NIS MISSION STATEMENT
Nefertari International School provides its students with quality education, qualified teachers and challenging programs of international education while maintaining their cultural identity as Egyptians. NIS is committed to empower its students with the skills, technology and knowledge to meet the requirements of college and career. We strive to create a disciplined, safe, happy and caring atmosphere that encourages students to be responsible, confident, compassionate, and well-informed citizens who contribute to the local and international community.
We Strive For Excellence
NIS VISION STATEMENT
Striving for Excellence by setting high levels of expectations for students and staff performance.
NIS CORE VALUES
- Responsibility; understanding rights and duties.
- Respect
- Honesty
- Compassion
- Ambition
NIS PHILOSOPHY
- ACHIEVEMENT: We are ambitious. We set high standards for all students and staff. We help people transform their lives through education, experience, support and inspiration.
- INCLUSION: We are open, welcoming, supportive and fair to all school community members.
- EXCELLENCE: We aim for excellence in all our teaching, learning and assessment, and across our campus and facilities.
- FOCUS: We are professional and purposeful working towards our shared strategic goals and managing our resources well.
- INTEGRITY: We work to uphold our values in our planning and decision-making, our teaching and learning, our actions and relationships.
We aim to be fair, open, honest and to treat all with respect.
NIS GRADUATE PROFILE
CHILD PROTECTION & SAFEGUARDING POLICY
POLICY STATEMENT
NIS is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for its entire staff and students with special care for the early childhood years. NIS follows the Egyptian Child Law no.12 for the year 1996 revised and amended in the 2014 Egyptian Constitution, article 80.
PURPOSE OF POLICY
The purpose of the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy is to provide a secure framework for the workforce in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of those pupils who attend our school. The policy aims to:
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- reduce the risk of abuse occurring, and to ensure that a caring and appropriate response is taken should abuse occur.
- ensure that all our pupils are safe and protected from harm.
- ensure all other school policies are in place to enable pupils to feel safe and adopt safe practices.
- ensure that all staff, pupils, governors, and parents are aware of the expected procedures for safety.
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CHILD SAFEGUARDING MANAGEMENT TEAM
This management team is to help ensure that the necessary steps are taken in response to any allegation. (According to the 2018 protocol for international schools on child abuse) This team includes:
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- Team Coordinator and school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), also known as Child Protection Officer (School Counselor)
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- The School Principal
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- A representative from the school’s governing body
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- A human resource professional
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- A legal advisor
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- A representative from the local community
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DEFINITIONS:
1. Child: any person under the age of 18.
2. Child PROTECTION: a child in need of protection is a child who is at risk or likely suffer any harm or threat from a person or persons or organization.
3. ABUSE: Can consist of one or more of the following:
A) PHYSICAL ABUSE is any non-accidental physical assault or injury resulting from practices such as: Hitting, punching, kicking, burning (irons, cigarettes), biting, or pulling out hair.
B) SEXUAL ABUSE is any threat or sexual act performed upon another person. It occurs when a person uses his power and authority to take advantage of another’s trust to involve them in sexual activity. It does not necessarily involve genital contact but is any act which erodes the sexual boundary between two persons. It may appear consensual but the validity of consent is negated by the difference of power.
C) EMOTIONAL ABUSE: is the chronic attitude or behavior of one person, which is directed at another person, or the creation of an emotional environment which erodes a child’s development, self-esteem and social confidence over time. Behaviors may include: devaluing, ignoring, rejecting, corrupting, isolating, terrorizing or chronic and extreme domestic violence in the child’s presence.
D) NEGLECT: is characterized by the failure to provide for the child’s basic needs which jeopardizes or impairs a person’s development.
4. BULLYING: is the repeated use of any written, verbal, or electronic expression and/or any physical act or gesture against a student.
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- It causes physical or emotional harm to the targeted student or damage to his property.
- It places the targeted student in reasonable fear of harm
- It creates a hostile environment at school for the student
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5. E-SAFETY/INTERNET ABUSE/CYBER BULLYING:
Online safety means acting and staying safe when using digital technologies and social media. It is wider than simply internet technology and includes electronic communication via text messages, social media and apps, and using games consoles through any digital device. In all cases, in school and elsewhere, it is a paramount concern.
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- Content Risks: the child or young person is exposed to harmful material.
- Contact Risks: the child or young person participates in adult initiated online activity.
- Conduct Risks: the child or young person is a perpetrator or victim in peer-to-peer exchange.
- Commercial Risks: the child or young person is exposed to inappropriate commercial advertising, marketing schemes or hidden costs.
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The school has a responsibility to ensure that there is a reduced risk of pupils accessing harmful and inappropriate digital content. It should be energetic in teaching pupils how to act responsibly and keep themselves safe. As a result, pupils should have a clear understanding of online safety issues and, individually, be able to demonstrate what a positive digital footprint might look like.
Safeguarding and promoting pupils’ welfare around digital technology is the responsibility of everyone who comes into contact with the pupils in the school or on school-organized activities.
PROCEDURES TO KEEP A SAFE ENVIRONMENT
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- Establishing and maintaining an ethos, understood by all staff, which enables children to feel secure and encourages them to talk, knowing that they will be listened to.
- Liaising and working together with all other support services and those agencies involved in the safeguarding of children. (Safe Kid)
- Performing regular assemblies to talk about bullying and reinforcing positive behavior. Ant- bullying themes and workshops and campaigns are regularly conducted.
- Following a rigorous drop off and pick up routine to facilitate safety.
- Fixed cameras CCTV in all floors, gates, corridors, playgrounds in order to investigate any allegations.
- The presence of support staff consisting of nannies in front of every bathroom, a minimum of 3 matrons on each floor as well as coordinators.
- Staff are advised never to be alone with a child in closed doors.
- Physical contact of any kind is not encouraged.
- Adults and children are expected to respect each other’s privacy during activities that require undressing, dressing or changing.
- Bus matrons accompany young students to and from classrooms.
- Bus matrons are assigned in every bus round during morning and afternoon trips.
- Teachers are given different duties ranging from break, bus and gate shifts to monitoring students.
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VISITORS TO SCHOOL
Visitors to school, such as parents and extracurricular activities trainers, should:
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- be met or directed by school staff
- be restricted from accessing specific areas of the school
- be identified with visitor pass cards
- be restricted from having access to students unless for the purpose of the visit.
All extracurricular activities trainers require police clearance before being employed.
REPORTING PROCEDURES
Should any faculty, staff or support staff member observes any signs or symptoms of possible abuse,
he/she must report this immediately to the Stage Headmistress who will accordingly inform the School
Counselor and the Child Protection Team Coordinator.
ALLEGATIONS:
A) Student Allegation:
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- Student reporting student
- Student reporting student
- Student reporting teacher/staff
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B) Teacher/Staff Allegation:
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- Teacher reporting witnessed or observed signs of abuse on a child
- Teacher reporting a student
- Teacher reporting a colleague
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C) Parent Allegation:
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- Parent reporting student
- Parent reporting staff
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IF THE TEACHER OBSERVES ANY SIGNS OR SYMPTOMS OF POSSIBLE ABUSE, HE/SHE SHOULD
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- stay calm and listen carefully reassuring the child that she/he has done the right thing by reporting the incident;
- not investigate or ask leading questions to the student.
- not promise to keep what they have been told a secret.
- report the incident in written to the headmistress as soon as possible whilst information is still fresh in her/his mind.
- Write exactly what the child has told her/him. The teacher should be precise and accurate.
- quote the actual words used by the child – show these as “direct speech”.
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THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SHOULD
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- be informed of the incident and all the investigations done by all parties involved in the incident.
- arrange a meeting with all parties involved.
- consider the rights of all parties for a fair and equal process of investigation.
- ensure that the appropriate disciplinary and preventive procedures are followed, based on the outcome of the investigation.
- inform the Head of School of the incident and the decisions taken and, if needed, the Head of School could be summoned.
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MAINTAINING CONFIDENTIALITY
Any disclosures by a Child, reports of suspected abuse and all details of the subsequent investigation will be documented promptly and the documents will be held in a secure location where a breach of privacy cannot occur. All school community and parents are aware of the school’s legal responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our pupils.
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
A Global Citizen is someone who is aware of and understands the wider world and his/her place in it. He/she takes an active role in his/her community and works with others to make the planet more peaceful, sustainable and fairer.
NIS Global Citizenship Definition focuses on educating its students to develop empathy, respect and understanding of others’ perspectives, views, cultures and global interdependence. “We are not alone in this world”
Global Citizenship is about the belief that we can all make a difference. It shows young people that they have a voice. The world may be changing fast, but they can make a positive difference and help build a fairer, safer and more secure world for everyone.
The education for Global Citizenship includes participating and celebrating local and global activities and events, respect of cultural differences and language diversities. This is reflected in Student and Teacher Exchange Programs with Denmark and Germany, MUN and community services.
Intercultural education is embedded in the curricular contents and practices of learning in Political Sciences, World History, World Geography, Literature, Arts, Music, Economics, Business, Sciences and Foreign Languages, etc.
Students are exposed to knowledge of the different political systems, economic systems, and international business practices to understand and accept diversities. World Literature introduces diversity through appreciating different genre, literary periods, fiction and nonfiction. Teaching and learning of World History and civilizations; ancient and contemporary, enhances the student’s awareness, respect, analysis and evaluation of historical events. Global warming, recycling, deforestation, water resources are embedded areas in the science curriculum to equip students with scientific knowledge required to the realization that “we are not alone in this world”.
NIS Mission Statement indicates the importance of maintaining the Egyptian Identity which does not conflict with global citizenship but rather strengthens it.
QUALITY OF EDUCATION
NIS is committed to providing challenging teaching and learning opportunities to motivate its students to develop, grow and learn to be responsible, well informed and engaged member of local and international communities.
NIS recognizes the role of its staff and faculty in providing high quality education and learning outcome. Thus, the school is committed to providing qualified teachers and empowering them with continuous professional development.
<span”>NIS distinguishes 5 dimensions to meet the required quality of education:
- Provide a healthy, safe and stimulating teaching and learning environment which encourages active participation of all school members.
- Provide a balanced and purposeful curriculum which meets the needs of students and the learning outcome aspired.
- Employ positive and effective policies and practices to achieve the teaching and learning outcomes.
- Apply and update teaching and learning approaches to align with the best practices in education that ultimately reflect on students’ learning outcome.
- Provide and update resources needed for teaching and learning practices.
DEFINITION OF DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
DEFINITION
Digital Citizenship is being able to think critically and make ethical choices about the content and impact on oneself, others, and one’s community of what one sees, says, and produces with media, devices, and technologies in online environments.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
NIS aims to embed a digital learning culture, with clear policies and guidelines in line with our Guiding Statements, which provides guidance to faculty, staff, students and parents about what constitutes a safe, respectful and caring environment where technologies are used smartly, safely and responsibly for learning and communicating.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND FRAMEWORK (Safe, Savvy and Social)
Three guiding principles classify the foundational Digital Citizenship in NIS.
These guidelines support, as well as reinforce the themes of digital citizenship implemented in the curriculum and practices.
- Safety: Focuses on protecting yourself and protecting others from any danger, risk or injury. It constitutes the base of digital citizenship.
PROTECT YOURSELF/PROTECT OTHERS
- Savvy: Focuses on the concepts around educating yourself and connecting with others. These concepts build upon the concepts of Safety. It aims at creating an educated digital citizen; wisdom and practical knowledge; the understanding to make good judgment
EDUCATE YOURSELF/EDUCATE OTHERS
- Social guiding principle commits to helping everyone make decisions exemplifying our commitment to
respect ourselves and respect others. It is here that we fully realize the possibilities of the online experience. It aims at teaching how to Respect yourself as a Digital Citizen, create cooperative and interdependent relationships and understanding of others.
RESPECT YOURSELF/RESPECT OTHERS
IMPLEMENTATION
There are 9 elements of Digital Citizenship concepts and practices for internet access and use for all staff and students.
The nine elements are as follows
- Digital Security (DS): electronic precautions to guarantee safety
- Students, faculty and staff will implement correct procedures for ‘Bring Your Own Devices’ including virus checks on USBs.
- The school will ensure that staff, students and parents are made aware of the importance of monitoring one’s own ‘Digital Footprint.’
- Privacy of students, parents, faculty and staff and other users must be recognized and respected at all times.
- All students and faculty and staff at our school will have internet and email access. All students, faculty, staff and parents will have their own password protected LMS account and log on. Such access is a privilege that infers responsibility including for clearing their mailboxes regularly, and not simply a right to be expected.
- Digital Rights & Responsibilities (DRR): Freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world
- Privacy of students, parents, faculty and staff and other users must be recognized and respected at all times.
- The Students, Parents and Staff sign an acknowledgement form to ensure that information published on the Internet by students, parents or the school is of a high standard, and meets legal requirements and standards of general practice within the community in relation to safety and decency.
- All students shall be responsible for notifying their teacher of any inappropriate material so that access can be blocked.
- All Faculty and Staff shall be responsible for notifying the LMS Coordinator, the Headmistress or the IT Department of any inappropriate material so that access can be blocked.
- Digital Health and Wellness (DHW): Physical and psychological wellbeing in a digital technology world
- Digital Access (DA): Full electronic participation in society
- The school will provide access to Internet for students under the supervision of the teacher.
- The students will have access to the World Wide Web (WWW) under the supervision of their teachers and the IT Department and ONLY have access to sites that are considered to be of an educational nature.
- The school’s LMS Coordinator will liaise with Classera Coordinator all students’, faculty’s, parents’ and staff’s access, and with Emo Soft the maintenance of the school’s web site. The IT Department will be responsible for web filters, and all other issues related to internet access by students.
- Guidelines on access rights will be defined for different user levels. Restricted access shall be available to guest users for specific purposes only.
- It is expected that all staff will make use of all technology available in the school to support student learning in a contemporary era.
- The school will ensure where possible that it provides up-to-date facilities.
- Digital commerce (DC): Electronic buying and selling of goods.
- Digital Communication (DCo): electronic exchange of information
- Consequences of publishing, accessing or failing to notify the LMS Coordinator, the Headmistress or the IT Department of inappropriate material shall be dealt with by the Headmistress.
- The school will ensure that adequate Cyber safety training is offered to staff, parents and students
- Digital Etiquette (DE): electronic standards of conduct and procedure.
- Digital Literacy(DLi): process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology
- NIS actively supports access by students to the widest variety of information resources available, accompanied by the development of the skills necessary to filter, analyze, interpret and evaluate information encountered.
- Digital Law (DLa): electronic responsibility for actions and deeds
- Faculty, Staff and Students will adhere to copyright laws in the use of information and images online.
- The Students, Parents and Staff sign an acknowledgement form to ensure that information published on the Internet by students, parents or the school is of a high standard, and meets legal requirements and standards of general practice within the community in relation to safety and decency.
- All students shall be responsible for notifying their teacher of any inappropriate
material so that access can be blocked. - All Faculty and Staff shall be responsible for notifying the LMS Coordinator, the Headmistress or the IT Department of any inappropriate material so that access can be blocked.
NIS POLICY AND PROCEDURE FOR CYBER-SAFETY
The measures to ensure the cyber-safety of Nefertari International Schools’ students outlined in this document are based on our Guiding Statements and Core Values. Nefertari International School is committed to providing equal access to quality educational experiences for its students and to the provisions of current teaching resources to all teaching staff.
Our aim is to offer educational experiences that develop creativity, initiative and a love of learning and to allow students to make a contribution to their world.
We recognise the place of technology in the future world of our students and their need to be able to access these technologies and take advantage of the opportunities they provide.
The school’s smart boards, internet access facilities, computers and other school communication technology facilities bring great benefits to the teaching and learning programmes at NIS and to the effective operation of the school. They are for educational purposes appropriate to the school environment. This applies whether the ICT equipment is used on or off the school site.
The overall goal of the school in this matter is to create and maintain a cyber-safety culture which is in keeping with the values of the school. This use agreement includes information about your obligations, responsibilities, and the nature of possible consequences associated with cyber-safety breaches which undermine the safety of the school environment.
All students will be issued with a use agreement and once signed consent has been returned to school, students will be able to use the school ICT equipment/devices.
Internet access is also screened by the IT Department which aims to ensure that inappropriate sites are avoided. All data placed on Classera and the school’s website is stored in online cloud formats which may be backed up in multiple global secure locations.
Nefertari International School, reserves the right to review any material in user accounts, file or cloud server space, or on personal electronic devices if brought to school, in order to monitor appropriate use by all users.
All use of School Classera including Google Apps for Education and Web/Video Conferencing must be used in accordance with the NIS’ Cyber-safety Use Agreement and ICT Policy, even if students do the work from devices outside of school. Students using Classera tools will treat these tools as a classroom space.
The school may audit its computer network, Internet access facilities, computers and other school ICT equipment/devices or commission an independent forensic audit.
RULES TO HELP KEEP NEFERTARI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL’S STUDENTS CYBERSAFE
Parents play an important role in developing knowledge, understanding and ethics around their child’s safety and cyber-safety. Please discuss these rules with your child/ren so that they understand what it means to be a safe and responsible user of ICT.
- I agree to safely using the school ICT equipment after my parents and I have discussed these rules and my signed Use Agreement Form has been returned to school.
- I can only use the computers and other school ICT equipment for my schoolwork.
- If I am unsure whether I am allowed to do something involving ICT, I will ask the teacher first.
- I will log on only with my own user name. I will NOT allow anyone else to use my user name.
- I will NOT tell anyone else my password.
- I can only go online or access the Internet at school when a teacher gives permission and an adult is present.
- I understand that I MUST NOT, at any time, use the Internet, email, social media, mobile phones or any ICT equipment to be mean, rude, offensive, or to bully, harass, or in any way harm anyone else or the school itself, even if it is meant as a joke.
- I understand that there are laws surrounding technology use and that there are legal consequences for breaking them.
- I understand that it is against the law for me to have a Social Media account that has age restrictions that are pertinent to me.
- While at school, I will NOT:
- Attempt to search for things online I know are not acceptable at our school. This could include anything that is rude or violent or uses unacceptable language such as swearing
- Make any attempt to get around, or bypass, security, monitoring and filtering that is in place at our school.
- If I find anything I know is not acceptable at our school on any ICT equipment, I will:
- Not show others
- Turn off the screen and
- Get a teacher straight away.
- I understand that I must not download, subscribe to or copy any files such as music, videos, games or programmes without the permission of a teacher. This is to ensure we are following copyright laws.
- I will not connect any ICT equipment/device (such as a USB drive, iPad, camera or phone) to school ICT or run any software, without a teacher’s permission. This includes all wireless technologies.
- The school cyber-safety rules apply to any ICT equipment/devices brought to school from home like a mobile phone, USB drive.
- I will always ask my teacher’s permission before giving out any personal information online. I will also get permission from any other person involved. Personal information includes any of the following:
- Name
- Address
- Email address
- Phone numbers
- Photos, recording or videoing someone
- I will respect all school ICT and will treat all ICT equipment/devices with care. This includes:
- Not intentionally disrupting the smooth running of any school ICT systems or changing any settings.
- Not attempting to gain unauthorized access to any system.
- Following all school cyber-safety rules, and not joining in if other students choose to be irresponsible with ICT.
- Reporting any breakages/damage to a staff member.
NEFERTARI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL’S CYBER-SAFETY USE AGREEMENT FORM
- Parents please read this page carefully to check that you understand your responsibilities under this agreement. By signing this Cyber-Safety Use Agreement, you are also bound by this agreement when using or assisting to use any ICT equipment/devices at Nefertari International School or on any school related activities.
- Parents and students (in Year 1-12) sign the appropriate section on this form.
- Print out and return only the Agreement Form to the school.
- Keep the document for future reference.
I UNDERSTAND THAT NEFERTARI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL WILL
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- Do its best to enhance learning through the safe use of ICT. This includes working to restrict access to inappropriate, illegal or harmful material on the Internet or school ICT equipment/devices at school, or at school-related activities.
- Work progressively with children and their families to encourage and develop an understanding of the importance of cyber-safety through education designed to complement and support the use agreement initiative. This includes providing children with strategies to keep themselves safe in Cyberspace.
- Keep a copy of this signed use agreement on file.
- Respond to any breaches in an appropriate and relative manner.
- Welcome enquiries from parents or students about cyber-safety issues.
MY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE
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- Reading this Cyber-Safety Use Agreement
- Discussing the information with my child and explain why it is important.
- Returning the signed agreement to the school.
- Supporting the school’s cyber-safety programme by encouraging my child to follow the cyber-safety rules, and to always ask the teacher if they are unsure about any use of ICT.
- I acknowledge that I am aware of the current legal restrictions for all social media sites that preclude children under the age of 13 holding such an account.
By accepting this school policy, you are giving permission for your child to use online tools approved and supervised by their class teacher.
Throughout the year students may also have access to third party apps (i.e. an online video editing tool) that require parental permission. My signature below gives my consent to allow my child to use these third party apps at school.
Please print out and return the below section to school. Note: A CYBER-SAFETY USE AGREEMENT FORM must be signed for each child.