Supervision of IT rooms?

[grumpy_git]

Hi all

 

This one has reared its head recently. Basically, school policy is such that students up to yr11 aren't allowed in any 'specialist' room unsupervised - including IT rooms as well as CDT workshops, science labs etc. Generally kids and students alike adhere to this - whilst they're not a difficult bunch, it's far better for them to be supervised. There are some areas where there are computers for "ad hoc" usage - eg the library - but that is supervised by librarians and there's always a duty member of teaching staff.

 

Now the problem occurs with a specific department who book an IT room for a coursework lesson and proceed to work in their normal room, but send about 2/3rds of the kids to the booked IT room to do "individual research" etc. Several times I've walked in and they've been messing around, came across one kid who was swinging a hockey stick round his head not far from a brand new (and very expensive) projector . Of late, I've taken to informing the SMT member who oversees IT by email each time it happens, who persistently badgers to the HoD over it.

 

Really, I shouldn't be bothered - if something happened to the kids whilst they were in a room unsupervised, the teacher who sent them there would be the one getting a rollocking, so it's not that I'm concerned to cover my own back or anything; but I don't see why kids (and staff!) should be allowed to break the rules in such an obvious fashion. The room is noticably in a worse state after they've finished with it (we have it well drilled into the staff to not let a class leave without tidying stools up, clearing waste paper etc off the benches), and with no supervision only a matter of time before some kit gets damaged?

 

What is everyone else's policy - can kids go in IT rooms unsupervised, do they have to have a teacher there, am I making a mountain out of a molehill...?!

[maniac]

What is everyone else's policy - can kids go in IT rooms unsupervised, do they have to have a teacher there, am I making a mountain out of a molehill...?!

 

ICT rooms here are locked all the time and the only people with keys are us, and the ICT teachers. If a teacher books a room, they have to see us to unlock it for them, and student's won't be let into the room by us unless a member of staff is present.

[WithoutMotive]

Here, no one is allowed in the IT rooms without supervision. If a teacher sends kids to one of the rooms there must be a teacher in there with a class who has "spare" computers. If there is no teacher present, the kids are sent back to their normal class.

[penfold]

Same as above. One thing I do is kick kids out if there is no teacher present (for example kids supposedly doing some homework during lunch without supervision) Even though I was never told I could do this, if it is respsonsibility to ensure all equipment is available for the whole school, if someone messes around (ie swining a hockey stick) they aren't allowed to use the computers.

[dirtydog]

our rooms are generally open for use but it can cause trouble sometimes with noise/general messing around!

[TimTech]

We keep al IT rooms locked unless a member of staff is there to supervise:cool:

[leco]

Here pupils are not allowed into the IT suite unless an adult is present. What annoys me is the assumption by a teacher that I am here so its OK to send pupils. No I am not here to supervise half your class if I don't know about it.

 

I also have pupils telling me that they have been given permission to be in the suite unsupervised. Wrong, no they haven't and I turf them out.

[firefox_2006]

Hi

 

This can be a problem at our school, our head of drama does not have a teaching room and alternates between teaching drama in the ICT room outside our office (great!) and the drama/lecture theatre. How he manages to be in two places at once is beyond me. I have had instances where new/supply teachers send the most obviously devious of kids down to our ICT room to do "coursework", when they land up on games/hotmail.

 

I go down to the Head of IT's room at lunch and he has a class full on games, (his idea) and if they come down to our room we just reject them. Its the same old thing though, if its not enforced across the board then what is the point? Like many rules are just neglected by some teachers. SMT/Head needs to enforce the rules more.

[grumpy_git]

Thanks for the replies . The problem mainly occurs with this one department, who indeed send the difficult kids along! Other staff are far better at it, and will insist on the class waiting outside before bringing them in - or meeting the class at the usual teaching room before taking them accross.

 

Locking the rooms would be great, but there are a couple of staff offices off them, as well as ours which people need to get to.

 

Think I'll just have to keep on badgering SMT about it when it happens in the hope that they'll get sick of it and do something! However the subject area is getting improved computing facilities in its rooms, so that may help somewhat.

 

Cheers for the replies again!

[enjay]

The IT rooms can't be locked, as they are the through-route to Art and Music, however students are not allowed in there unsupervised. Teachers with nearby rooms will sometimes split a class between classroom and IT Suite, but are very good a darting between the two.

 

If a teacher is already in a room, then another teacher can ask them if they would mind some company, however the teacher with the room booked is entirely welcome to say no. These extra students would have to work very quietly, and at the first sign of "excitement" would get kicked back to class. Alternatively, students are sent to ask the Librarian if they can work there, again with the possibility of being told no.

 

As for the kid with the hockey stick, I would be seeking a detention for that - the risk of damage to property and people alike is unacceptable.

[Jamman960]

I know of one school where one of the subject's IT rooms were routinely left open for pupils at lunch times and know one could be bothered to supervise it... the result was a room full of broken computers, no mice and lots of damaged keyboards. I think they have now started locking the rooms and installed CCTV but it really shouldn’t have been allowed to happen in the first place.

 

Where I'm working now theres no danger of pupils causing damage but we still don't allow any pupils to use the room without an adult present.

[BaccyNet]

Most of the time our IT labs are locked, but there have been a number of times where students are left in a room over lunch as they are 'trustworthy' and 'doing homework'.

 

Usually if we remeber or hear anyone in either lab next to us, they get turfed out unless a member of staff is watching them. We do have staff letting the kids back in again though as loads have keys to the rooms:rolleyes:

[Steven_Cleaver]

Here we do not allow students in ICT rooms without staff, if we find students in a room unsupervised we turf them out. If you keep to it and all staff know this it usually works where I have had a problem with pupils told by a teacher to goto an IT room unsupervised I send them back and have a quiet workdwith the member of staff usually works.