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You are in: HGfL eServices » eSafety » The Hertfordshire Grid for Learning Filtered Internet Service |
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The Hertfordshire Grid for Learning Filtered Internet Service
The HGfL has a very diverse group of users. We have Early Years children through to Sixth Form students accessing the service from Hertfordshire schools. The HGfL is also the Internet service supplied to children in Hertfordshire’s residential children’s homes and some children’s hospital wards. The many different types of teaching, caring and support staff at those sites also use the service. We need to ensure that all of these users have an appropriate, productive, enjoyable and, of paramount importance, a safe on-line experience. We have comprehensive advice on the full range of eSafety issues for children, teachers, carers and parents on published here:
2. Why have we changed to a new system?The old system served us well for 10 years but did restrict us to a “one size fits all” filtering policy. This wasn’t a significant issue in the early days but our diverse user base now has diverse needs and so a more flexible approach has become an imperative. The Fortinet system was introduced in January 2008 and schools were requested to change their browsers to the new settings during the Spring Term 2008. The old system was switched off on 31st March 2008 as the licence to use it was due to expire on 1st April.
3. How does the new system work?Fortinet automatically maintains a database of tens of millions of websites where each site is assigned to a particular category. You can see what those categories are on the Fortiguard web site: The new filtering system within the HGfL now has 5 different filtering policies which we call Web Factors (WF5 to WF1 … you can think of these like sun cream factors … the higher the factor the more filtering there is!) Each policy will allow the user to access certain categories of website and deny access to others. Now that we have five policies instead of one we aim to provide a more appropriate service to our all our diverse users.
4. How can my school/residential home use the different filtering policies?The central filtering policies (WF5 – WF1) are accessed through changes to your Internet browser settings. The technical details are explained in the document below. We strongly recommend that you discuss these issues with your ICT support provider before attempting to make any changes. Instructions for Accessing the 5 Central Web Filtering Policies on the HGfL (WF5 – WF1)
It is possible to assign a particular policy to a particular machine, (for example you may wish to have different policies for office and classroom machines), that policy will then apply to whoever uses that machine. It may also be possible to assign a particular policy to a particular user, (for example you may wish your children to have a different policy from your staff), and that policy will then apply to that user wherever he/she logs in. This latter approach will depend on the type of network which you have at your site and will not always be possible.
5. What are the differences between the available filtering policies?You can download this spreadsheet to see which categories of website are allowed and denied under each of our 5 different policies.
6. How do I report an inappropriate website that should be blocked but isn’t?You should first check that the HGfL is being accessed through an appropriate policy for the user concerned. Then please contact the NTL helpdesk (help@thegrid.org.uk or 0800 0521 386). It is best to do this by email because you can then cut and paste the address of the website in question. NTL will then ensure that the website is appropriately dealt with, usually within 8 working hours, and then inform you of the action they have taken. If there should be a disagreement between a user and NTL staff about the appropriate action to take in relation to a particular site NTL will refer the matter to Hertfordshire Local Authority staff. Please remember that NTL only implement these policies … the policies are actually “owned” by Hertfordshire Local Authority.
7. How do I request that a blocked website is made available?You should first check that the HGfL is being accessed through an appropriate policy for the user concerned. Then please note the advice on the “Access Denied” message which will be displayed when access to the site is attempted. If there should be a disagreement between school or residential home staff and NTL staff about the appropriate action to take in relation to a particular site NTL will refer the matter to Hertfordshire Local Authority. Please remember that NTL only implement these policies … the policies are actually “owned” by Hertfordshire Local Authority.
8. What should I do if I want my school/residential home to have access to the least restrictive policy (WF1)? UpdatedOur WF1 policy is the least restricted. Many categories of website which are unsuitable for our younger users are available under this policy (although pornographic, extremist and computer hacking sites will remain as denied). It is therefore important that Headteachers and other site leaders are aware that if their school or site has access to this policy their responsible staff are effectively sharing the risk management of the web filtering service with Hertfordshire LA and NTL. An application form requesting access to the WF1 policy can be downloaded below.
9. We have our own device which allows us to create different policies for our different users and which also logs their usage. Will this still work with the new central system?If, for example, you use RM SmartCache within your school you will be able to use it in conjunction with the new Fortinet filtering solution in the same way as you used it previously. The only difference will be that now you have a choice of filtering policies (WF5 – WF1) at which you can point your local device. For the greatest flexibility and integration between local filtering and the central HGfL filtering we would recommend the use of a Fortinet device located between your NTL supplied router and your main LAN switch. The flexibility this will provide does come at the cost of some technical complexity and so is only suitable where schools have suitably qualified staff to manage it. As these local devices are not part of the main HGfL service there is a cost for their supply, installation, maintenance and for training. Details of these local devices can be downloaded in this Word document.
10. Whom should I contact if I have concerns about the Internet filtering service?If you are concerned about any aspect of this service which cannot be resolved by the NTL Helpdesk please contact: Chris Seviour ICT Technical Adviser Tel: 01438 844809 |
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