In addition to general questions like the one above, Scoilnet is also specifically asked if YouTube can be made accessible in school. The short answer to this is yes it can.
Websites, withing the Schools Broadband, are grouped into 76 different categories, which in turn are divided across six filtering levels. Access to a website depends upon on its category, and the filtering level applied in the school. (All schools request a specific level they feel appropriate for their needs.)
Previously, schools had to choose between two options, level A (less restrictive) and B (restrictive), to access the different categories of sites. About 90% of schools choose the less restrictive option.
During the spring / summer 2010 a range of alternative filtering levels became available to schools. The existing levels will remain unchanged (though Level B has been renamed level 1, and level A will be renamed level 3). Schools can apply to change their filtering level. For further details on categories and filtering levels that are available, see the
NCTE Filtering Matrix March 2010.
The additional four filtering levels offer extra flexibility in terms of access to YouTube, "social networking", "personal" and "games" sites. Schools wishing to change their filtering level can download and return the
Content Filtering Changes form (PDF)