Technology at The Levels School
Currently, The Levels School is operating a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy for technology. We recognise that it's important for students to be able to use assistive technology with which they are comfortable and which they find helpful, so we invite them to bring a laptop or tablet from home to support in lessons. As per the mobile phone use on site, outlined below, students are not permitted to bring mobile phones to school.
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Use of assistive technology to support special educational needs is personalised to each individual, based on what the individual student finds helpful. The Levels School is committed to supporting students through assistive technology, which we achieve with our partnership with SEND Group International Limited and FPMIT Glastonbury. Some of the ways we may use assistive technology are outlined below.
Assistive Technology
Speech to Text Software
For students who are able to give strong verbal answers but struggle to put things into writing, we encourage the use of speech to text software in lessons and with completion of assessments.
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Office 365's integrated and powerful speech to text software is highly accurate and edits live, enabling students to focus on the content of their work.
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Specialist software can also be used to provide transcripts of conversations. This is particularly useful in supporting students who struggle with working memory, auditory processing or hearing.
Mobile Phone Use
Students
Pupils are not permitted to bring their mobile phone to school, unless there is a clear therapeutic case for them to do so or they are to attend a school trip. In the event of possible therapeutic need, the Head Teacher, Head of Therapy and SENDCo will make a case-by-case decision.
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If a child is found to have brought their phone to school against this rule, the phone will be confiscated and handed into the school office, where it will be held until the end of day. Collection of the phone will be signed by the student’s adult family member when it is taken from the school office. As per our Behaviour Policy, a meeting with the student’s family member will be conducted within the same day of the confiscation to discuss the presence of the phone on site and to ensure that home supports the school’s policy around mobile phone use by students.
Parents, Visitors & Volunteers
Parents, visitors and volunteers (including governors and contractors) must adhere to our Digital Safety Policy, which states that:
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They must not take pictures or recordings of pupils, unless it is a public event (such as a school fair), or of their own child.
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Any photographs or recordings taken must be for personal use only, and not posted on social media without consent.
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Phones should not be used in lessons or when working with pupils.
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The school accepts no responsibility for mobile phones that are lost, damaged or stolen on school premises or transport, during school visits or trips, or while pupils are travelling to and from school.
