Google Suite for Education (GSfE)

William Law uses a service called Google Suite for Education, a service powered by Google that is used by millions of pupils and teachers worldwide. The service gives our children and staff access to tools to enhance learning.

What’s included in Google Suite?

• Gmail provides email storage with extra security including restricted incoming and outgoing email. Emails by pupils are restricted to within William Law ONLY. These email communications are monitored and recorded. Pupils will NOT be able to send and receive emails outside of  school.

• Google Docs lets pupils create and share documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings and forms. This also allows pupils to work collaboratively on projects simultaneously in real time. 

• Google Sites makes it easy to collect, share, and publish all types of content in a single website. Pupils will also be using sites to create portfolios of work.

• Google Video is also included for restricted video distribution, as well as other tools that can be added on to the William Law account.

What are the benefits of Google Suite and what’s included?

• Ease of access: Pupils can easily  access Google Suite from any browser (Google Chrome, IE, Firefox etc.) and on any computer or tablet. Within school they primarily access Google Suite through Chrome books.

• Online storage: Google take security of their service very seriously, access to GSfE is through encrypted tunnels to ensure no one else can access the data. All emails, Google drive files, and content are all fully encrypted within cloud storage.

• Collaboration between pupils from other classes, schools*, even different countries*, working together on group projects. (*carefully selected and teacher lead). During collaborative work teachers can monitor progress of each child and provide instant written feedback visible to the group or to the individual. This enhances teaching and learning and provides instant and accurate assessment.

• Online portfolios of work can be developed by pupils.

Within the William Law Google Suite service:

• There will be no advertisements.

• No external email addresses can contact pupil accounts and vice-versa (unless agreed by the ICT Coordinator eg: pen pals with other schools or password reset emails from carefully selected educational websites).

• All email communication and comments within collaborative work are monitored. This information will be used in conjunction with the behaviour policy.

• Work uploaded to Google Drive remains the property of the creator; it is not copied or kept by Google if it is removed by the creator.

User Access

Pupils will be shown how to use Google Suite within the Computing Curriculum as part of the e-safety modules. Pupils will be provided with unique usernames and passwords.  Pupils will follow school policies for appropriate use when using Google Suite. The service is an extension of the school’s own network. Pupils know that the school has the right and ability to monitor user accounts for policy and e-safety purposes as well as having the ability to remove access to some or all Google Suite apps.

Summary for Parents

Google Suite for Education is an essential part of the curriculum, for all subjects, and pupils without parental permission will be unable to participate in any lessons across the curriculum using Google Apps. All email communication is archived and the school’s Acceptable Use Policy will be enforced. School staff will monitor the use of Google Suite Apps when pupils are at school.  Pupils are responsible for their own behaviour at all times. Please do not hesitate in asking for more information about this service and how it will impact teaching, learning and communication.

Further information is also available at Google Suite for Education website: https://www.google.com/edu/