Frequently Asked Questions from Students

• What is an authenticated internet and email account?
• How do I access the internet at school?
• What is a student portal?
• Is having an internet and email account compulsory?
• How do I get an account?
• Do I need my parent's permission?
• Can I access my email from home?
• What should I do when I get my account details?
• What if I forget my password?
• Who can see a student's email address?
• Why can't I access my personal email account like my Hotmail or Yahoo account?
• Does my name have to be my email address?
• Can students search for images using Google?
• What can I do if a web site I want to access is blocked?

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.

You access the internet via:

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

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

All students are given an account, unless their parents or care-givers notify the school that they do not wish their child to have one.

School staff provide each student with their account details to access email and internet through the K-6 or 7-12 student portal. You will need to agree to an Acceptable Use Policy before using your account.

Parents or care-givers of students under 18 need to write to the school if they do not wish their child to have an account.

Yes, remote access to email is available through the K-6 or 7-12 student portal at https://portal.det.nsw.edu.au or from the student portals link on the NSW Department of Education and Training – Public Schools Internet page http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/index.php.

First, check that your username reflects your name. Your username is based on your school or TAFE enrolment name.
Next, login to the K-6 or 7-12 student portal and change your password.
You should keep your password secure.

You can set a secret question and answer for yourself to use if you forget your password. Entering the correct answer to his question lets you change your password to something you can remember. Your password can also be reset by staff at your school or college.

A student's email address can be found in the Global Address List (GAL) by staff and other students at their school only.

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.

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.

In order to ensure that DET provided internet and email services that are safe and suitable for our students, filters are always used when students are browsing from Departmental sites. Filters greatly reduce the possibility of a student accessing inappropriate content. Students should talk to a teacher at the school if they need to access a web site that is blocked. Teachers can submit a request to unblock a web site if they agree the web site is required for educational purposes.