Head's Newsletter 14 December 2018

The Introduction of Chromebooks We are very grateful for the very significant parental support given in purchasing Chromebooks for Tiffin boys. Every boy in Years 7 to 10 now has their own Chromebook and this has had a very significant and positive impact on teaching and learning so far this term. I wanted to write to update you on the progress we have made as we have integrated the use of these devices into the everyday routine. General use: We have been very impressed by the way the boys have got into the routine of bringing their charged Chromebooks to school every day. Most boys are using their Chromebook every day in a variety of ways and the feedback from boys and teachers has been very positive. After a few teething problems the school's wireless network has performed very well and there have been very few connection problems recently. The batteries are also easily providing enough charge for a full day’s use. Filtering and Monitoring: The school has purchased software (GoGuardian) that filters and monitors the activities of all boys' Chromebooks at all times, both in school and at home (although the settings are slightly different). The filtering policies took longer to properly implement than we had initially hoped but have now been up and running since mid-October. Access is restricted to unsuitable sites, all 'extensions', 'incognito mode' and 'developer mode'. As the Chromebooks are intended to be work devices they also restrict access to most gaming websites. The list of banned sites is continually updated by our suppliers and Tiffin IT are also able to block/enable specific sites. However, no filtering technology is fully robust so we advise parents to keep an eye on what their sons are doing on their Chromebooks. They are encouraged to let Mr Ingall know if there is particular content that is accessible and should not be or vice versa. Homework: Last year it was possible for parents to access the homework set for their sons on Insight; however, this term homework has been set on Google Classroom. Although this has been a much more efficient system for staff and boys it has not been accessible to parents. It is now possible for parents to receive weekly or daily email summaries of the homework their son is being set. Parents who would find this helpful should email Chromebooks@tiffin.kingston.sch.uk and they will then be emailed an invitation to be a 'guardian in google classroom' within a couple of days and instructions on how to set this up. Parents should feel under no pressure to sign up for this but we are aware that it may be useful in some circumstances. Repairs: All boys have been issued with their own lockers, instructed to use these and told to take particular care of their Chromebooks. Although the numbers have been relatively small, perhaps inevitably some Chromebooks have been damaged. Frustratingly there are supply-chain issues with the replacement screens which have led to delays in repairing some Chromebooks. If a boy has a problem with his Chrome book he should take it to the IT office. IT will email parents asking for payment. Loss or Theft: If a Chromebook has been stolen, or left on public transport, IT support should be contacted as soon as possible so that the theft recovery tracking can be enabled – this locks and tracks the Chromebook but only when it is opened and an attempt is made to use it. If a reply is not received from ITsupport then Mr Ingall can also be contacted.