Working in education, safeguarding always has to be (and should be) at the forefront of everything we do. Marketing and social media are no exception to this; if anything, they introduce a huge risk to the school if they are not managed properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whilst looking at photos of students is lovely for parents and a fantastic way to engage with the local community, it can bring risk to the students themselves, and this should always be considered. Before you begin putting any images out into the world, remember one key point: once it is out there, it cannot be taken back. You need to be sure that the image is suitable for release and that all necessary consent agreements have been signed by both the parents and the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is where you should begin: consent. It is likely that you already have this in place, but it is always good to perform a check and perhaps a refresh if there is no periodic update in place. We ask for three types of consent for images in our school: for use in printed media (magazines etc.), for use in school (display screens\/slideshows), and for use online (website, social media etc.). It may be that you want to get more fine-grained than this; some schools ask for the website separate from social media, for example. The important thing is that you are asking for explicit consent for the use of these photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another important point to note is that from 13 years of age, students can opt in and out of photo consent themselves following UK GDPR rules. In our school, we have made the decision that whilst they can opt out at any age, they cannot opt in if a parent has given specific “no photo” consent unless the parent is contacted first. This is a rule that really only applies to secondary education, and you should consult with your leadership team to finalise how your school wishes to follow and communicate your policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an aside, we also have a rule in school that should a student or member of staff wish for a photo of themselves to be removed from social media, we will do everything within our power to do so as timely as possible. Usually, this occurs with photos that were fully consented to at the time of publishing, but a member of the school community no longer feels happy with their representation online. And this is okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is also worth considering having a separate agreement in place for situations where a child is singled out. For example, should we decide to use a photo of a child in our school brochure or in an advert for the school, we will seek separate consent from both the child and their guardians before proceeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consideration should also be given to how you deal with outside organisations and image usage. We do not allow any external entity to take photos of our students unless they have sought separate, specific consent. Should an organisation wish to publicise that they have been at our school, we invite them to share any posts we may put up on our own social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further safeguarding considerations should be made regarding the types of images you put up online, regardless of the consent to do so. A child, or member of staff, should never be put into a compromised position because of information shared about them. Consider the angles of photos and the context. You are responsible for protecting the integrity of both your school and the people within it, and this should be taken seriously at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It may seem daunting at first, but you will quickly get into the swing of what you should and should not be doing. Remember, safeguarding is everyone\u2019s responsibility, and you are a big part of this in your organisation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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