Access to computers and technology at Ocean Reef is an important aspect of our learning. Throughout the school, we have many desktop computers and iPads. With this in mind, teaching students to use them in line with our STAR expectations is important. 

Student access to the internet is provided to students once they and/or their Parent/Guardian (depending upon their age) complete an Acceptable User Policy. If students break the AUP the principal may take disciplinary action in accordance with the Department’s Student Behaviour Policy and Procedures.

While every reasonable effort is made by schools and the Department of Education to prevent student exposure to inappropriate online content when using the Department’s Online Services, it is not possible to completely eliminate the risk of such exposure.  The Department cannot filter internet content accessed by your child from home or from other locations away from the school.  The Department recommends the use of appropriate internet filtering software at home.

We are supported by the Department of Educations ICT support and online monitoring systems. To provide safe access online for students and staff using the Department’s internet service, we apply:

    • content filtering technologies
    • appropriate use policies
    • user education
    • local behaviour management strategies

In addition to the technical approach, the Student’s online policy has been developed. The policy assists principals and staff to put in place school-based processes and procedures. These protect and inform students and parents about their responsibilities for the appropriate use of our online services. Safe online behaviour is taught every year as part of the Digital Technologies curriculum.

THIRD-PARTY APPLICATIONS AND WEBSITES

As a school, we have been required to audit the services used at ORPS. This form lists the applications under a variety of categories and requires you to give consent for the different levels of risk. There is also a link where you can see all of the websites and applications that we use as a school and the reports completed by the Department of A list of the data that is provided to the vendors will be included in the information.  An explanation of the categories can be found below.

To explain further, Online Third-Party Services are provided to the school by a vendor, external to the Department of Education are free or paid services can include versions that may be downloaded onto staff and student devices.

These services provide functions such as:

  • school or student management
  • teacher administration
  • student learning content or activities
  • communication tools.

Online Third-Party Services may require:

  • students or teachers to create separate student accounts
  • students to participate in online activities or upload content
  • students or teachers to provide personal student and/or parent information

The Department has carried out a risk assessment on over 800 services and applications and still have many to go with new risk assessments are being added daily. For each service they have determined a level of risk-based upon the data that is collected, the security that the provider has in place, and the location of storage of the data, i.e. whether it is stored in Australia or overseas.

 

The services have been categorised into different levels:

Notification: The school is required to notify you, as a parent, that a service is being used within the school.

Bundled: These are deemed low risk and parents are asked to give a general consent for us to use the applications within the school.

Explicit consent – These are still low risk but there may be aspects of the services’ terms and conditions that require explicit consent from adults for their children.

In Progress: A review has been started, the vendor has communicated with the Department but the school cannot use it until the process is complete.

Do Not Use: There are three reasons a service may have this status, the data-security risk may be very high, the vendor requires the user to be 18+ or the vendor has not responded to the Department’s request for information to complete the risk assessment.

Detailed reports about the risk of each application or website can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12bTArTUe6tzdqxyVGEKxibvJPKxqqtYj?usp=sharing

Your permission will remain for the duration of your child’s enrolment at Ocean Reef Primary School although updates to the app and websites may require further permission from time to time.