Whether you work in a primary school, a secondary school, a college or university, it is essential that you take responsibility for making sure that no pupil or student is allowed access to any website that they shouldn’t. Every school has a responsibility to their pupils (and their pupil’s parents) to make sure that the school computer facilities are safe.
The internet is a valuable resource for learning and every child should have access to it. However, as you will be aware, there is plenty of content on the internet that is in no way safe for children to look at and you need a watertight way of making sure it’s off limits. Children are curious by nature – don’t allow them to be tempted onto sites they shouldn’t go on. Here are some ways you can tighten internet security in your school:
Implement an Internet Security Policy
Every school should have a safe-usage policy for internet use. This means making sure that access to inappropriate sites is blocked, usage time is limited and that the whole system is monitored and policed correctly. Every teacher should take responsibility and make sure that no pupil is using the internet for any other reason than a genuine one. Make one member of staff responsible for drawing up and reviewing a safe internet usage procedure, and make sure it’s communicated across the school. Every student should be educated in the dos and don’ts of internet use as part of their IT syllabus.
Use Parental Controls
It should go without saying that you need high security parental controls installed on every single school computer. This will automatically block access to suspicious sites, and limit usage too. The correct software will generate reports letting you know who has seen what, so once in a while make sure you cast your eye over the reports making sure nothing has slipped through the net. Whilst parental controls work well, they are not failsafe, so always make sure the reports are checked in person. Every student should have their own ID to use the computer so you will always know who is responsible for which activity.
Keylogging Software
Keylogging software will record keystrokes, meaning that you have access to a document which will tell you every single thing that has happened on your school computers. This is an essential tool in preventing and tackling cyber bullying, which is all too common in modern school life. It’s really easy to get keylogging software installed on your computer systems – make sure somebody is responsible for doing this and also make sure that the reports are regularly checked.
Your duty of care towards your students should be taken very seriously indeed. There should be a strict disciplinary procedure should anybody break the rules – make it clear that inappropriate internet use will not be tolerated. Don’t ever take the risk of letting a child have unrestricted access to the internet – their parents will be furious with you, and rightly so. Keep the children safe and protected at all times.
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Today's guest author, Jim Powell, is a software reviewer at Well Researched Reviews, a software reviewing firm. He is a nature lover and an environmentalist and hosts many seminars for the same motive in his spare time.
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