Category: News

School staff, together with parents, teach children about the world we live in. That includes the time we spend online and the online activities we engage in. Young people mimic the adults they observe, whether they show positive or negative behaviours. Valuable life lessons about sharing, following the rules, and showing empathy, encourage positive behaviours in the children in our care.

It can be all too easy to get wrapped up in the teaching and learning of new skills, that we forget that the online world has it’s very own ‘netiquette’, a term coined to describe the rules of appropriate behaviour for people online.

Schools teach PHSE, cultural and spiritual values and ultimately, ethics. Teaching computing skills is only part of the curriculum. Teaching children and young people to respect privacy, the rights and freedoms of others and the digital ‘property’ of others, is as important as enabling them to use, access and secure their online world and digital reputation. As young people grow to adulthood, the ethics they learn whilst in our care, will help secure our collective digital futures, reduce the likelihood of them taking a path into cybercrime, and use their values to make their decisions.

Teaching the ten ‘commandments’ of computer ethics is a great place to start:

1. Do not use a computer to cause harm to others.

   If it is wrong to harm or destroy other people’s property in real life, then it is wrong to harm or destroy their computer files. Generating and consciously spreading viruses is incredibly damaging and causes significant disruption to others.

2. Do not share information that isn’t yours to share.

   Ask before posting any pictures online which include others and don’t share details about others online without their express permission.

3. Do not look around other people’s files or messages.

   Reading other people’s emails or private messages is the same as stealing paper documents. If you find you have access, be supportive and lock the device.

4. Do not use a computer to steal.

   Identity theft, fraud and hacking are illegal. Not knowing the victim, or attempting to steal from a company who it ‘won’t matter to’, is still very wrong.

5. Do not use a computer to spread lies or mis-information

   Spreading false information about people or events is wrong. Mis-information is common on social media and users shouldn’t share information unless they can verify it as accurate.

6. Do not use other peoples devices without permission.

   Devices have become part of our identity due to the amount of information about us they contain. Users should only use devices they are authorised to and they should follow any acceptable use agreements.

7. Do not log into a computer using another person’s ID or password.

   Hacking a system to bypass the authorisation is against the law.

8. Do not copy other people’s work.

   Intellectual property is a form of ownership and is protected by copyright laws. This includes copying large portions of information from internet websites as part of ‘research’. Always give appropriate credit and reference the original author.

9. Think about the consequences of what you write or message.

   When online, it is easy to behave in a way that is inappropriate. This includes bullying, sharing images without consent or illegal downloading. Think first.

10. Show consideration and respect for others.

    Just because you can’t see the people you are interacting with does not mean you can be rude to them.

When using a computer, all users should act with respect and treat others as they would want to be treated. If you are concerned about a young persons computer use, especially if they may be at risk of committing offences under the law, you can make a referral to Cyber choices,

The Cyber Choices programme, co-ordinated by the National Crime Agency, was created to help people make informed choices and to use their cyber skills in a legal way.

The aims of the programme are to:

*                   Explain the difference between legal and illegal cyber activity
*                   Encourage individuals to make informed choices in their use of technology
*                   Increase awareness of the Computer Misuse Act 1990
*                   Promote positive, legal cyber opportunities

Cyber Choices: Helping you choose the right and legal path – National Crime Agency

Following the recent DSL Forums Action for Children have produce updates which are now available on recent changes made to the Programme Pathway Service

They have designed a Flow Chart to help professionals capture and reflect on the behaviours and we have updated their Consultation Request Form.  As before, they require professionals to complete these forms and once assessed, they will be in touch to either offer a consultation, sign post or share resources.

They have now also created a Pathway Service email so any queries can be sent directly to them. This is to ensure professionals are not limited to get in touch during a specific duty slot, which should enable more flexibility in our communication and opportunities to support. The email address is included in the above documents but for information it is [email protected]

SWGfL and The Marie Collins Foundation have launched a brand new support service that is there to support professionals working with children and young people around tackling harmful sexual behaviour incidents, funded by the Home Office and in collaboration with the Department for Education.

The Harmful Sexual Behaviour support service has been provided in response to the concern of harmful sexual behaviour within schools. As well as this, to support professionals with advice and guidance around handling these types of incidents.

The Harmful Sexual Behaviour support service is there to support anyone in England who works with children and young people (in particular, professionals in a designated safeguarding position). If you work in a primary school, secondary school, college, early years setting or work within a wider safeguarding area (Police, social carers, health care professionals) then the service is available to you. If children within your care have been displaying or are affected by specific incidents of Harmful Sexual Behaviour, the support service can provide initial support and signpost to further resources and advice.

It is open from 8:00am to 8:00pm Monday to Friday. Those who need advice can either email on [email protected] or phone 0344 2250623.

You can find out more here: Harmful Sexual Behaviour Support Service

The UK Government has launched a new advice and support site to help keep children safe from sexual abuse. The site includes advice for parents and carers on spotting the signs of sexual abuse and speaking to your child about relationships and safety. It also signposts to sources of further support for children, adults and professionals including the NSPCC helpline and Childline. 

https://stopabusetogether.campaign.gov.uk/

Tip 1: Keep data protection alive in your school. Use a variety of methods- don’t just rely on training. Talk about it in meetings, send regular reminders, praise staff who get data protection right. We were really excited to hear that one of our schools uses a card where staff can complete data protection challenges, When the card is full, they get a chocolate prize! (and the school gets evidence of the compliance work done).

When it comes to training, make it interesting! Our Data Protection Officers deliver live training to schools, where there can be discussion and debate and delegates can ask questions. Does your school give staff the opportunity to think more deeply about what their obligations are, or do you just ask them to complete ‘click-through’ training without any further support?

Tip 2: Think of Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) in the same way that you think of school trip risk assessments. You wouldn’t write the risk assessment for a trip once you’ve already got on the school bus, so why commit to sharing data before doing a DPIA? The earlier you can consider data protection risks in a new project then the safer for your students it is likely to be.

Tip 3: Read vendor documentation. It is really important that school staff read vendor documentation before sharing pupil personal data. If you are sharing personal data then you should consider if a Data Sharing or Processing Agreement is needed. This will help protect you and your data subjects if there are any problems later on.

Tip 4: Think of your Data Breach log in the same way that you think about the Pupil Accident book- you need to log all the data ‘slips and trips’ as well as the more serious incidents. In the same way that you could identify a problem with a trip hazard in school if lots of pupils have minor accidents in the same area, you may also identify some data protection risks through minor or near-miss data breaches.

Tip 5: Make sure you are working to improve Records Management in your school. Records Management has really changed in schools over the past few years, particularly as many ways of working and record-keeping have changed due to the Covid pandemic.

Good records management is your ‘friend’ in data protection- it will help you to respond to Subject Access Requests (or Pupil Educational Record requests) as well as help to ensure that you are processing data lawfully. Make your Retention Policy work for you- set out where you are storing data (it may be on paper, on the cloud, or even with a Edtech vendor), how long you are storing data for and use it as an annual data disposal checklist.

There’s no such thing as a daft question. If you have any queries relating to data protection please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the GDPR for Schools team

Education Data Hub (EDH) wishes you a safe and happy Cyber Christmas.

For the resources mentioned in our 12 days, check out our website here

Derbyshire County Council’s Cyber Support Service @ Education Data Hub held their first national virtual event ‘Cyber on a Shoestring’ on December 7^th 2021, bringing together experts on cyber security and online safety and tailored specifically to the education sector.

The whole-day event was started with an inspiring speech by Councillor Alex Dale who, as Cabinet Member for Education, reminded us all of the effects of the pandemic on our young children, and, in this ever-increasing digital world, how important it is that we are all aware of the need for cyber security and online safety, not just in schools, but within the home too.  This became apparent, in the many speakers that followed as expert after expert delivered consistent messages and signposted those who attended to a host of free help and resources that are already out there and readily available for nurseries, schools, colleges, and indeed parents to access.

The day featured 18 speakers, ranging from the Department for Education, through to crisis response teams, a children’s author, and most everything in between. They represented the broad spectrum that is cyber security and online safety for the education sector, which really made for a stand-out event.

Almost 900 education settings were reached during the day, which demonstrated just how much events like these are required in the ever changing digital world our children find themselves growing up in.  The feedback from those who attended, and indeed the speakers, has been overwhelmingly positive:

“Huge amount of great support and signposting to further guidance and help. Thank you to all who contributed.”

“We have no training, or back up tech staff to support us, when I think of cyber security I freeze in fear.  I only really saw the afternoon, but I have learnt so much & have been able to identify starting points & resources to make it a little more manageable.  I might begin to make some progress now.”

“I listened in to the three or four presentations before me and you guys scared up some really good stuff that should be extremely useful to your audience, so well done. Brilliant.”

For more information about the speakers featured in Cyber on a Shoestring, to receive a copy of the slides from the day, or to enquire how the cyber support team can help your setting, please contact the Education Data Hub at [email protected]

If you are an IT Support, Service, or Solution Provider to schools, we would like to invite you to a virtual round table on Tuesday 14^th December 5.00pm – 6.30pm.

This roundtable is designed to bring suppliers together to discuss the challenges of working in and around schools and the security and privacy issues that impact the education sector, with input from the DfE and the Police.

This is also a chance for you to learn more about national projects, advise us of any concerns you may have and to discuss how we can work with you to ensure children are kept safe in a digital world.

This virtual round table is designed to be supportive, informative, and collaborative. We want to hear your views.

Draft Agenda:

• Derbyshire’s work with the DfE and National Cyber Security Centre
• Updates on the government view of security in schools and future frameworks/legislative changes
• Your experiences in schools, any concerns you may have and removing any barriers you feel are affecting your provision
• An update from our regional Cyber Protect Officer, around the current threats and security landscape
• How vendors and suppliers can meet data protection requirements
• How suppliers can work with the police to improve their own provision and security to schools

Book your free ticket via Eventbrite.

Education Data Hub, as part of Derbyshire County Council, are committed to working with all IT suppliers and support staff, in order to get the best quality services for schools.

Cyber on a Shoestring  – THE Cyber Event of the Year

On December 7^th, Derbyshire County Council’s Education Data Hub service will be hosting what promises to be one of the largest educational, cyber security, and online safety events of the year – ‘Cyber on a Shoestring’.

Working with the National Cyber Security Centre, the Department for Education, Police Cyber Resilience Centres and industry leads such as IASME, SWGfL, and the U.K. Safer Internet Centre, we will be showing schools, colleges, academies, and nurseries that effective online safety and cyber security need not cost the earth…

“It’s not the money you spend… it’s the actions you take”

This last year has seen an unprecedented rise in the number of cyber-attacks within local authorities, public and the private sector.  Hackers don’t discriminate as to who they target and schools and nurseries are seen as particularly vulnerable, leading to the loss, theft or wrongful sharing of sensitive data.

Digital safeguarding is one of the largest concerns facing schools and nurseries right now, all the more so, when we consider the rise in remote and virtual working following the Covid 19 pandemic.

Cyber on a Shoestring is free of charge and promises to help you access free resources to safeguard and protect your setting.

Places are limited – please click here to book your place via Eventbrite.

Please see our finalised agenda below – I think you’ll agree we have some amazing speakers for the day.