of the Directors of Studies or the College Manager. While filters are in place to prevent access to nefarious content, students should never make any attempt to access material which could be deemed unsuitable, nor should they send or receive information which could be considered inappropriate (please see section 2 Monitoring for specific details).
3.3 Use of College ICT
Whilst also adhering to the rules above regarding the use of the internet, students should not attempt to download or upload any software or programs onto College equipment. Nor should they change or attempt to change computer settings without prior consent from a Director of Studies or the College Manager.
4. Staff:
4.1 Emails
All emails to students from tutors must be professional in style, tone and content. It is advisable, but not mandatory, to ‘copy in’ the student’s supervisor or the College Manager to emails to a student. In all cases, if the content of an email is sensitive or likely to be considered confidential, CCs and BCCs should be kept to an absolute minimum, only including essential recipients.
4.2 Use of College Wifi
Staff may have access to the Barts Wifi if they require it, for use on their personal devices and/or Barts’ devices. Staff must adhere to the rules on internet use as described in detail in section 2 Monitoring. At all times, staff are wholly responsible for the security of their own personal data on their devices and are responsible for ensuring the security of data belonging to other staff or students at Barts.
5. Reporting Concerns
If you are concerned about an individual’s internet or email usage (even just a ‘nagging doubt’), or the operation of Barts’ ICT, please report this as soon as possible to a Director of Studies or the College Manager.
As always, if the concern is regarding the safeguarding of a student, this should be reported as soon as possible to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.