Computing

The school has a campus-wide fibre-optic network with a high-speed connection to the Internet. We use a firewall and some filtering software to minimise the extent to which boys are exposed to unsuitable material and downloads which may damage their computers.

Each boy’s room has a connection point to the network – there are computer clusters in the School Library and the Computer Schools and a number of wireless hotspots are being deployed – the first being in the School Library.

Network access is limited to 7am to 10pm (11pm for older boys).

Boys are expected to have computers of their own, for use in their houses and around the school; these must conform to a recommended specification: please click here for details.

Machines loaded with special-purpose software are available in certain areas of the school, such as the design department, music technology and the language laboratories.

In many subject areas boys choose (and sometimes are required) to produce work in an electronic format. Most boys arrive at Eton with well-developed computer skills, but the computing department teaches new skills to all boys in F block and also teaches boys more advanced skills in higher blocks.

For more details of the computing curriculum click here.

All boys have an Eton e-mail address, which school staff will use to communicate with you about lessons, music rehearsals, games arrangements, and all the other details of Eton life. Internet access is available between 7am and 10pm for all boys (11pm for specialists).

The school invests considerable time in the teaching of effective online behaviour and learning to use the internet - including applications such as social networks - safely and effectively.

All teaching rooms are connected to the network and provided with a data projector. Academic departments now make extensive use of computer facilities in their teaching, and the use of online resources is growing rapidly. Most departments have well-used websites many of which are available to boys when they are away from Eton.

The IT department, located in Cannon Yard, is responsible for the provision of network services, as well as maintaining the databases needed for the administration of the school.

The IT department operates a helpdesk to which boys can come for assistance with any computer-related problem.