What are the policy implications for my school?
With e-safety now part of your duty of care as a teacher, your school should support you by offering clear policies and guidelines.
As a minimum, your school should have guidelines for the acceptable use of school equipment (such as PCs, laptops, webcams, digital video equipment and mobiles) and devices owned by pupils and employees (such as personal laptops, mobiles, MP3 players and PDAs.
This kind of Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) will help you understand the appropriate use of technologies in your workplace and are as much about protecting school staff as for providing guidance for disciplinary sanctions against pupils.
Becta recommends that schools consult a wide range of interest groups in the design and implementation of Acceptable Use Policies, including head teachers, governors, senior management, classroom teachers, support staff, young people, parents and carers, local authority personnel, and internet and mobile service providers.
Acceptable Use Policies should also be linked to other school policies in areas such as child protection, health and safety and anti-bullying.
Whilst e-safety issues should be covered in the AUP, you may need to refer to the school's anti-bullying policy for information about how to deal with cyberbullying.
All UK state schools are required to have anti-bullying policies under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and independent schools have similar obligations under the Education (Independent Schools Standards) Regulations 2003.
Where can I find out more?