Guidance on the Collection and Use of Images

This guidance applies to the collection and use of images of any identifiable person, whether they are a pupil, teacher, other employee, governor, visitor, or parent.

For the purposes of this guidance, an image is considered any still or moving picture of a person who can be identified.

When a school captures an image of a person, whether via camera, CCTV, video, webcam, or mobile phone, and that person is identifiable, the image is considered personal data. This means that the image must be processed in line with data protection principles. 'Processing' includes any actions taken with the image, such as recording, using, or sharing it.

At Teversham CE Primary School, we often allow parents to take photographs and videos at school events, following the guidance from Cambridgeshire County Council. We kindly ask parents to respect the privacy of others and, as part of this, we request that photographs featuring children other than their own are not shared online.

We provide parents with a copy of our policy that outlines how we handle digital images:

• Staff inform and educate pupils about the risks associated with taking, using, sharing, publishing, and distributing images. Pupils are encouraged to understand the risks of sharing their own images online, particularly on social networking sites.

• Staff are allowed to take digital/video images to support educational purposes but must follow school policies on sharing, distributing, and publishing those images. All images must be captured using school equipment. 

• Pupils must not take, use, share, publish, or distribute images of others taken in school without obtaining their permission.

• Photographs published on the school website or elsewhere will be carefully selected and comply with best practice guidance on using images.

• Pupils' full names will not be used on the school website or in any public pages alongside their images.

• Parents have the right to refuse permission for the school to publish their child’s photo or video on the school website or in local media. If parents do not wish their child’s image to be used, they should notify the school in writing. Unless the school is informed otherwise, we will assume parents/carers are happy for their child’s image to be published.

We kindly ask parents to inform the school if they do not wish their child’s image to be used or shared as outlined above.

Freedom of Information Publication Scheme

All public authorities, including schools, are required under the Freedom of Information Act to adopt a publication scheme that has been approved by the Information Commissioner.

There is currently one approved model publication scheme, which has been produced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Schools must adopt the ICO’s model scheme and make it publicly available.

https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1153/model-publication-scheme.pdf

Our published guide to information

Schools should publish a guide to information alongside the publication scheme.