NDA For Staff Before September

[Zammo]

Is there much in an AUP which isn't relevant to children though? Data protection and safeguarding come under different policies, so they AUP is more for things like "don't break the computers", "don't try and bypass the security", "don't access inappropriate materials or resources", "don't do any commercial work on them". I don't have an issue getting our Y11-13 students to sign those things, YMMV with the age of your students though, I'd forgotten you're at a middle school.

 

It depends on the school. I have just pulled this from a template AUP:

 

• I will not engage in on-line activity that compromises my professional responsibilities.• I will not use school IT systems for personal gain.• I understand that undertakings given in email are legally binding.

 

 

• I will only transport, hold or share personal information about myself or others, in line with theSchool Personal Data Policy.
  

 

Also as has been pointed out, AUPs very frequently point towards Codes of Conduct, Data Protection Policies, Staff Handbooks and other documents that students would not have seen nor agreed to

 

I think its fairly uncommon not to have separate staff and student AUPs

[enjay]

Yes. For example, a clause stating staff must lock their machines when away from them - children *can't* do that in our schools. Rules about taking photos of children on phones. Very specific to adults, as children aren't allowed phones. Rules about reporting e-safety breaches, different processes for staff and children. There's a LOT of difference between our AUPs. The child AUP is a single side of A4. The staff one is 3 pages.

 

Point taken, although it possibly depends what your other policies say. For example, not taking photos on personal phones is in our e-safety policy, locking machines (and classroom/office doors) is in the Data Protection policy.

[FN-GM]

Yes. For example, a clause stating staff must lock their machines when away from them - children *can't* do that in our schools.

 

I find this a little strange. Our trust taught children the importance of this as soon as they go an account. IE Primary level/

 

Rules about taking photos of children on phones. Very specific to adults, as children aren't allowed phones. Rules about reporting e-safety breaches, different processes for staff and children.

 

I wouldn't have thought this to be in an AUP?

[localzuk]

I find this a little strange. Our trust taught children the importance of this as soon as they go an account. IE Primary level/

 

Locking machines has always been a way of messing around in our schools when they could do it. It also means you end up with loads of children logged in to a single machine by the end of a day as they don't log out properly. So, locking is turned off for children.

I wouldn't have thought this to be in an AUP?

It ties in with the use of cameras, and Trust owned phones which is also covered. It would seem odd to say what you can do with these, but not mention not to use your own devices...

[enjay]

Locking machines has always been a way of messing around in our schools when they could do it. It also means you end up with loads of children logged in to a single machine by the end of a day as they don't log out properly. So, locking is turned off for children.

 

At my previous school, we had the IT Suite PCs scheduled to restart every night, worst case you would have 4 others students logged in by the end of the day, and the PCs seemed okay with that number. The older PCs in the Library struggled a bit more, but they probably had more users logged in too.

[karldenton]

Hi

thanks for everyone's input, sorry for the delay in updating.

 

After seeking legal advice and consulting internally I think we've come to some sort of agreement. This is that staff can have a temporary login for use in the holidays, no access from home, no MIS and no email, and ideally be supervised when in school in the holidays.

 

The issues we faced was that been a volunteer and signing an agreement, we couldn't say if you breached it you'd be in disciplinary as they were not technically employed, and you couldn't say if you breach it your start date might be in jeopardy as that wasn't an original condition of employment.

 

It really does seem to vary from schools who don't allow anything, to schools that allow them full access - and everything in between !

[Ditto]

Thanks for the update. That's an interesting point, that a breach as a volunteer would not leave you with many options with regards their legal contractual start date.

[DrBeaker]

Ours is an email from the Head approving the access. If anything happens it's their issue.

[enjay]

This is that staff can have a temporary login for use in the holidays, no access from home, no MIS and no email

 

Are they able to do any useful work under those restrictions? Are you sure staff aren't just bypassing this and emailing things to their personal accounts instead?