Digital Wellbeing

We've Changed the Angle, Not the Story!

We are making a small but important change to the way we share photographs of our children on our school's public social media platforms.

As part of our ongoing commitment to safeguarding, we are adapting how we capture and share moments from school life. This comes in response to growing concerns about children's digital privacy and the potential misuse or manipulation of images online, particularly through developments in artificial intelligence (AI).

This doesn't mean we will stop sharing the wonderful things happening in school. It simply means we're changing the angle!

Moving forwards, you will notice a slightly different approach to the photographs we share publicly. These will increasingly focus on:

• Hands-on learning: Capturing children exploring, creating and enjoying activities without showing their faces.

• Photographs from behind: Sharing meaningful moments from the classroom, playground and wider school life.

• Side-facing photographs: Where appropriate and with the relevant parental permissions, photographs may show children from the side rather than directly facing the camera.

These small changes will allow us to continue celebrating the fantastic learning, achievements and experiences taking place at St Werburgh's and St Columba's whilst taking additional steps to protect our children's privacy and digital identities.

What about ClassDojo?

We know how much parents and carers enjoy seeing photographs of their children learning and taking part in school activities.

We will continue to share additional photographs through ClassDojo, which provides a more private space for communication between school and families. Photographs will continue to be shared in accordance with our existing parental consent arrangements.

We kindly ask that families do not repost photographs shared through ClassDojo onto public social media platforms, particularly where other children are visible. This helps us respect the privacy and permissions of all families.

Working Together to Keep Our Children Safe

Our priority is always the safety and wellbeing of the children in our care. As technology continues to develop, we believe it is important to reflect on our practices and take sensible, proactive steps to safeguard our pupils.

The accompanying infographic provides some examples of the types of photographs you can expect to see on our public social media pages moving forwards.