Distant Learning Policy

Introduction:

In response to this time of uncertainty regarding school closures, St. Malachy’s Girls’ School have formulated this policy to outline how the school will maintain the link between school and home.

We recognise that online safety is of huge importance and the aim of this document is to help to protect both school staff and pupils, while teaching and learning online. The policy presented here should be read also in tandem with our school’s Code of Behaviour Policy and Anti-Bullying Policy.

The primary obligation of all schools is to the welfare of the learners in their school. This policy, therefore, seeks to ensure that remote learning is safe for all student learners and that personal and sensitive data is also protected under GDPR legislation. Schools must ensure that learning takes place in an environment that is respectful and fair and meets its statutory duties.

This Policy has been formulated in accordance with the provisions of the Department of Education and relevant sections of:

• The Education Act (1998)
• Education (Welfare) Act (2000)
• Equal Status Act (2000)
• Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (2004)
• Disability Act (2005)
• Children First Act (2017)
• GDPR
• Data Protection Act (2018)
• Department of Education: Child Protection Procedures for Primary schools
• NEWB Guidelines for Developing a Code of Behaviour (2008).
• DES Guidance on Continuity of Schooling for Primary Schools (May 2020)
• DES Guidance on Continuity of Schooling: Supporting Primary Pupils at very High Risk to Covid 19 (August 2020).
• Guidance on Remote Learning in a COVID-19 Context: September – December 2020

This is a working document. As we continue to explore options available to support distance learning, the document will be updated accordingly.

School’s Strategy

St. Malachy’s Girls’ School employs a number of strategies in order to maximise learning opportunities and reduce risks associated with the Internet. These strategies are as follows:

General

1. Internet sessions will always be supervised by a teacher
2. Filtering software and/or equivalent systems will be used in order to minimise the risk of exposure to inappropriate material
3. The school will regularly monitor students’ internet usage
4. Students and teachers will be provided with training in the area of Internet safety
5. Uploading and downloading of non-approved software will not be permitted
6. Virus protection software will be used and updated on a regular basis
7. The use of personal memory sticks, CD-ROMs, or other digital storage media in school, requires a teacher’s permission
8. Students will treat others with respect at all times and will not undertake any actions that may bring the school into disrepute

World Wide Web

1. Students will not intentionally visit Internet sites that contain obscene, illegal, hateful or otherwise objectionable materials
2. Students will report accidental accessing of inappropriate materials in accordance with school procedures
3. Students will use the Internet for educational purposes only
4. Students will not copy information into assignments and fail to acknowledge the source (plagiarism and copyright infringement)
5. Students will never disclose or publicise personal information
6. Downloading by students of materials or images not relevant to their studies is in direct breach of the school’s acceptable use policy
7. Students will be aware that any usage, including distributing or receiving information, school-related or personal, may be monitored for unusual activity, security and/or network management reasons

Email

1. Students will use approved class email accounts under supervision by or permission from a teacher
2. Students will not send or receive any material that is illegal, obscene, defamatory or that is intended to annoy or intimidate another person
3. Students will not reveal their own or other people’s personal details; such as addresses or telephone numbers or pictures
4. Students will never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they only know through emails or the internet
5. Students will note that sending and receiving email attachments is subject to permission from their teacher

School Website

1. Students, teachers will publish projects, artwork or school work on the World Wide Web in accordance with clear policies and approval processes regarding the content that can be loaded to the school’s website
2. The website will be regularly checked to ensure that there is no content that compromises the safety of students or staff
3. Website using facilities such as comments and user-generated content will be checked frequently to ensure that they do not contain personal details
4. The publication of student work will be co-ordinated by a teacher
5. The school will endeavour to use digital photographs, audio or video clips focusing on group activities. Content focusing on individual students will only be published on the school website with parental permission
6. Personal student information including home address and contact details will be omitted from school web pages
7. The school website will avoid publishing the first name and last name of individuals in a photograph
8. The school will ensure that the image files are appropriately named and will not use students’ names in image file names or ALT tags if published on the web
9. Students will continue to own the copyright on any work published

Personal Devices

Students using their own technology in school should follow the rules set out in this agreement. The use of personal hand held / external devices (mobile phones / USB devices etc.) in school is strictly forbidden. Please refer to our Code of Behaviour Policy. https://www.stmalachysgirls.ie/about/policies/code-of-behaviour-2018/

Guidelines for good online communication in St. Malachy’s Girls’ School:

1. Under no circumstances can pictures or recordings be taken of video calls. 
2. Staff, families and students are expected to behave in an appropriate, safe, respectful and kind manner online.
3. It is the duty of parents/guardians to supervise children while they are working online and to ensure any content which they are submitting to their teacher is appropriate.
4. Staff members can communicate with pupils and their families via Komeer or our website or through an established app (e.g. Seesaw). 
5. Any electronic forms of communication will be for educational purposes and to allow for communication with families.
6. Students and staff will communicate using tools which have been approved by the school and of which parents have been notified (Seesaw, Zoom)
7. Parental permission will be acquired before setting up a profile for a pupil on a communication forum.
8. For video/Zoom calls, parental permission is implied, as the link to a video call will be communicated via the parent/guardian’s email address. Essentially, by virtue of the pupil logging on to the call, permission is assumed.
9. For security reasons, passwords will be provided to families, where applicable.
10. St. Malachy’s Girls’ School cannot accept responsibility for the security of online platforms, in the event that they are hacked.
11. Communication using a mobile phone will not be frequent, but in the rare exception where it is necessary, staff members will ensure that their caller ID is private. 

Guidelines for staff members using online communication methods:

1. Under no circumstances can pictures or recordings be taken of video calls. 
2. Staff members will communicate with pupils and families during the hours of 9.05am – 2.45pm, where possible. 
3. Staff members will have high expectations regarding pupil behaviour, with any communication which takes place online. 
4. Staff members will seek to become familiar with apps before using them with pupils.
5. Staff will check that consent has been given, before setting up a pupil profile for an online app. 
6. Staff members will report any concerns regarding online behaviour or interactions to school management. 
7. Staff are encouraged to generate a new meeting ID and password for each Zoom meeting being held.
8. Staff members will notify parents/guardians of the date, time and password for a video call via email. 
9. Staff members will only admit participants to video conferences, if they recognise the email address/username as being connected to a pupil.

Rules for pupils using online communication methods:

For submitting learning:

1. Submit work and pictures that are appropriate - have an adult take a look at your work before you send it.
2. Use kind and friendly words.

For video calls/Zoom:

1. Pictures or recordings of the video call are not allowed.
2. Remember our school rules - they are still in place, even online. 
3. Set up your device in a quiet space, with no distractions in the background.
4. Join the video with your microphone muted.
5. Raise your hand before speaking, just like you would do in class.
6. If you have the chance to talk, speak in your normal voice, using kind and friendly words.
7. Show respect by listening to others while they are speaking.
8. Ensure that you are dressed appropriately for the video call.
9. Be on time - set a reminder if it helps.
10. Enjoy! Don’t forget to wave hello to everyone when you join! 

Guidelines for parents and guardians:

For learning:

1. It is the responsibility of parents and guardians to ensure that pupils are supervised while they work online. 
2. Check over the work which pupils send to their teacher, ensuring it is appropriate.
3. Continue to revise online safety measures with pupils.

For video calls/Zoom:

1. Under no circumstances can pictures or recordings be taken of video calls. 
2. Ensure that the school has the correct email address for inviting you to join apps and meetings.
3. The main purpose of a video call is to maintain a social connection between the school staff and pupils at this difficult time. Encourage pupils to listen and enjoy the experience.
4. Be aware that when participating in group video calls, you can be seen and heard unless you are muted or have disabled your camera. 
5. You will automatically enter a waiting room when the code for a Zoom call has been entered. Please note that school staff will only accept users into video call if you can be identified by the display name on your zoom account.
6. Please ensure that your child is on time for a scheduled video, or they may be locked out. Please request to join the Zoom call approximately five minutes before the scheduled start time. This will give school staff time to verify your email address. 
7. Make sure to familiarise your child with the software in advance. For video in particular, show them how to mute/unmute and turn the camera on/off.
8. Participants in the call should be dressed appropriately.
9. An appropriate background/room should be chosen for the video call.
10. For detailed information on GDPR and Zoom, please visit https://zoom.us/privacy

Legislation

The school will provide information on the following legislation relating to use of the Internet which teachers, students and parents should familiarise themselves with:

§ Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003

§ Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998

§ Interception Act 1993

§ Video Recordings Act 1989

§ The Data Protection Act 1988 Support Structures

It is important to note that any breach of the above guidelines will result in a discontinuation of this method of communication. A breach may also result in a person being immediately removed from a meeting or in a meeting being immediately terminated. In this case, the child’s parent will receive a report on the incident. The school will inform students and parents of key support structures and organisations that deal with illegal material or harmful use of the Internet. Sanctions Misuse of the Internet may result in disciplinary action, including written warnings, withdrawal of access privileges and, in extreme cases, suspension or expulsion. The school also reserves the right to report any illegal activities to the appropriate authorities.