Safe use of internet policy

The internet is important for a student’s education and to remain in contact with family and friends during free time, but guidelines on appropriate and safe use is required, as some online content may be deemed offensive, inaccurate, defamatory, inappropriate and/or illegal.

Illegal Content / Activity: Students are not allowed to use the internet for any illegal activity, for example pornographic or gambling sites for Under 18s. Students must not view sites that contain offensive, obscene, violent, dangerous, inflammatory, racist or extremist material. Illegal downloads, such as music, video, TV programmes, games and PDF files are also not permitted.
Any type of hacking (i.e. an attempt to access folders, databases, or other material to which one is not entitled) is considered an extremely serious offence. To comply with the Computer Misuse Act 1990, any student who indulges in hacking or is found with hacking software/paraphernalia on their computer can expect serious consequences. Likewise, physical interference with any other computer is not tolerated.

Social Media / Abuse: Although use of social networking sites has made communication with family, friends, and between homestay and students much easier and cheaper, it also brings risks, for example identity theft, bullying, harassment, grooming, exploitation and abuse. Students must avoid the risk of exposing themselves to embarrassment due to an inappropriate personal profile or inclusion on another’s profile. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection body (CEOP) provides some useful guidelines and advice for parents, guardians, host families and students (thinkyouknow.co.uk is the CEOP’s online safety centre).

Please see your Homestay Information Pack for advice on general use of computers & telephones.