Online Security during COVID-19
Tuesday 31 March 2020
Since, in the current situation, more teachers are working remotely from home it wouldn’t be surprising if more and more become victims of phishing attacks. These can be very damaging, not just to the staff member who might share valuable personal data, but also to the school the individual works for, especially if the email is opened and handled on a school provided device.
These notes are aimed to help all members of school staff identify phishing emails and to provide advice about how they should be dealt with. Learn More.
Online Safety advice for parents during school closures
Monday 23 March 2020
There are huge benefits to be gained from the appropriate use of technology, and accessing learning resources whilst at home is a great example of this. However, parents (and teachers) need to be aware of the potential risks that go along with this. Learn more.
Supporting SEND during COVID-19: Free Resources
Monday 23 March 2020
The ICT Service SEND Team have put together a list of resources that have been made available for free during this challenging time. Learn more.
Supporting Distance Learning
Thursday 19 March 2020
If you are thinking of providing online, distance learning in case of school closures, we have put together some things to consider, top tips and details of some of the most commonly used online tools. Learn more.
Our support will continue throughout COVID-19 disruption
Tuesday 17 March 2020
We are working hard to ensure that we can continue to provide Telephone & Remote Support for our customers, whether ‘in school’ or delivering lessons remotely.
We already have staff who are self-isolating, so please do bear with us as we try to work through all of the tickets now logged in our system. You may find we are a little slower coming back to you but we are doing our very best to ensure we are there for you if you need us.
Our thoughts are with you all at this challenging time.
To reassure you, the current support mechanisms remain in place, so all school staff can continue to call us on 0300 300 0000 or email us at support@theictservice.org.uk.
You can use these details for ANY request, whether it’s sales, consultancy or support.
Provided our staff are themselves well enough to work, they will all be available across the board, this includes:
- Application Support to help your office staff using their MIS or Finance packages, and for general support issues such as resetting passwords or remote access.
- Technical Support to help you with technical ICT issues.
- Curriculum / Learning / SEN Support for help and assistance in your teaching and learning activities, and helping you with ideas for delivering lessons in the classroom or remotely.
As a final note: We know some schools are asking about using Curriculum (student) laptops for Staff. Our advice is NOT to do this. Not all laptops support the Windows 10 encryption, or at least not easily. Encryption would ONLY be necessary if staff plan on saving what could be personally identifiable information on those laptops. If all staff are being asked to do, for example, is to access Central Hosting, then this is not a concern.
