General principle
Use of on-site computers or of any web or communication service that the British Council School makes available to students and teachers for use outside school is subject to the same principles and rules which govern behaviour within school. The code of conduct that applies in school extends to online activities and behaviour in virtual environments or communication forums provided by the school.
The above general principle applies in all areas of conduct, with special reference to the following:
1. Personal relationships
We require the same standards of respect, courtesy and tolerance for fellow students and staff as we do at school. Any type of bullying, harassment, attempts to embarrass, deceive or manipulate are unacceptable. Users must not attempt to disrupt the work of others in any way, for example by using hacking commands or utilities to turn off machines.
2. Appropriate expression
Nothing should be published online and no messages should be sent that the school management would not also consider fully acceptable face to face in the real world. Opinions and comments about other members of the school community and the school itself are subject to the norms that govern school life in general.
3. Appropriate content
Just as certain types of material (for example, racist or pornographic texts or images) have no place in school, neither do they online. Content filters are in place on the student networks that operate in school, but the dynamic nature of the Internet means even the best filters cannot be guaranteed 100% reliable, and in the last resort the responsibility lies with the user: if an inappropriate web page does appear for any reason, it must be closed immediately and reported to staff. Please note that the system keeps a time-stamped log of every webpage accessed.
4. Respect for property
The IT system, software and hardware, is the property of the school and must be treated with the same care as any other any valuable installations in school. Users must not attempt to download, install, modify or remove any software, bypass internet filtering systems, or place the system at risk of viruses through use of contaminated removable media. Downloading, sending or publishing material that violates copyright or data protection law is forbidden, as is copying other users’ files without their express permission. Hardware must not be disconnected, adjusted, moved or unplugged without the permission of the IT staff.
5. Security and privacy
Users must not knowingly attempt to compromise the security of the system or take any actions that jeopardise the privacy of others. Impersonating another user (real or functional) by logging on with their credentials, attempting to bypass security settings to gain access to restricted or personal files, and sending unsolicited material to other users (including those on external networks) are not allowed.
Appropriate use of resources
As with any equipment provided by the school, the IT services and equipment are intended for use in the delivery of the curriculum. Activities that do not relate to this end are only permitted if explicitly authorised by a member of staff as part of a lesson. Some activities may be offensive and others may severely reduce overall system performance. Such activities include (without this list being exclusive):
- personal and social networking
- gaming
- downloading music or video
- streaming audio or video for fun
- shopping, auctioning, etc.
- chatting
- uploading photos
- sending or replying to chain or joke emails
- sending emails to mailing lists without good reason
- sending emails with large attachments.
School families and staff can read the full policy on the School Community Site.