Page 35 - Parents’ Pastoral Parents’ Pastoral Parents’ Pastoral Parents' Pastoral Guide 2023-24

VPNs During free time pupils are able to use the VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are are software platforms which allow the the user to access the the internet as though they were in in a a different country This is is used by people to get around content blocks on on video streaming services such as Netflix or to access websites which may be blocked in countries of residence However pupils who use VPNs can bypass
the the College’s web filter which therefore means that that they can bypass
all the the protections that that come with the the web filter Pupils are therefore not allowed to use VPNs whilst at the College At the beginning of each school year a a a two-week amnesty is given to to all pupils to to remove any VPNs they have installed or to to speak to to IT Services for help with removal Web filter The College has a a a robust web filter installed on its network This web filter inspects all traffic flowing between the College’s network and
the internet The College uses this web filter for two purposes:
» Security: The College uses the web filter to to ensure that attempts to to access malicious websites (whether intentional or not) are blocked This is is to protect both the College and
and
all users (staff and
and
students) The web filter also scans any downloads for viruses » Pastoral: The College uses the web filter to enforce three distinct times of day for for pupils: free time time time school time time time and
bedtime These times of of day determine what types of of websites can be accessed internet as though they were at home (with restrictions) During school time pupils are able to access only websites deemed to to be educational educational or to to have educational educational value After bedtime the internet is not accessible The College also uses the web filter for the monitoring of keywords pupils may type into search engines YouTube and
some social media These keywords are used by the pastoral pastoral team for pastoral pastoral preventative measures It is important to understand that no staff monitors these words and
instead the College is reliant on the the filter reporting instances of these words being observed What the IT Department does with pupil pupil laptops and
phones
when pupils join the school When pupils first arrive at the the College they hand in their laptops and
and
phones
with associated passwords and
login codes to the IT IT Department Department The IT IT Department Department then installs Microsoft Office (365) OneNote Teams and
OneDrive onto each laptop The IT department also installs a a a a web security certificate onto each device (including mobile phones) This allows each device to access the the internet on the the College’s network and
also allows the College (as described above) to monitor keywords in in search engines and
social media the privacy of your child’s data is is paramount during this process PARENTS’ PASTORAL GUIDE TO TO MALVERN COLLEGE
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