Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

As part of our ongoing commitment to keeping all students safe while using school technology, we think it is important that you are aware of how the school monitors the way students are using their Chromebooks.

Senso is the safeguarding and monitoring service we use through our Internet Service Provider, LGfL. Senso actively monitors and triages captures of what students search for, type, or input into all school devices and Chromebooks - including text entered into web browsers, documents and even design tools like Canva. If the system detects certain keywords, phrases or high-risk terms, it alerts the safeguarding team which could then lead to parents/ carers being informed. It is important that students therefore think carefully about what they are researching on the internet or typing on different documents.

Any language at all that could be related to the following will be raised as a concern with the school:

1. Substance Abuse & Illegal Drugs
2. Sexual Content
3. Pornography
4. Exploitation
5. Substance Abuse
6. Illegal Drugs
7. Bullying, Harassment & Cyberbullying
8. Violence
9. Weapons
10. Self-Harm
11. Mental Health
12. Suicide
13. Terrorism

Any abbreviations will also be flagged with the school. For example, if a student is typing ‘kms’ (kill myself), even when there is no risk as it is an expression used in some creative story writing, this would in itself trigger the safeguarding process for the student and parents/ carers would have to be informed and involved.

To help our pastoral and safeguarding teams protect against online harms, inappropriate content and potential risks, please could all parents/ carers have a conversation with their child at home about appropriate use of Chromebooks, the language they are using, use of AI and internet searches. School chrome books should be used for teaching and learning only please.

Guidance:

• Be mindful: Always think carefully about what you are searching for, typing or creating on school devices.
• Use devices responsibly: Remember that school Chromebooks and accounts are provided for your education and learning.
• Keep it appropriate: Ensure that all your online activity, searches, and documents remain strictly appropriate for school.

If you ever have any concerns about online safety, or if you need support, please speak to your Learning Manager, a form tutor, or a member of the safeguarding team.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community safe.

The Safeguarding Team