Facebook policy

[Gardinho]

Hi guys,

 

Does anyone have a policy regarding social networking sites and the school not accepting responsibility for anything that happens between the pupils?

[featured_spectre]

School should take responsibility for what is done on facebook WITHIN school time AND on school property. Outside of those times, it is not your responsibility

[Gardinho]

Agreed. Do you have a formal policy for this? Facebook is blocked internally anyway.

[featured_spectre]

I have out staff AUP somewhere that covers this...our pupil one doesnt as it is filtered out at 3 levels for them (via k9 on the machines, ISA and on our LEA proxy), I will dig it up for you.

[elsiegee40]

The school has to take responibility for the interaction of its pupils both on and off the school site under Safeguarding rules.

 

Bullying occurs electronically and verbally between pupils and schools cannot deny responsibility just because it didn't happen in school. If you are not sure of your schools Safeguarding responsibilities, talk to someone in the SLT. If they don't know... they need to find out in a hurry as Ofsted consider Safeguarding to be a limiting judgement... i.e. you can fail your inspection if Safeguarding is not Good or Outstanding.

 

Your Acceptable Use Policy for your pupils should make it clear that the school will deal with all bullying no matter how it occurs and that poor behaviour on the internet will not be tolerated, even if it did not occur in school time or using school equipment.

[AngryTechnician]

Exactly what Elsiegee40 said. Think of it from the pupil's point of view: they come to a teacher and say "I'm being bullied on Facebook." Teacher says "Did it happen in school?" "No." "I can't help you then."

 

I think you'll agree that sounds pretty awful.

 

Simple answer: if it's happening at a time when the school is not supervising the child, then you probably need to involve whoever is (or is supposed to be) supervising the child, but you can't just ignore it.