Google Drive

The Weydon Multi Academy Trust Google Drive is used to store and share information within the Trust.

Users may store information in their individual drives or within shared drives. Access is controlled through Trust or school email addresses; personal email addresses are not permitted. Access to specific folders and documents can be restricted as necessary.

There are different levels of access, including Manager, Content Manager, Contributor, and Viewer. Access permissions to folders should be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that only current staff, governors, or trustees have the appropriate access to information.

When a member of staff or a governor leaves the Trust, their access to the Google Drive must be removed promptly.

To access shared drives, users must sign in using their Trust or school email address. Once signed in, select the grid icon (the three-by-three dotted square) in the top right-hand corner and then select ‘Drive’.

The display options for the drive can be customised. For example, clicking the arrow beside ‘Shared Drives’ will expand a list of available shared folders on the left-hand side.

By selecting the relevant folder, users can view the documents stored within it. The ability to edit or delete documents depends on the level of access assigned to the user.

Users with the appropriate permissions can create new folders to organise documents and grant access to others.

Documents may be uploaded by dragging and dropping files into the desired folder. It is possible to rename documents after uploading, create new subfolders, delete documents, and copy or move documents to different folders.

There is also a ‘Shared with me’ tab on the left-hand side, which lists any documents that have been shared directly with the user.

Google provides a wide range of help, guidance, tips, and training resources online to support users in making the most of its applications.

The link below will take you to the Google Workspace Learning Centre, where you can access support and advice on all Google Workspace applications. The Google Drive link within this site will take you directly to the section dedicated to Google Drive:

Google Workspace Learning Centre – Google Drive
https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9282665?hl=en 

In addition, Google Cloud Skills Boost offers a free, introductory course on Google Drive. This course is designed to help users understand how to navigate Google Drive effectively. It includes guidance on uploading files and folders, working across different file types, and using features to view, arrange, organise, edit, and delete content.

The course also covers the use of shared drives, explaining how to create new shared drives, add and manage members, and maintain shared content. As Google Workspace is built around collaboration and sharing, the course also explores sharing options within Google Drive and the different roles and permissions that can be assigned to collaborators.

Furthermore, the course introduces time-saving features such as templates, which help to ensure consistency and efficiency across documents.

To access the course, please follow the link below:

Google Drive Introductory Course
https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/course_templates/5 

For additional help with using Google Drive, you may also wish to visit the Google Drive Help page. This includes a wide range of searchable topics, step-by-step guides, and frequently asked questions:

Google Drive Help Page
https://support.google.com/drive/?hl=en#topic=14940