Page 35 - Parents' Pastoral Guide to Malvern College

VPNs
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 the College’s network and the 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 day determine what types
of websites can be accessed During free time pupils are able to use the internet as though they were at home (with restrictions) During school time pupils are able to access only websites deemed to be educational educational or to have educational educational value After bedtime the internet is not accessible The College also uses the the web filter for the 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 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 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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