20th June 2006
BITC facilitates Anytime Anywhere Access with its Curriculum e-mail System
The managed service system for schools within Neath and Port Talbot County Borough Council includes an e-mail system specifically designed to cater for curriculum needs.

Schools have the facility to allocate all users an e-mail account. They can also create e-mail accounts for specific purposes - eg. projects or specialist groups such as the School Council. Users can also be given permission to access e-mails away from the school.

Children and staff can use e-mail to support and enhance teaching and learning. It can help children develop their reading and writing skills and it can help develop their knowledge of the wider community. Children learn how to send and receive e-mails and are taught to consider safe and appropriate use.

Use of e-mail can promote collaboration between schools and also promote links with organisations and outside agencies. Children can apply other skills learned when sending and receiving e-mails, for example, writing for different audiences and different purposes.

Communication between pupils and staff can be facilitated with homework being sent via e-mail. The ability to access e-mails away from the school is also extremely useful to all users. This can be done anywhere that provides an Internet connection, for example, any library within Neath and Port Talbot County Borough Council.

Pupils’ safety is paramount when using e-mail. We believe that pupils need to be taught safe and appropriate use of e-mail as soon as they start to communicate with others. Schools need a flexible e-mail system that can be changed easily depending on the nature of the activity.

The school can decide who users can send/receive e-mails from. There are five options:

• Mail to No One: When a school decides that it is currently not appropriate for the user to use the e-mail system.
• Mail to Staff: Users can only e-mail staff members in their school.
• Mail to School: Users can e-mail anyone in their school.
• Mail to NPT: Users can e-mail anyone in any of our family of schools.
• Mail to Anyone: Users can e-mail anyone in the world.

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