Frequently Asked Questions from Parents

• What is an authenticated internet and email account?
• How will my child access the internet at school?
• What is a student portal?
• What benefits will using the internet and email give my child?
• Will all students receive this service?
• Can I choose not to allow my child to use the internet and email?
• Will my child be protected from viewing inappropriate material?
• Can my child use their email account away from school or TAFE?
• Will the filters apply when children access the services from home?
• Is my child's privacy protected?
• Why can't my child access their personal email account like a Hotmail or Yahoo account?
• Does my child's name have to be their email address?
• Can my child have access to the internet but not be provided with a personal DET email account?
• Can students search for images using Google?

A free, personal, password-protected account, supplied by NSW Department of Education and Training, that provides secure access to internet browsing and email at schools.

Students access the internet via:

• a K-6 student portal
• a 7-12 student portal.

A student portal is a "gateway" to provide access for students to their email and online resources. There are two student portals, one for students in years K-6 and another for students in years 7-12.

Your child will have the opportunity to research information on the World Wide Web, communicate with classmates, share ideas on projects, study topics and other matters of interest in a secure, authenticated, online environment.

All NSW public school students will receive this service whilst they are enrolled, unless their parents or care givers notify the school that they do not wish their child to receive an account.

Yes. As a parent you can refuse your child permission to have internet access and an email account.
You can inform your child’s school in writing at any time should you not wish your child to have an account.

Yes. The NSW Department of Education and Training manages web filtering to reduce the risk of students viewing inappropriate material on web sites, such as pornography.

Yes, students can access their email when they away from school or TAFE. Remote access to email is available through the student portals, at https://portal.det.nsw.edu.au or from the student portal link on the NSW Department of Education and Training – Public Schools Internet page http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/index.php.

Email is protected by the Departments filtering services when your child accesses email via their student portal from school, TAFE or at home.

All internet browsing from home, even though logged into the student portal, will be through your own internet service provider. DET internet filters will not be available when accessing the internet from home or other remote locations.
We recommend that you install filtering software at home to block access to inappropriate web sites when browsing.

Yes. Your school or TAFE policy on student access to the internet makes it clear that:

• personal information and information that could result in a student being identified will not be revealed
• personal account details remain confidential.

Using DET authenticated email rather than an external "free" email service like Hotmail or Yahoo, gives better protection to students because it allows us to identify the sender of the email.

It also reduces computer viruses and spam that are coming from these external services that can threaten the availability and reliability of essential services.

Students can still receive email and reply to email sent from external email systems using the DET email account provided to them.

Yes. Students email addresses contain their first and last name so that students can know who they are receiving email from. This helps to ensure that students can take appropriate action, such as deleting the email, if they receive mail from an unknown person. It also ensures that students are accountable for how they use their email account.

The DET defines email as a component of the internet. Student e-learning accounts provide access to internet services including DET email.

DET email accounts are provided to all students as a communication tool to assist with learning outcomes and encourage a collaborative learning environment between students and teachers.

Parents may advise their child’s school at any time if they do not wish for their child to have an e-learning account to access to DET’s internet services.

All students are able to search for images using Google's image search facility. Google SafeSearch is turned on making searching for images safer. Google's SafeSearch screens for sites that contain inappropriate information and eliminates them from search results. While no filter is 100% accurate, Google's filter uses advanced proprietary technology that checks keywords and phrases, URLs and Open Directory categories.