Paul Fisher

PF/CB PF/0967 01603 223464

11 October 2002

To: All Headteachers

and secondary school ICT Co-ordinators

Dear Colleague

INTERNET SERVICE PROVISION

Some three months ago I reported to you that, in response to numerous complaints from schools about poor ISP service (particularly connectivity), I had initiated a comprehensive Recovery Plan requiring BT (in partnership with ICT Solutions), to research, diagnose and rectify the problems referred to.

The purpose of this follow-up letter is to update you on progress, to share with you conclusions reached and solutions in place as well as proposed, and to take the opportunity to touch on other developments and matters that will strengthen ICT support to Norfolk schools. Subjects covered include:

· Poor performance

· Email options

· FTP Access

· Filtering

· Secondary School User Group

· School onsite proxy control

· Performance Test

· Fault Reporting

· ICT Support Services

· The User Forum

A summary for each of these items now follows. Additional attached documents provide additional information and guidelines, where appropriate.

ISP Service Recovery Plan

Over a three month period, connectivity tests, feedback from Secondary School ICT Co-ordinators and Headteachers, communications traffic analyses and end-to-end connectivity review resulted in significant changes to resolve the key issues of poor performance, no POP3 email capability, no FTP access and restrictive filtering.

To tackle poor performance, the Internet feed was increased from 2Mb to 12Mb, proxy servers increased from two to eight and the contention ratio improved from 3:1 to near 1:1.

In general, user response indicates that these measures are proving to be effective.

One word of caution. Please bear in mind that, no matter to what extent we improve the virtual private network (VPN) now established between any school, the ISP and any other school within the VPN, there is absolutely no way control can be exercised over actual Internet performance which is determined by the communications infrastructure in place beyond the ISP.

Risk analysis showed that releasing pupil email accounts could increase the communications traffic load by as much as 6Mb – a factor that will be taken into account when sizing network infrastructure components to determine how email accounts should be released.

Additional Service Recovery Plan information is included at Appendix A.

Email

POP3 email

Although RM's EasyMail Plus is the standard product used to provide web-based email, some schools complained they could no longer use POP3-based email products - Microsoft Outlook Express, for example.

I am pleased to report that POP3-based email products can now be used, regardless of whether the school is using ISDN or Broadband.

However, please note that use is restricted to generic accounts only - ie, the four accounts at each school which are based on the format:

head@, office@, ictc@ and chairofgov@domainname.norfolk.sch.uk

To use POP3 email:

· Access ICT Solutions’ web site at http://ictsolutions.norfolk.gov.uk

· Go to the ‘Index’ page

· Select ‘RM EasyMail Plus’ from the menu where you will find information on how to configure MS Outlook Express so that you can use this to access the EasyMail Plus account

Email Accounts

As explained earlier, risk analysis shows that bulk release of staff and pupil email accounts could increase the load on the network by as much as 6Mb and future planning needs to take account of this factor.

The changes made as a result of the Recovery Plan are sized to cater for the current load. While the Internet feed can be uprated within two days, the same is not true of other components. Proxy servers have a lead time of several weeks, for instance and careful planning is needed to ensure that the infrastructure has the capacity to meet increased demand before it is needed.

For this reason, email accounts will be released in stages, and as soon as possible and practical. For instance, staff email accounts cannot be released until the Annual returns have been submitted and ICT Solutions have access to all current additions and modifications to staff details. This information will not be to hand until mid to end October, and school staff email accounts will be released within a few days of that date.

Secondary school pupil accounts will be released over the month of November. In this way, impact can be monitored and necessary infrastructure uplift implemented to ensure minimum impact to service.

Providing the initial release goes to plan and no problems are experienced, Primary school pupil accounts will be available for release by the end of the year.

FTP Access

The Education Department considers website content filtering to be mandatory.

The fundamental objection to providing unlimited FTP access within a school is that since FTP is an unfiltered service, the compulsory requirement to make Internet access safe for pupils would be defeated.

A compromise arrangement has been agreed which should satisfy all requirements.

At each school, a number of nominated computers will be designated as having the additional capability to provide FTP access. It is important that these computers are machines that will not be used by pupils - those in the Administration office, or in the Staff room, for instance. The number of computers is limited to five in each Secondary school and two in each Primary school.

Each computer will be allocated a static IP address from a range to be determined by BT.

A timetable for release of the IP addresses is being drawn up. Some reconfiguration will be required at each school. Most schools are capable of doing this work, but some are not and the timetable needs to take account of this and ICT Solutions will provide assistance where this is needed.

Outline release plan is likely to be:

· Block release to Secondary schools during October

· Assess results and impact over a 4-week period

· Block release of Primary school IP addresses at the end of the 4-week period

Note: Exceptionally, these computers will be assigned permanently to the 'Adult' caste within the filtering classification system. More of this later under 'Filtering'.

Filtering

All schools have a responsibility to filter both access at school and any access pupils are given as part of home-school links.

BT, the Internet Service Provider (ISP) contracted to deliver ISP services to Norfolk schools, has set up site blocking and content filtering in line with established rules to prevent access to content that contains, or provides links to, unsuitable material.

Website Content Filtering

Websites are accessed via BT and the content published by those sites is filtered matching a content classification against a schools access profile. This classification system, or caste, is used to block websites publishing unsuitable content, including unsuitable words. The list of sites maintained by the ISP can be added at the request of any school who considers the material being accessed to be unsuitable.

There are 5 castes:

· Secondary

· Primary

· Primary Religious

· Adult

· Open

Note: The 'Adult' category is set permanently on designated computers only.

To meet the needs of Adult Education or Community users who are likely to use a school's ICT facilities outside normal school hours, all computers will default to the 'Adult' category between the hours of 17:00 and 08:00 Monday to Friday and for the whole 24 hours each Saturday and Sunday.

Web-based e-mail, eg HotMail, Talk21 and Yahoo, is accessible via the 'Adult' category.

Note: The 'Open' category is a special case since no filtering or site blocking is applied.

Arrangements are in hand with BT to make the 'Open' category available to schools on request.

Once the arrangements have been completed and publicised, any headteacher may apply to have their school assigned to the 'Open' category. However, it is emphasised that in so doing, the signatory chooses to opt out of the ISP-provided filtering service. As a result, the responsibility and accountability for applying an effective filtering regime will pass from the ISP to the school.

Schools opting for the 'Open' caste, are advised to refer to the Becta site for further information on filtering systems, how they work, and how to choose one that is appropriate to your needs

Email Filtering

All (EasyMail) e-mail is filtered by RM and checked against a word list that is reviewed and maintained regularly by a selected panel.

RM recognise that many words that are objectionable in some contexts are perfectly acceptable in others, and for this reason they employ context-sensitive filtering.

Words are rated numerically (the higher the number, the greater the restriction placed on that word) and matched against the recipient's school profile to distinguish, for instance, between words that older pupils may use, but a younger pupil may not.

Acceptable Use Policy

The importance of ensuring Internet safety for pupils cannot be over-emphasised.

All schools should ensure that they have an Acceptable Use Policy in place. To assist you to develop such a policy, guidelines (based on information available at the Becta web site) are included at Appendix B to this letter.

Additional Information on Filtering together with a form of application for 'Open' caste assignment is attached at Appendix 'C'

Secondary School Focus Group

In response to requests from Secondary School conference delegates, I have arranged for a Secondary School Focus Group to be formed so that sensible planning to meet the needs of schools can take place with input from volunteer representatives. Additional volunteers to join the Group would be welcome.

Key activities will focus on early solution to current issues, planning to meet changing circumstances and planning to meet changing communications traffic volumes and types.

School onsite proxy control

Towards the end of last term and during the summer break ICT Solutions were working towards providing schools with an upgrade to proxy server functionality that will allow monitoring of Internet usage.

Note: This upgrade will only be available to proxy servers on an NT/Win2000 network that have been built and installed by ICT Solutions.

To ensure that your requirements will be met, evaluation of the proposed software is currently being undertaken by a High school. As yet, I cannot be specific about when this process will be completed, but I am expecting to start rolling out to schools in a controlled manner (starting with the High Schools) before the Christmas break.

The software being trialled monitors all Internet access.

When a user opens an Internet session, they will be challenged for their domain username and password. All web pages visited, images downloaded and accesses blocked by the BT filtering software will be saved in a database on the local proxy. This database can be read using a web browser – Microsoft Internet Explorer, for example.

If a user fails to enter a correct domain login, Internet access will be denied.

The upgrade provides the ability to:

§ set up groups of users

§ set up lists of words to search for and filter within web addresses

§ view any graphics downloaded directly from the proxy cache

Performance Tests

Repeat Test

As part of the Recovery Plan research activity, schools were asked to carry out a series of tests over a two day period, producing in nearly 5,000 individual results. Analyses of the results contributed to some of the decisions made to upgrade connectivity features.

Now that changes have been introduced, it is necessary to repeat the tests and make comparison with previous results.

This time, instead of sending out forms to every school in Norfolk, the test forms will be available online. Results should be entered in the online form – a process that will simplify and speed up analysis.

I would ask you to undertake the repeat tests over any two-day period during the week beginning 28 October. As before, there are four tests in each session. Each session should be carried out twice on each of the two days selected by you.

To access the tests visit http://ictsolutions.norfolk.gov.uk and select ISP Tests from the Index page. Complete the desired test/s and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

Standard Tests

One item that came out of the Secondary school conference was that, in retrospect, the specific tests asked for could be improved.

It is planned to provide a standard test document that will overcome these issues. The document will be available for:

· any future tests involving all schools over a given two day period

· for any school to provide evidence of poor performance – the tests being carried out over a suitable, lengthy period of time.

Fault Reporting

All schools are reminded that it is essential to report faults promptly to minimise a school's downtime, to provide follow up assistance quickly when needed, and to enable information to be continuously updated and revised.

This last item assists in spotting trends or allows early warning to others when a general fault has been detected.

ICT Solutions provides a number of options for initial reporting:

· Through the Help Desk on 0845 303 3003

· By logging on to the Web Site at http://ictsolutions.norfolk.gov.uk

· By contacting the local Cluster Technician (available to those schools who have opted to invest in the additional support safeguard of field support)

Please bear in mind that if a fault or problem is not reported, then ICT Solutions cannot assist.

ICT Support Services

ICT Solutions is currently undergoing some changes in organisation that will result in them becoming more customer-focused. These changes should result in an improved ICT support service for schools.

In addition to strengthening the support function and its management, services earmarked for further development include:

· Web site development and management

· Field support

· User training

It is perhaps useful to provide a reminder that the main services provided by ICT Solutions include:

· Single point of contact to ICT support services through a dedicated Help Desk offering initial advice and guidance, problem management, routine fault-finding and elementary diagnostics

· Multi-platform specialist technical support for desktop computers, operating systems, networking systems and School Administration systems

· Installation, configuration and upgrades of ICT equipment and systems

· High level fault finding and diagnostics

· Advice and assistance on LAN management

· Replacement, repair or recovery of hardware/operating/networking/School Administration systems

· Supplier/Contract management

· Warranty Management

· Wed design/publishing support

· ICT Procurement services

· Support for asset management systems

· User training in the use and operation of hardware/operating/networking/School Administration systems

Secondary ICT Co-ordinator’s Forum

A new Forum, dedicated for the use of Secondary and Sixth Form ICT Co-ordinators, has been launched and is hosted on the ICT Solutions’ website.

If you would like to register to be part of this Forum, then please email michael.pickett.edu@norfolk.gov.uk from your ictc@schoolname.norfolk.sch.uk account and include your full name.

When your account has been set up, you will receive a confirmation email containing login credentials.

The Forum is accessible from the Index page at http://ictsolutions.norfolk.gov.uk

via the ICT Co-ordinators’ link.

If you have questions about any aspect of this letter please contact the ICT Solutions Help Desk on 0845 303 3003.

Yours sincerely

Paul Fisher

Head of Service

The starting point for defining the Recovery Plan was to take account of ISP Service complaints made by schools to ICT Solutions Help Desk over the preceding twelve months. Analysis revealed four key issues:

· Poor performance – eg: frequently unable to connect to the ISP - whether via ISDN or Broadband once connected, unacceptably slow response or downloads experienced

· POP3-based email products - no provision

· FTP access - no provision

· Filtering - regime in place too restrictive

A project plan produced by the BT/ICT Solutions' Recovery Plan team identified a range of tasks necessary to resolve these issues and have solutions in place before the start of the Autumn Term.

POP3, FTP and filtering issues are reported in detail within the letter supporting this Appendix.

The rest of this Appendix reports on the outcomes from the following activities - targeted at resolving 'poor performance' issues:

· Invite schools to carry out connectivity tests and analyse the results

· Review ISP Service with Secondary School Headteachers and ICT Co-ordinators at a conference held at Dereham on 11^th July and collate/respond to issues raised

· Undertake end-to-end review of the connectivity infrastructure and identify/remedy any communications' overhead or deficiency

· Undertake research at specific schools reporting critical problems

· Produce a risk analysis of the impact of bulk release of staff/pupil email accounts

Connectivity Tests

Schools were asked to undertake a series of four tests. Each test was required to be carried out twice on each of two days – 17 and 18 June. The total of 16 tests for each school was targeted at showing the connectivity success/fail rate and typical response times for accessing the ISP or email.

In the event (due to late receipt of test documents), 44 schools were unable to carry out tests on 17 June. The final returns produced a total of 4,752 test results from 319 schools. Although better than expected, the results nevertheless showed that improvement was needed. Main results were:

Test	Test Description	Pass	Fail	Inconclusive
1	To access a school's own web site	60%	13%	27%
2	To connect to the ISP and download a file	75%	7%	19%
3	To connect to the ISP and download a file	69%	10%	20%
4	To connect to the ISP and access email	68%	11%	21%

Of all successful connections, 62% connected in less than five seconds and a further 31% achieved connection between 6 and 30 seconds.

Note: Only tests 1,2 and 3 were timed.

Secondary Headteacher/ICT Co-ordinator Conference

The conference held at Dereham on 11 July drew attention to a number of additional issues, most of which will be referred to within this letter.

Connectivity Review

During June, July and August, BT assessed the effectiveness of their communications infrastructure and undertook detailed analyses of traffic volumes and types of data typically being accessed or transferred by schools.

Over this 3-month period, this review identified a number of areas as actual or potential bottlenecks; bottlenecks which in turn give rise to queuing and consequential timeouts.

To remedy each incidence of failure or deficiency, a number important improvements have been introduced and the prognosis is that these changes will eliminate performance issues for the current traffic levels.

Note: The concern is that, as connectivity improves, user access will increase, as will file sizes, pushing traffic volumes ever higher. In future, traffic volumes will be monitored so that early corrective action can be taken in line with changing requirements.

Specific changes, and the reasons for them, include:

· The Internet feed - increased from a 2Mb link to 12Mb – a six-fold increase.

Traffic analysis showed that the average peak traffic during normal school hours was 8Mb. It was agreed that this circuit should be sized to match the average peak – plus 50%.

Ongoing regular traffic review and upgrade is likely to use this ratio as the basis for future Internet feed sizing.

· Proxy servers at BT's Server Farm - number increased from 2 to 8

Recovery Plan experience suggests that the ratio likely to be used for future proxy server farm sizing will be based on providing 1 server for each Mb of communications traffic.

· The number of ISDN channels has been increased allow near 1:1 contention.

The review showed that channel provision was inadequate with the potential worst case of three schools competing simultaneously for each channel, contributing to the queuing problem.

The number of channels has been increased to 390 with 30 reserved. This provides 360 channels for the 369 schools with LEA-provided ISDN connections – near 1:1 contention.

Note: Some schools migrating to Broadband service have decided temporarily to continue with ISDN in addition to Broadband.

There may be additional cost if extra channels are required to maintain 1:1 contention.

Research At Specific Schools

During the Recovery Plan period, two Secondary schools reported service performance issues. BT and ICT engineers attended the schools and research showed that, in each case, local configuration was out of line with standard settings. When re-configuration took place, each school's performance levels improved substantially.

Risk Analysis – Release of Email Accounts

Risk analysis showed that bulk release of staff and pupil email accounts could increase the load on the network by as much as 6Mb and future planning needs to take account of this factor.

The changes made as a result of the Recovery Plan are sized to cater for the current load.

While the Internet feed can be uprated within two days, the same is not true of other components. Proxy servers have a lead time of several weeks, for instance and careful planning is needed to ensure that the infrastructure has the capacity to meet increased demand before it is needed.

For this reason, email accounts will be released in stages, and as soon as possible and practical.

For instance, staff email accounts cannot be released until the Annual returns have been submitted and ICT Solutions have access to all current additions and modifications to staff details. This information will not be to hand until mid to end October and staff email accounts will be released within a few days of that date.

Secondary school pupil accounts will be released over the month of November. In this way, impact can be monitored and necessary infrastructure uplift implemented to ensure minimum impact to service.

Providing the initial release goes to plan and no problems are experienced Primary school pupil accounts released by the end of the year.

Why do schools need to address the issue of acceptable use of the Internet?

The Internet is vast and unregulated, and, in common with all communication media, there remains the concern that it can be abused.

However, the existence of undesirable material is not a valid reason to avoid the Internet. The Government wants everyone to have access to the wealth of cultural, scientific and intellectual material available on the Internet.

Teachers and pupils should be aware of the issues surrounding the use of the Internet for education, just as with television and video. A combination of measures should be put in place to ensure that pupils use the Internet safely and to deal with any issues which do arise.

Schools should develop safe systems and safe practices with very clear sanctions. An acceptable use policy is a way of pulling this thinking together and communicating it to pupils, teachers, parents and governors. It should be developed as part of the whole school ICT policy.

What is an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)?

An Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is a document, signed by students and their parents or guardians, detailing the ways in which the Internet can and cannot be used. An AUP may differ from school to school to address particular circumstances, but some parts of it are likely to be common to all schools - for example, covering the Computer Misuse Act 1990. The policy needs to balance the desirability of fully exploiting the vast educational potential of internet resources for research and communication purposes, whilst also including safeguards against unacceptable activity. Policies must be reviewed and updated at regular intervals, and should be considered alongside the school's ICT policy.

What issues should be considered before writing the acceptable use policy (AUP)?

The following points will encourage discussion and thinking around the range of issues that should be considered before writing your AUP. These issues should be considered in the context of teaching and learning and any other systems and/or policies that operate in the school.

· Why does your school need an AUP?

· What are the educational benefits of using the Internet in an educational context, and how will learning be enhanced?

· How will the school ensure that pupils are protected from unsuitable material and that they use the equipment safely?

· How will pupils be educated to access and evaluate internet content?

· How will e-mail be managed?

· Will the school have a web site? If so, who will take responsibility for co-ordinating and publishing content?

· Will the school give access to chat rooms and newsgroups?

· Who will manage ICT system security and how will it be maintained?

· Will internet access be given out-of-school hours to pupils and the community?

· How will the school deal with complaints?

· How often will the policy be reviewed and by whom?

In March 2001, the Government issued new guidance on the use of e-mail in schools, images of pupils on school web sites, the use of chat rooms in education, and internet filtering. This new guidance and advice can be found on the Department for Education and Skills (DfES)/Becta Superhighway Safety web site at http://www.safety.ngfl.gov.uk/schools/

What should an acceptable use policy (AUP) include?

An AUP should include:

· a requirement that all potential users of the Internet understand basic conventions and navigation techniques before going on line and accessing pages

· information reminding students that logs are kept of sites visited and why

· an undertaking by pupils to respect copyright and not to plagiarise others' work

· an agreement by users to download pages to personal floppy disks rather than to the machine's hard disk, and an explanation of why such restrictions are necessary

· permission for members of staff to check personal disks for viruses and unsuitable material

· a commitment that pupils will keep their personal details private and not make them available to others using the Internet

· a pledge by users not to attempt to access unsuitable material

· a reminder that the possession of certain types of unsuitable material can lead to prosecution by the police

· information on sanctions for violations of the agreed AUP and how this links to other school policies: for example, how bullying electronically imposes the same sanctions as face to face - this would be linked to the schools anti-bullying policy.

Your school may also want to consider different AUPs or inclusion of different statements according to the group of people targeted: for example, consider differentiation between access for pupils / teachers, different age groups and so on.

How should the school get parents and pupils to sign up to the acceptable use policy (AUP)?

All schools will have a home-school agreement in place which is intended to increase parental involvement in schools/pupils. Many schools find it useful to include the AUP alongside the home-school agreement.

A copy of the AUP should be sent to all parents, accompanied by an internet use form, which should be signed by both the parent/guardian and the pupil.

Procedure for Dealing with Misuse

Develop user guidelines and set out the rules that will apply to any authorised person using the ICT facilities provided by your establishment.

Determine procedures for dealing with users who misuse or abuse Internet access. Sanctions should be built in to user guidelines specifying the likely penalties for violation of the rules outlined.

Minor infringements may be dealt with by enforcing a temporary ban on Internet use or by additional disciplinary action in accordance with existing site procedures and policies. For serious violations, the police may be involved.

Using Computers at Home

Produce guidelines to illustrate how parents or guardians can support and endorse the AUP by:

· keeping the computer in a communal area of the home

· taking an interest in what children are doing with the computer

· asking children to show them how the computer works and explain how they use computers at school

· advising children to take care whenever they are on line reminding them not to give out any personal information about themselves, particularly their names, addresses, phone numbers or financial information

· reminding children never to give anyone their password

· reminding children that people on line may not be who they seem, and no matter how well they feel they know someone, that person is still a stranger

· ensuring that children never arrange to meet someone in person

· telling children to delete attachments from strangers without opening them; they may contain viruses that can damage the computer

· asking children to avoid responding if they see any messages which they find upsetting, and to tell them about any such message

· making sure that computing and playing video games are only two activities among many that children enjoy.

Remind parents or guardians that the need to know:

· what their children are doing

· that computers linked to telephones can quickly run up bills if used excessively or at peak times

· that children with access to credit cards could use them for on-line purchases, if not supervised

· that if they are not computer-literate themselves, they ought to learn at least the basics about computers.

Norfolk-specific Example of an Acceptable Use Policy

The attached examples of an Acceptable Use Policy, letter to parents/guardians and internet use form were developed by Costessey Junior School. The school made use of the Kent LEA’s Internet Policy 2001 publication and consulted the Norfolk Education Advisory Services before finalising the policy papers.. The Acceptable Use Policy and the accompanying suggested letter and UAP acknowledgement to parents and guardians is based on the principles outlined in these guidelines.

An Example of an Internet Policy 2002

Why is Internet use important?

The Internet is an essential element in 21^st Century life for education, business and social interaction. It is an open communications channel allowing information to be transmitted to many locations in the world. Messages may be sent, ideas discussed and material published, with very little restriction. These features of the Internet make it an invaluable resource used by millions of people every day.

The purpose of Internet use in school is to promote pupil achievement, to support the professional work of staff and to enhance the school’s management, information and business administration systems. Benefits of using the Internet in education include:

· Access to world-wide educational resources

· Inclusion in government initiatives such as the National Grid for Learning (NGfL) and the Virtual Teacher Centre (VTC)

· Educational and cultural exchanges between pupils world-wide

· Cultural, vocational, social and leisure use in libraries, clubs and at home

· Access to experts in many fields for pupils and staff

· Staff professional development through access to national developments, educational materials and good curriculum practice

· Communication with support services, professional associations and colleagues

· Improved access to technical support including remote management of networks

· Exchange of curriculum and administration data with the LEA and DfES.

The statutory curriculum requires pupils to learn how to locate, retrieve and exchange information using ICT. Consequently, in delivering the curriculum teachers need to plan to integrate the use of communications technology such as web-based resources and e-mail to enrich and extend learning activities. Effective Internet use is an essential life-skill for all pupils to master.

Core Principles of Internet Safety

In common with most technologies, Internet use presents risks as well as benefits. Pupils could be placed in inappropriate and even dangerous situations without mediated Internet access. To ensure responsible use and the safety of pupils the school’s policy is built on the following five core principles:

Guided educational use

Internet use will be planned, task orientated and educational within a regulated and managed environment.

Risk assessment

Both staff and pupils will be aware of the risks associated with Internet use. Emerging technologies will be examined for educational benefit and a risk assessment carried out before use in school is allowed. Staff and pupils will know what to do if they come across inappropriate material when using the Internet.

Responsibility

Internet safety depends on staff, governors, advisors, parents, and, where appropriate, pupils themselves taking responsibility for use of the Internet and associated technologies. The school will seek to balance education for responsible use, regulation and technical solutions to ensure pupils’ safety.

Regulation

The use of the Internet, which brings with it the possibility of misuse will be regulated. Fair rules, written for pupils to read and understand, will be prominently displayed as a constant reminder of the expectations regarding Internet use.

Appropriate Strategies

Effective, monitored strategies will be in place to ensure responsible and safe Internet use. The school will work in partnership with the LEA, DfES, parents and the Internet Service Provider to ensure systems to protect pupils are regularly reviewed and improved.

INTERNET ACCESS

Parents will be informed that pupils will be provided with supervised internet access and will be required to sign and return a form acknowledging their understanding of the school's policy on Internet use. The school will keep a record of all staff and pupils who are granted Internet access. The record will be monitored by the ICT Co-ordinator.

In common with other media such as magazines, books and video, some material available via the Internet is unsuitable for pupils.. The school, with the support and guidance of the LEA, will take all precautions to ensure that users only access appropriate material. However, due to the international and linked nature of Internet content, it is not possible to guarantee that unsuitable material will never occur on a school computer. Neither the school nor Norfolk LEA can accept liability for the material accessed, or any consequences of Internet access.

If staff or pupils discover unsuitable sites, the URL (address) and content must be reported immediately to the Internet Service Provider via the ICT Co-ordinator or headteacher.

Staff and pupils will be made aware that the use of computer systems without permission or for inappropriate purposes could constitute a criminal offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

STAFF ACCESS

Staff will be encouraged to use this resource to support and enrich their own teaching and professional development. Staff will observe all restrictions and policies with regards to appropriate use of the internet. Any complaint about staff misuse must be referred to the headteacher. This facility is not for personal use.

E-MAIL

Each pupil and member of staff will have/has their own e-mail address on the school’s networked system. Only these approved e-mail accounts may be used on the school system. Pupils must not reveal details of themselves or others, such as the address or telephone number, or arrange to meet anyone in e-mail communication. Pupils must immediately tell a teacher if they receive offensive e-mail.

SCHOOL WEB SITE

The school’s web site is to celebrate children’s work, promote the school and publish resources for projects or homework. The point of contact on the web site is the school address, school e-mail and telephone number. Staff or pupils’ home information will not be published. Written permission from parents or guardians will be obtained before photographs of pupils are published on the school web site. All web site photographs will be selected carefully to ensure that individual pupils can not be identified.

SCHOOL RULES

The school has developed a set of guidelines for Internet use by pupils. These rules will be made available to pupils and kept under constant review. All members of staff are responsible for explaining the rules and their implications. All members of staff need to be aware of possible misuses and their responsibilities towards pupils.

The following rules apply to all pupils:

· I will ask permission before entering before entering any web site, unless my teacher has already approved that site.

· I will only use my own login and password, which I will keep secret.

· I will not look at or delete other people’s files

· I will not bring floppy disks into school without permission

· I will only e-mail people I know, or my teacher has approved.

· The messages I send will be polite and sensible.

· When sending an e-mail, I will not give my home address or phone number, or arrange to meet someone.

· I will ask for permission before opening an e-mail or an e-mail attachment sent by someone I do not know.

· I will not use Internet chat.

· If I see anything I am unhappy with, or I receive messages I do not like, I will tell a teacher immediately.

· I know that the school may check my computer files and may monitor the Internet sites I visit.

· I understand that if I deliberately break these rules, I could be stopped from using the Internet or computers.

SANCTIONS

1. Violations of the above rules will result in a temporary or permanent ban on Internet use.

2. Additional disciplinary action may be added in line with existing practice on inappropriate language or behaviour.

3. When applicable, police or local authorities may have to be involved.

Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually.

Preamble

All schools have a responsibility to filter both access at school and any access pupils are given as part of home-school links.

To underpin this responsibility, and as part of the agreement with BT, the Internet Service Provider (ISP) selected by Norfolk County Council to deliver ISP services to Norfolk schools, site blocking and content filtering have been set up in line with established rules to prevent access to content that contains, or provides links to, unsuitable material.

Background

Without some form of filtering, a school's Internet facilities could allow pupils to access a website containing undesirable – even pornographic - material, or receive email that contains similarly unsuitable content.

Filtering goes a long way towards safeguarding against such a possibility.

Websites

The World Wide Web (WWW, or Web) provides easy access to the vast quantity of information and resources available on the Internet and is the facility which people use to ‘surf’ for information. It is made up of millions of screens, or ‘pages’, of information which are 'published' on the Internet by the organisation or individual who created them.

The source of each unique collection of pages is known as a website.

Each page can include text, images, sound, animation and video and has its own unique address.

E-mail

E-mail allows users to send and receive written messages via a telephone line. Students could use e-mail for example, to communicate with pen pals, to send questions to a specialist, to help with project work, and to swap information with students in other countries.

Filtering systems prevent or block user access to unsuitable material. When the filtering system is turned on, users cannot open or link to sites that the filtering system recognises as unsuitable.

· Although a useful tool, it is important to note that filtering systems are not foolproof. They should not replace vigilance or simple common sense from network administrators, teachers or parents.

Content filtering is just one way of making sure that pupils do not access inappropriate material. Schools need to consider other ways of ensuring pupils do not have access to inappropriate material. Schools also need to monitor what pupils are logging on to. ICT schemes of work should include teaching pupils to question the source of web material.

· Teachers need to equip learners with the skills to become discriminating users of the Internet.

There are two filtering mechanisms in place. One method (site blocking) deals with content published at a web site. The other (contextual word matching/blocking) relates to web site content and e-mail.

Site Blocking

User Classes

Different groups of users may have different filtering/site blocking requirements.

For instance, content that is suitable for adults may be quite unsuitable for children. Another example may be that material deemed appropriate for access by Secondary school pupils may not be appropriate for Primary school pupils.

The two key factors used in determining access rules are:

· the type of school seeking access

· the nature of the material, or content, being accessed.

To satisfy the first rule, the filtering profile for each Norfolk school has been set up as being either:

§ a Religious primary school

§ a Primary school, or

§ a Secondary school.

However, it is recognised that rules which are appropriate for pupils of, say, a Primary school, will be too restrictive for adult users – staff and Governors for example.

To address this requirement, an 'Adult' category has been set up. The 'Adult' category will apply permanently on designated computers only.

These designated computers (five for each Secondary school and two for each Primary/Religious Primary school) will have a fixed IP address. These machines will also be the only computers designated for FTP access (see later).

To meet the needs of Adult Education or Community users who are likely to use a school's ICT facilities outside normal school hours, all computers will default to the 'Adult' category between 17:00 and 08:00 Monday to Friday, and 24 hours each Saturday and Sunday.

The following table summarises these arrangements:

Category Applied - During:

	08:00 to 17:00 Mon to Friday	All Other Hours
Religious Primary Schools
Designated Computers	Adult	Adult
All other computers	Religious Primary	Adult
Primary Schools
Designated Computers	Adult	Adult
All other computers	Primary	Adult
Secondary Schools
Designated Computers	Adult	Adult
All other computers	Secondary	Adult

Content

The second part of the equation relates to site content - categorised under the following subject headings:

· Crime	· News	· E Sports
· Finance	· Occult/New Age	· Sex/Acts
· Gambling	· Violence	· Sex/Attire
· Interactive/Chat	· Weapons	· Sex/Personals
· Interactive/Mail	· Drugs/Advocacy	· Sex/Nudity
· Intolerance	· Drugs/Non-Medical	· SexEd/Basic
· Job Search	· E Games	· SexEd/Advanced

By matching school profiles and content categories (used to identify and group objectionable material), it is possible to set up a system of classes (referred to by the ISP as castes) to ensure that users do not access content that is considered inappropriate or unsuitable. An important filtering feature used by the ISP employs context-sensitive filtering to detect and filter out unsuitable words.

The ISP maintains a list of sites that contain content falling under the above subject headings. The list is continuously reviewed and updated from information supplied by users who will be expected to report, in line with the school's Acceptable Use Policy, sites considered to be unsuitable for access.

Filtering Castes

The following table shows the Castes used by the ISP:

Content	Religious Primary	Primary	Secondary	Adult	Open (No filtering)
Crime	a	a	a
Finance
Gambling	a	a	a
Interactive/ Chat	a	a	a
Interactive/ Mail	a	a	a
Intolerance	a	a	a	a
Job Search
News
Occult/New Age	a	a	a
Violence	a	a	a	a
Weapons	a	a	a	a
Drugs/ Advocacy	a	a
Drugs/Non-Medical	a	a	a	a
E Games	a	a	a	a
E Sports
Sex/Acts	a	a	a	a
Sex/Attire	a	a	a	a
Sex/ Personals	a	a	a	a
Sex/Nudity	a	a	a
SexEd/Basic	a
SexEd/ Advanced	a	a

The 'Open' Category - Notes

· The 'Open' category is a special case since no filtering or site blocking is applied.

· Any headteacher can apply to have their school assigned to the 'Open' category. However, it must be emphasised that in so doing, the signatory chooses to opt out of the ISP-provided filtering service. As a result, the responsibility and accountability for applying an effective filtering regime will pass from the ISP to the school.

· Web-based e-mail, eg HotMail, Talk21 and Yahoo, is only accessible via the 'Adult' category

· Music and CD image downloads are similarly only available via the Adult caste

· Schools opting for the 'Open' caste, are advised to refer to the Becta site for further information on filtering systems, how they work, and how to chose one that is appropriate to your needs.

Comprehensive information can be found at:

http://www.safety.ngfl.gov.uk/schools/document.php3?D=d39

Note At the end of this document, there is an application form to be used by schools opting for the 'Open' category.

The form should be signed by both the Headteacher and the Chair of Governors.

Word Matching/Blocking

RM's EasyMail Plus is the web-based email product included with the ISP service provided to Norfolk schools. All e-mail is checked against a word list that is reviewed and maintained regularly by a selected panel.

RM recognise that many words that are objectionable in some contexts are perfectly acceptable in others, and for this reason they employ context-sensitive filtering.

Acceptable Use Policy

Pupils, staff and parents should sign up to an Acceptable Use Policy and there should be clear sanctions if your approach is to be effective.

INTERNET SERVICE PROVISION

ISP Service Recovery Plan

Additional Service Recovery Plan information is included at Appendix A.

Email

FTP Access

Filtering

Secondary School Focus Group

School onsite proxy control

Performance Tests

Fault Reporting

ICT Support Services

Secondary ICT Co-ordinator’s Forum

Connectivity Tests

Secondary Headteacher/ICT Co-ordinator Conference

Connectivity Review

Research At Specific Schools

Produce guidelines to illustrate how parents or guardians can support and endorse the AUP by:

Remind parents or guardians that the need to know:

Why is Internet use important?

Core Principles of Internet Safety

INTERNET ACCESS

STAFF ACCESS

E-MAIL

SCHOOL WEB SITE

SCHOOL RULES

SANCTIONS

Policy Review

Parent’s Consent for Web Publication of Work and Photographs

SCHOOL

Dear Parents/Guardians

Using the Internet at School

Preamble

Background

Site Blocking

Content

Open

Word Matching/Blocking

Acceptable Use Policy

Application for 'Open' Caste Filtering