1. Introduction
1.1. The school is committed to providing an education for our students which will support them in moving from the Sixth Form into higher education or the workplace. As part of this commitment, Chenderit School offers its Sixth Form students the opportunity of using their own technology in school (e.g. laptop, (smart) phone, tablet) accessing the school’s wireless internet network. The “Bring Your Own Device” initiative is a privilege extended to Sixth Form students. There are rules associated with this privilege and if these are broken or abused, this privilege will be taken away and sanctions will be applied in accordance with the school’s Behaviour for Learning policy.
1.2. This is a voluntary scheme and students are in no way obliged to purchase or bring in their own device if they do not wish to do so. Particular note should be made of the fact the school accepts no responsibility for the loss, theft or damage of any phone, laptop, tablet or other device brought into school.
2. Implementation
2.1. Students and their parents will be required to sign an Acceptable Use Agreement form at the start of the Sixth Form and students will be expected to abide by the conditions laid out in this agreement.
2.2. Students and their parents will also be required to sign a BYOD statement agreement form in order to access the BYOD Wi-Fi.
3. Terms and Conditions
3.1. Whilst the school has measures in place to protect wireless connectivity, the school offers no guarantee that the wireless connection is secure or that privacy can be protected when using this wireless connection.
3.2. Use of the school’s wireless network is entirely at the risk of the user and Chenderit School is not responsible for any loss of information that may arise from use of the wireless connection or from any loss, injury or damage resulting from the use of the wireless connection.
3.3. All users are bound by the school’s Acceptable Use Agreement and by using the BYOD facility, students are agreeing to the terms, conditions and procedures laid out in the entirety of this document. Students not agreeing to this will not be allowed the privilege of using their own device.
3.4. Students are not permitted to share their school login credentials with other students for any reason and doing so will result in sanctions under the school’s Behaviour for Learning policy and may result in permission to use the BYOD facility being withdrawn.
3.5. Use of the device in lesson time is entirely at the discretion of the teacher. If the teacher asks you not to use your device then you must follow these instructions.
3.6. The use of a personal device is a privilege to support learning. It is not to be a distraction in any way to teachers or students. Personal devices must not disrupt class work or private study. Playing games or using devices for non school-work related activities are not permitted at any time on the school site. Personal devices may not be used to access social
media sites of any kind in school, unless specifically authorised by your subject teacher for educational purposes only (e.g. in the case of Media Studies, Computing and Art)
3.7. Students may only connect one device to the school’s BYOD wireless connection. It is envisaged that this will only be changed when a student replaces their device.
3.8. The charging of personal devices is not permitted on the school site.
3.9. Students shall make no attempt to gain unauthorised access to the school network or circumvent the school’s network security and web filtering. This includes setting up proxies and downloading programs to bypass security.
3.10. Students shall use the school’s internet to access materials which are related to school learning activities. Students will make no attempt to access other materials including games. Students will make no attempt to access or share material which is either inappropriate or illegal. This includes, but is not limited to, pornography, illegally downloaded content, radicalisation, violence, racism, extremism and bullying. Students will not use or share their personal mobile data connection within school.
3.11. Students may not use their own devices to make recordings (video or audio) or to take photographs when in school or participating in school organised activities without the express permission of their teacher.
3.12. Students are required to check their own devices daily for basic Health and Safety compliance and to ensure that it is free from defects. Any device which has obvious health and safety defects should not be brought into school.
3.13. School staff (in accordance with the school’s Behaviour for Learning policy policy) may search the content of any personal devices on the school premises where there is a reasonable suspicion that it may contain inappropriate material including, but not limited to, pornography, gambling, violence, bullying, radicalisation or discrimination of any form. If any inappropriate material is found, this will result in sanctions under the Behaviour for Learning policy. The school will inform the police and or other appropriate agencies where this is deemed to be necessary.
3.14. There are no secure facilities provided at school to store personal devices. Students are advised to keep their personal devices with them at all times, should not leave them unattended and must not loan them to other students.
3.15. The school will require the user to download and install a security certificate on their device.
4. School liability statement
4.1. Students bring their personal devices for use at Chenderit School at their own risk. Students are expected to act responsibly with regards to their own device, keeping it up to date via regular anti-virus and operating system updates and as secure as possible. It is their duty to be responsible for the update and protection of their own devices.
4.2. Chenderit School will be in no way responsible for:
- 4.2.1. Personal devices that are broken, lost, stolen at school or during school organised activities
- 4.2.2. Any data lost on personal devices
- 4.2.3. Maintenance or upkeep of any device (keeping it charged, installing updates or upgrades, fixing any software or hardware or anti-virus issues for example)
- 4.2.4. Parents/students should ensure that they have adequate insurance cover in place to cover the cost of repair/replacement of a personal device in the event of loss/damage to the device
4.3. Chenderit School accepts no liability in respect of any loss/damage to personal devices or to data while at school, during school organised activities or in transit.
4.4. As BYOD is not a compulsory part of a student’s education the decision to bring a personal device into school rests with the student and their parent/guardian as does the liability for any loss/damage which may result from the use of a personal device in school.
5. Frequently asked questions
5.1. What personal devices can I use in school?
Currently supported devices include iPadOS, Mac OS, Windows 10 onwards, Chrome OS.
5.2. How do I get permission to use a personal device in school?
Permission is granted to all Sixth Form students as a privilege and under the conditions outlined in the BYOD statement. This privilege will be revoked if any of the rules are broken or abused.
5.3. How many personal devices may I connect to the BYOD Wi-Fi?
One. This is to help to ensure that the contention ratio and therefore the speed of access remains as high as possible.
5.4. Can I transfer work from school computers to my personal device or get access to my school work from my personal device?
Yes, via the Home Access Plus link on the school website, uploading work to a cloud based storage area or by using a USB storage device.
5.5. Can I physically plug my device into the school network using a network cable?
No. Internet access is available through wireless connection only.
5.6. How do I charge my device in school?
Devices must be charged at home. No charging of devices in school is permitted.
5.7. Can I use my own device in class?
Personal devices may only be used in class with the approval of the class teacher.
5.8. Why are there restrictions to what I may access on my own device?
The school is providing you with a service which it is committed to make as safe and secure as possible. The rules in place regarding what may be accessed in school are designed to ensure that the school follows its duty of care to all students and to ensure that devices are used in school for the intended purpose (education). The BYOD WIFI is there to help support teaching and learning and not as a recreational tool.
5.9. Why can’t I loan my device to another student?
You are responsible for the care of your device and for the information held on it. If inappropriate material is found on your device, your device may be confiscated and you will be held accountable which may result in sanctions.
