Dear Students and Parents:

We are pleased to announce that as part of the ongoing development programme for Information and Communication Technology, we are now able to offer all students access to the Internet, providing a wealth of information to assist with their studies.

With Internet access comes the responsibility of the user to only access materials that are considered educational in value in the context of the school setting. The London Nautical School staff will make every effort to guide students in the correct use of the Internet. Internet access is provided by Research Machines' Internet For Learning service, the leading provider of school Internet services and filtered by Equinox. As part of this provision our access is filtered to exclude inappropriate material; however, on a global network, it is impossible to control all materials. It is imperative therefore, that users be held accountable for their use of the technology.

The smooth operation of our network relies upon the proper conduct of all of its users. In order to allow Internet access, please read and sign the attached agreement, which contains the guidelines for proper conduct. Be assured that no student's work will suffer adversely as a result of access being denied either by you or by the school.

Students may also have the opportunity to develop and maintain the ICT Department’s web pages. These web pages often contain pictures, video clips as well as written work. In order to participate in these activities, it is also necessary to sign the media release form included with this policy document.
Please read and discuss this document with your child, ensuring that he/she understands the various sections. Finally you and your child must sign and return the document as soon as possible.
We look forward to continuing and extending our use of this educational resource.

Sincerely

Mr.G Wilson, Headteacher
Mr.N.Yuksel, Head of IT

We are pleased to announce that our network has been upgraded to high standard and ICT resources are improved during summer holiday. The school’s ICT network is now managed by Research Machine.

The staff at the London Nautical School strongly believes in the educational value of such electronic services and recognises their potential to support the curriculum. Every effort will be made to provide quality experiences to students and teachers using this information service, however, inappropriate and/or illegal interaction with any information service is strictly prohibited.

Please read this document carefully. Listed below are the provisions of this agreement. If any student violates these provisions, access to the Internet will be disabled and the student will be subject to disciplinary action.

As a representative of the school, I will accept personal responsibility for reporting any misuse of the network to a staff member. Misuse may come in many forms, but it is commonly viewed as any message(s) sent or received that indicate or suggest pornography, unethical or illegal requests, racism, sexism, inappropriate language, any use which may be likely to cause offence and other issues described below.

The use of electronic services must be in support of education and research in accordance with the educational goals and objectives of The London Nautical School. I am personally responsible for this provision at all times when using the electronic information service.

• Use of other networks or computing resources must comply with the rules appropriate to that network.
• Transmission of any material in violation of any United Kingdom or other national laws is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material or material protected by trade laws.
• Use of commercial activities by for-profit organisations is generally not acceptable.

The use of the Internet and other electronic services is a privilege and inappropriate use will result in that privilege being withdrawn. Students with access to the Internet will participate in a discussion with a member of the school staff as to proper behaviour and use of the facilities. The London Nautical School staff will rule upon inappropriate use and may deny, revoke or suspend usage.

You are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette. These rules include, but are not limited to the following:

• BE POLITE. Never send or encourage others to send abusive messages.
• USE APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE. Remember that you are a representative of the school on a global public system. You may be alone with your computer, but what you say and do can be viewed by others. Never swear, use vulgarities or any other inappropriate language. Illegal activities of any kind are strictly forbidden.
• PRIVACY. Do not reveal any personal information to anyone, especially the home address or personal telephone of yourself or any other students.
• PASSWORD. Do not reveal your password to anyone. If you think someone has obtained your password, contact a member of the IT department immediately.
• ELECTRONIC MAIL. Electronic mail (e-mail) is not guaranteed to be private. Messages relating to, or in support of, illegal activities may be reported to the authorities
• DISRUPTIONS. Do not use the network in any way that would disrupt use of the services by others.
• OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

* Be brief. Few people will bother to read a long message. Proofread your message to ensure that it is error free and easy to understand.

* Remember that humour and satire are very often misinterpreted.

* Respect the rights and beliefs of others.

The London Nautical School makes no warranties of any kind whether expressed or implied, for the network service it is providing. The London Nautical School will not be responsible for any damages suffered whilst on this system. These damages include loss of data as a result of delays, non-deliveries, mis-deliveries or service interruptions caused by the system or elements of the system, or your errors or omissions. Use of any information obtained via the network or other information systems is at your own risk. The London Nautical School specifically denies any responsibility for the accuracy of information obtained via its Internet services.

One of the many facilities available via the Internet, is the ability to order goods and services whilst online. This technology is still undergoing development and several questions have been raised with regard to the issue of security of online credit card ordering etc. Because of the security and other ethical issues attached to this facility, The London Nautical School has a moral responsibility in this area. It is therefore strictly forbidden for students to use the Internet for ordering goods or services regardless of their nature. In addition it is also forbidden for students to subscribe to any newsletter, catalogue or other form of correspondence via the Internet, regardless of its nature.

Electronic mail (Email) is widely available via the Internet. Students are expected to use this facility in a responsible manner. The sending or receiving of any email, which contains any inappropriate material, is strictly forbidden. This material includes, but is not limited to, pornography, unethical or illegal requests, racism, sexism, inappropriate language, any use which may be likely to cause offence. Disciplinary action will be taken in all cases. It is also forbidden to send large volume Emails (Spamming).