Social Media Policy

This policy has been written to help guide parents with the school’s use of social media. It gives information on how JCP is using social media to communicate with parents and what are ‘good practice’ guidelines and E-Safety advice linked to the use of Social Media.

What is ‘Social Media’?

Social Media is a vehicle for interacting with others online, such as Facebook, Twitter, messaging, VLE blogs and online discussion forums. These bring opportunities to understand, interact and communicate with audiences in new and exciting ways. It is important that people are able to use these appropriately and safely.

Communication

JCP use a variety of different ways of communicating with parents. These include daily opportunities for face to face contact, email updates, school website, parent consultations, informal parent/teacher meetings, phone calls, Seesaw and also through the PTA and school “Parent Reps”. In addition to this, we use social media to share updates and information with parents and the wider community. You can like us on www.facebook.com/jerseycollegeprep/ or follow the links from our website. You can also follow us on Twitter @JCollegePrep and Instagram @jcprep 

The purpose of using social media as a way of communicating with parents is to provide quick and relevant information about school life. It is not intended as a forum for parents to seek clarification about school events and messages will not be responded to through social media. 

Please note that staff are advised not to become ‘friends’ with parents on sites like Facebook, as this can blur the professional boundaries.

What kind of information do we put on Social Media?

We use Social Media sites to publish information that is of general interest. We will aim to update with relevant information, without overloading parents, but giving them an insight to what we are doing in school. 

Social media information does not replace information sent out in Newsletters, email or information given via letters or the JCP website. It supports these methods of communication and allows the school to post on a regular basis with more general updates and celebrations of learning (e.g. photos of pupil’s day to day experiences at JCP, updating a school netball score, what happened during a class trip, updates during the Y6 French Trip). Parents will be asked for permission to use images of their children when they join JCP. We will not publish identifiable photographs of children where we do not have parental permission. 

It is important for everyone’s safety that we are clear about how we use social media and what is acceptable behaviour from the people who choose to follow us. 

1. We will not tolerate any form of bullying on our social media accounts or any comments or posts which are rude or abusive towards any member of our school community, parent, child or staff. 
2. We will not allow comments that refer to specific matters between the school and individual members of the community. 
3. We have the right to delete inappropriate comments and ban further comments from anyone who breaks the terms of service for the relevant social media site e.g. Facebook’s term of service do not allow anyone under the age of 13 to open an account.

Guidance for parents using their own personal Social Media sites

•  We do not want to prevent parents taking photographs in the school. However, we ask that if you take photographs of school events or during school time, that the photographs you publish on any social media pages do not include other people’s children and/or their names. 
• Think before you post. Remember that even if you have tight privacy settings, everything that you put on Facebook or Twitter is in public view. Think about this rule – if you don’t want people to see it and if you wouldn’t have the conversation face to face –don’t post it. 

If you have a comment, question or concern about anything linked to school, we encourage all parents to come and speak to us. 

By ‘liking’ us on Facebook or following us on other social media platforms, you are agreeing to our rules about safe use of Social Media