Willen Primary School Photographing and Videoing Pupils Policy 2017
‘A place where everyone flourishes’
Photography & Videoing
Policy
Approved: November 2017
To be reviewed: November 2019
Willen Primary School Photographing and Videoing Pupils Policy 2017
1.Introduction
1.1 The safety and well-being of the children at Willen Primary School is the responsibility of the Head Teacher, the staff, the governing body and the parents/carers/guardians of those children. The Head Teacher has overriding responsibility for children in the school, both during normal school hours and during extra-curricular activities.
1.2 This policy outlines how photographing and videoing of pupils is managed at Willen Primary School and our rules around consent and publishing of images. We do not allow parents, carers or visitors to take photos whilst on school premises.
2. Obtaining Consent from Parents/Guardians
2.1 Parents/guardians are to be asked to complete a consent form when their child joins the school.
2.2 When this form has been signed by the parent/guardian, the consent information is added to our pupil database, SIMS. The original form is retained in the pupil’s record file and the office will inform class teachers as appropriate at the start of each School year.
2.3 Names of all children who do not have consent given will be added to a ‘non-consent’ list, which will kept in the school office. Particular care should be taken to refer to the list when images or recordings are published on the School website or externally.
2.4 In certain cases, e.g. when a child is the subject of a Court Order, it may be appropriate to assume that consent is denied and a pupil’s name should therefore be placed on the list automatically.
2.5 If the denial of consent creates difficulty for a School activity (e.g.production of a film), teachers should discuss with the parent/guardian concerned. If the parent/guardian agrees to waive their objection for the specific learning activity, the School Office should be informed and a note made and added to the pupil’s record file.
3. School taking Photos and Videos
3.1 All young people featured in photographs/recordings must be appropriately dressed with outer clothing garments covering their torso from at least the bottom of their neck to their thighs (i.e. a minimum of vest/shirt and shorts).
3.2 Where possible, photographs/recordings should represent the diverse range of young people participating in activities.
3.3 Anyone taking photographs or otherwise recording school activities must have a valid reason for doing so and be able to identify themselves if requested. Any member of staff may approach and challenge any person taking video or photographs if they consider it appropriate. If necessary, the matter should be reported to the police.
3.4 All concerns regarding inappropriate or intrusive photography should be reported in confidence to the Designated teacher for safeguarding
4. Safeguarding:
4.1 At Willen Primary School, safeguarding and child protection is paramount and we are fully committed to ensuring the welfare and safety of all our children. We believe that pupils have a right to learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment which includes the right to protection from all types of abuse including bullying; where staff are vigilant for signs of any student in distress and are confident about applying the processes to avert and alleviate any such problems. If any behaviour is a concern in relation to safeguarding Willen Primary School procedures and processes will be followed at all times in accordance with the Child Protection Policy. Any concerns will be referred to the Designated Safeguarding Leads; Sarah Orr, Kat Edwards, Rosie Gibson, Claire Johnston, Mike Talbot as procedures state.
5. Parents taking Photos and Videos
5.1 At Willen, we ask all visitors, including parents and carers, not to take photographs whilst on the school site. This is to ensure that our most vulnerable children within school are kept safe and that images of our children do not appear on social media websites without the consent of their parents.
5.2 Where possible, we will make every attempt to provide photographs of special events in your child’s education, as well as offering controlled photographic opportunities at key events such as sports day, productions and class assemblies.
6. Publishing Images Externally
6.1 If a photograph/recording is used on the school website or externally, personal details of pupils such as name, email address, home address and telephone numbers should not be revealed.
6.2 Parents/guardians should be notified when images of their child are used externally (with the exception of the school website). The children concerned should also be informed by staff as a matter of courtesy.
6.3 In order to guard against the possibility of a young person under a court order appearing on a website, the simultaneous streaming of images onto a website is not recommended. Delayed streaming also provides an opportunity for the editing of inappropriate clips (e.g. disarranged clothing).
6.4 Simple technology features such as watermarking may dissuade third parties from using or attempting to access controlled imagery. This practise will be adopted by WPS for all items published on our website, where practicably possible.
7. Publishing Images on the internet
7.1 Slightly less stringent rules may apply to the publication of images and video on the internet, given that it is not open to the general public. However, the school must be alert to the possibility of inappropriate access. With this in mind, regular checks are to be carried out by the ICT Administrator (Atmos Technology) to ensure that images and video available there conform to the general principles of this policy.
8. Dissemination and Storage of Material
8.1 Care should be taken in the dissemination and storage of photographic and recorded material.
8.2 All photographs taken by staff will be stored solely on electronic devices which belong to Willen Primary School, on the school network and/or as hard copies in school.
9. Monitoring and review
9.1 Our Senior Leadership Team is responsible for monitoring the implementation of this policy.
9.2 This policy will be reviewed in two years, or earlier if necessary