School internet use

Dan Perry made this Freedom of Information request to Norfolk County Council

The request was successful.

From: Dan Perry

24 November 2009

Dear Freedom of Information Officer,

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. In order to assist you with this request, I
am outlining my query as specifically as possible.

For the following questions I would like the figures for both
primary schools and secondary schools:

1) Does the County Council offer internet censoring software to
schools in Norfolk?

2) If yes, what is the name of the software and how many schools
use it?

3) How many schools have decided to use their own internet
censorship software?

4) Have any schools opted not to censor/filter their internet
access at all? How many have made this decision?

5) How many incidents have there been in which pupils/students at
primary and secondary schools have managed to breach the internet
filters and view inappropriate (violent/pornographic etc.) material
in the past five years? Pleae could you provide me with the dates
and details of these breaches.

I would be interested in any information held by your organisation
regarding my request. I understand that I do not have to specify
particular files or documents and that it is the department’s
responsibility to provide the information I require.

If my request is denied in whole or in part, I ask that you justify
all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act. I
will also expect you to release all non-exempt material. I reserve
the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to
charge excessive fees.

I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing/by email that
you have received this request. I look forward to your response
within 20 working days, as outlined by the statute.

Regards,

Dan Perry

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From: FOI
Norfolk County Council

24 November 2009

Dear Mr Perry

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request, received by us on 24
November.

Our twenty working day deadline for your request is 22 December and we
aim to respond as soon as possible within the time period.

You will be informed in advance if there is a charge for supplying
copies of the information. We will also provide an explanation if any
information is not released to you. If the requested information
contains references to any third parties, we may need to consult with
them before deciding whether or not to release the information.

Should you have any queries regarding your request, please feel free to
contact us at [Norfolk County Council request email] .

Yours sincerely

Matthew Smith
FOI and DP Assistant
Corporate Freedom of Information and Data Protection Unit
Norfolk County Council

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From: Sharp, Deirdre
Norfolk County Council

7 December 2009

Dear Mr Perry
Freedom of Information Act 2000
I refer to your request for information dated 24th November 2009.
In accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
we have now processed your request.
Our response is set out below:
1) Does the County Council offer internet censoring software to schools in
Norfolk?
Response: Yes
2) If yes, what is the name of the software and how many school use it?
Response:
Centralised Bluecoat appliances with school based filtering caches
Securus e - safety network monitoring
Used at approximately 440 sites
3) How many schools have decided to use their own internet censorship
software?
Response: Approximately 10
4) Have any schools opted not to censor / filter their internet access at
all? How many have made this decision?
Response: No, none
5) How many incidents have there been in which pupils / students at
primary and secondary schools have managed to breach the internet filters
and view inappropriate (violent/pornographic etc..) material in the past 5
years? Please could you provide me with dates and details of those
breaches.

Response: Norfolk County Council only holds data from November 2007, see
below:

Date Type of School What was accessed
12/11/2007 Primary Pornography
13/11/2007 Primary Pornography
16/11/2007 Primary Pornography
17/01/2008 Primary Pornography
18/01/2008 Primary Indecent pictures
25/01/2008 Secondary Indecent pictures
31/01/2008 Primary Pornography
31/01/2008 Secondary Pornography
05/02/2008 Primary Pornography
07/02/2008 Secondary Indecent pictures
18/02/2008 Primary Pornography
27/02/2008 Primary Pornography
15/04/2008 Primary Indecent pictures
20/05/2008 Secondary Pornography
17/07/2008 Secondary Pornography
10/12/2008 Primary Indecent pictures
23/01/2009 Primary Indecent pictures
11/02/2009 Primary Indecent pictures
12/02/2009 Primary Indecent pictures
03/03/2009 Primary Indecent pictures
23/03/2009 Secondary Pornography
01/04/2009 Primary Indecent pictures
16/06/2009 Secondary Pornography
25/09/2009 Primary Indecent pictures
04/11/2009 Primary Indecent pictures

I am sending following statement by a spokesman for the Council for your
further information:
"We have around 30,000 computers being used in Norfolk's schools on any
given day, with around 180,000 children having access to educational
internet services.

"Twenty-five children over the last two years have been able to view at
worst part of a website, but mostly a word, phrase or thumbnail image,
whether intentionally or inadvertently.

"Clearly we would like this figure to be nil, and have a range of internet
security systems in place in trying to achieve this aim.

"As well as providing technical solutions, we also do a large amount of
work with schools, to educate staff, governors and pupils on the
importance of e-safety and appropriate use of the internet.

"Ultimately we want schools to be able to use the internet for learning
purposes. The alternative would be to simply allow schools to use a
limited number of known and named websites, but we feel this would stifle
both teaching and learning, to the detriment of Norfolk's schools.

"With so many new sites constantly being created, no internet security
system can provide a 100% safeguard, but our systems are in place to spot
and act upon inappropriate sites, and twenty-five instances in two years -
given the 30,000 computers being used daily in schools, shows that in the
largest majority of cases, the system works robustly.

"We are not complacent though, and will continue to monitor our systems in
order to ensure we are using the most effective technology possible."

You may also find our response to a similar request of interest, see:
[1]http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/user/mrs_f...

I believe that our response meets the requirements of your request, but if
you are dissatisfied with it or with our handling of your request, you
have the right of appeal through the Council's internal complaints
procedure by setting out the grounds of your appeal in writing to the
Freedom of Information Officer at:

Freedom of Information & Data Protection Unit
The Archive Centre
Martineau Lane
Norwich NR1 2DQ

e-mail: [2][Norfolk County Council request email]
Telephone: 01603 222661

If you are dissatisfied after pursuing the complaints procedure, you may
apply to the Information Commissioner under Section 50 of the Act for a
decision whether your request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of Part I of the Act. Contact details as
follows:-

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Telephone 01625 545 700
[3]www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

Deirdre Sharp

Norfolk County Council - a four star authority.

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References

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2. mailto:[Norfolk County Council request email]
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