There is no doubt that there are many students who have grown so used to the internet that they see it as a prime source of information. For them books have ceased to be a central reference point for their studies.

Unfortunately, because of the range of material on the internet, this can be a particular problem. Indeed, as the January 2012 Ofsted framework says, it is vital for schools to minimise the risk to young people through having effective procedures for safeguarding.

So the question is, how can schools provide access to quality information without risk, and without a lot of extra work for you and your colleagues?

The answer many schools have discovered is Autology, an online service which needs no local software to install and maintain.

Autology is an educational search engine, within which all content is verified and mapped to the curriculum. It thus allows students to find the information they need, with the added guarantee that what they are finding is quality information.

It means that all students can access the very best and most informative materials online, either at home or in the school. The Autology resources include online versions of many Heinemann books, Letts text books, encyclopaedias and access to over 1000 web sources.

Through its “walled garden” approach to using the internet it is therefore possible for you to switch off access to Google and instead focus on highly reliable and, above all, safe resources.

However, that is not all. As we know, Ofsted also requires that schools narrow the gaps between the performance of different groups of students in the school.

The Autology approach assists in narrowing this gap by particularly aiding those students who find research and identifying appropriate resources difficult or unengaging.

In short, Autology meets the requirement of Ofsted by successfully engaging students in their learning. This enables them to develop the skills to learn for themselves, and enables the setting of appropriate homework to help develop these skills. This in turn helps to develop their understanding by providing equality of access to resources when they carry out their homework.

As a result students still use the same amount of time as before, but you will now know that time is focussed on retrieving and using information of the highest quality.

To see how Autology works a free trial is available by clicking here.

Alternatively, to talk through any aspect of our service please call 01244 560966 or email keithe@autology.org

You can also view the product at www.autology.org

Autology is provided by Autology World Ltd, Daresbury Innovation Centre, Science & Innovation Campus, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury, Cheshire, WA4 4FS