GSO Test

A Confident, Creative Community

G Suite for Education and Google Classroom

Click here to read more about how we are using Google Classroom for Home Learning this year.

What is Google Classroom?

Google Classroom is a web based application which allows teachers and pupils to communicate with each other. It can be used to organise and manage learning activities. It forms part of G Suite for Education which is used in many schools and further education settings as it enables distance learning. It has an uncomplicated and user-friendly interface that will help us manage learning at home.

Gsuite for Education contains most of the electronic work that our pupils complete in school. By logging in at home, using the same login as at school, pupils can continue working on projects started in school.

Is it safe?

We use a special version of the core GSuite Apps to provide a secure learning platform for our pupils and staff. With school Gmail, pupils cannot communicate with external email accounts, only with others within @fircroft.family - the school’s Google domain. Our pupil accounts have a particular set of security settings to reflect the fact that the system is being used by a child - they have a much higher security setting than our staff for example. We take advice on these settings from companies that advise us, including LGFL, Google and Wandsworth IT.

Another huge advantage of our learning platform is advertisements are turned off for G Suite for Education services. Pupils don't see ads in Google Search when signed in with their G Suite for Education account.

What about consent?

Google requires basic information to set up these accounts e.g. your child’s year group and name. The school (as the data controller) ensures that we share only the personal data that the service needs to work. Please see our privacy statement for more information.

On leaving the school, we can transfer your child’s digital learning record to his/her own Gmail account through the Google TakeOut system - the school does not then retain any data.  This can be a wonderful souvenir of learning. Google accounts are deleted within a few weeks of a child leaving Fircroft.

Please see our Privacy Policy and User Agreements for more information.