Kent Trust Web Blog

e-Safety FAQ – How can we get families more involved in e-Safety?

averyr01 — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 09:44:00 GMT

A common question from schools I receive is about engaging with parents either following a concern regarding children's online behaviour when at home or after the school have held a parents evening e-Safety workshop to which only 3 parents attended! Technology can often seen as a "scary" or "frightening" issue to many adults and using the words "ICT", "Technology" etc can sometimes put parents/carers off attending e-Safety events as they may be concerned...(read more)

New e-Safety guidance published: "Sexting in schools: advice and support around self-generated images: What to do and how to handle it"

averyr01 — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:29:00 GMT

"Sexting", the practice of sending self generated explicit pictures or video footage via mobile phones and the internet is becoming increasingly common among some teenagers. In October 2012, the Internet Watch Foundation found that 88 per cent of self-generated, sexually explicit online content of young people had been taken from its original location and uploaded onto other websites. Statistics from the children's charity Beatbullying suggested 38 per cent of young people have received...(read more)

Childnet e-Safety Film Competition 2013

averyr01 — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:04:00 GMT

Positive and inspiring use of the internet is at the heart of Childnet International's Film Competition 2013. Childnet is inviting all schools and youth organisations in the UK to enter their challenge. Two separate projects are in place for primary and secondary aged children. This year the themes will revisit the key messages from Safer Internet Day 2013 - "Online Rights and Responsibilities - Connect with Respect". Primary aged entrants: Will be challenged to create a 60 second film...(read more)

New CEOP e-Safety resources launched: "First to a Million" and Thinkuknow News and Views

averyr01 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:46:00 GMT

CEOP have released their latest film, First to a Million (aimed at young people aged 13-18), which is now available to download from the Thinkuknow site . The film is also now live on YouTube. As many schools block access to YouTube CEOP have created a 'First to a Million Software' package which can be downloaded from the Resources area of the Thinkuknow site. This package enables schools to play the film on network as if it were a DVD - but it's still interactive. Registered Thinkuknow...(read more)

Ofcom publish 2012 annual report on children and parents media habits and attitudes

averyr01 — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:50:00 GMT

Children are texting and spending more time online than ever before, according to Ofcom's latest annual report on children's media habits. Texting is most prolific among 12-15 year olds, who say they are sending an average of 193 texts every week. This has more than doubled from 12 months ago, when just 91 were sent; and is almost four times as much as the UK average of 50 texts per week. Older girls (12-15 year olds) are texting significantly more than boys, sending an average of 221 messages...(read more)

Safer Internet Day 2013 - "Have your say" survey

averyr01 — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 14:33:00 GMT

The UK Safer Internet Centre are very pleased to be able to share their plans for Safer Internet Day 2013 and to ask for our help. Safer Internet Day 2013 will take place on Tuesday 5 February 2013 . Focusing on online rights and responsibilities, this will be the tenth anniversary of the event and they are looking to children, young people, schools and partners across the UK to help us make Safer Internet Day 2013 bigger and better than ever before. For Safer Internet Day 2013 the UK Safer Internet...(read more)

Vodafone launch new and updated “Digital Parenting” Magazine

averyr01 — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:30:00 GMT

Vodafone have launched their new and updated Digital Parenting Magazine Following the success of the first issue of the magazine in 2010, 500,000 copies of the new magazine have been printed in 2012. Annie Mullins OBE, Vodafone's Global Head of Content Standards, says: " Vodafone Digital Parenting helps to build parents' and grandparents' confidence so that they can help children make the most of digital technologies and also understand the potential challenges and risks. We received...(read more)

Ofsted and e-Safety – Is your school ready for inspection?

averyr01 — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:17:00 GMT

In June 2012, Ofsted released the latest version of their school inspection handbook which now features e-Safety as an important part of an inspection. With the inclusion of e-Safety, Ofsted have now included a range of indicators that evaluate the breadth of a schools safeguarding strategy to include the online environment in which staff, pupils and their families learn and communicate. When making a judgement about a school, e-Safety and cyberbullying is highlighted in the Ofsted inspection in...(read more)

Practitioner consultation on the latest esafety resource from CEOP’s Thinkuknow education programme

averyr01 — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 10:55:00 GMT

CEOP's Thinkuknow education programme endeavours to empower young people online through education. It has a range of resources that have been developed for use with children aged from 4-16, helping them to identify the risks they may face online and teaching them how to protect themselves and places to seek further support. CEOP's range of preventative films, presentations, lesson plans and guidance are free for practitioners in the children's workforce to access and deliver directly...(read more)

"Digiduck's Big Decision" - New esafety eBook for children aged 3-7 from Childnet and UK Safer Internet Centre

averyr01 — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 10:20:00 GMT

Childnet International and the UK Safer Internet Centre have published their latest resource for 3-7 year olds on the Kidsmart website. The story eBook "Digiduck's Big Decision" can be read online and also downloaded free of charge. The story is a lovely way to talk about positive behaviour on the internet to younger children in both formal and informal settings and could be used by staff in Schools and Early Years settings as well as Parents/carers. In the eBook, Digiduck learns what...(read more)

CONFLICT: Mature Eyes Only - Views and supporting information regarding Young People and Adult Rated Games

averyr01 — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:10:00 GMT

The third ‘chapter' of the ‘Munch Poke Ping' project by Stephen Carrick-Davies has been been published. This resources has been completed with students from the Bridge Academy in Hammersmith, West London sharing their experiences of adult rated online games. The "Munch Poke Ping" project is funded by the Nominet Trust and looks specifically at how vulnerable, excluded young people are using social media and how those working with them in Pupil Referral Units can best support them...(read more)

Request for e-Safety FAQ's please!

averyr01 — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:51:00 GMT

I'm attempting to document some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) around e-Safety topics to help schools and other settings. This is to build on our document " Safer Practice with Technology " which started life as a selection of similar questions and has recieved very postive feedback from schools, agencies and other settings, both within Kent and beyond. The list of FAQs so far is as follows: What upcoming online trends does my school need to be aware of? Where should e-Safety sit...(read more)

Childnet’s Film Competition 2012

averyr01 — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:04:00 GMT

Childnet International are launching their Film Competition 2012 and are hoping to build on last year's success and see another batch of fantastic short films promoting the positive uses of the internet (previous winners can be seen on their website: http://www.childnet.com/film-winning/ . Positive and inspiring use of the internet is at the heart of Childnet's Film Competition 2012. Childnet is inviting all schools and youth organisations in the UK to enter the challenge. Two separate projects...(read more)

NFER Report: "Protecting Children Online: Teachers' Perspectives on e-Safety"

averyr01 — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:40:00 GMT

The NFER have published a report " Protecting Children Online: Teachers' perspectives on eSafety " The report provides an analysis of the responses to questions from a bespoke NFER online teacher survey, using NFER's Teacher Voice Panel , for the DfE's Vital Programme (delivered by the Open University). The survey data shows that the majority of teachers feel that they can deal with most e-Safety issues and can support their pupils to do so. Teachers also acknowledged that technology...(read more)

Staff ICT Acceptable Use Policy Template 2012: Update from Kent

averyr01 — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:36:00 GMT

The Kent e-Safety Strategy Group are pleased to announce that the Staff ICT Acceptable Use Policy Template 2012 is being published to celebrate Safer Internet Day 2012 as part of "Connecting Generations" and exploring the digital world together safely. e-Safety relates to the safe use of the Internet, mobile phones and other electronic communications technologies and is an essential part of the wider safeguarding agenda. Schools and other settings must decide on the right balance between...(read more)

Beatbullying publish updated report "Virtual Violence II": The Real Impact Of Cyberbullying Revealed

averyr01 — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:59:00 GMT

Beatbullying today publishes Virtual Violence II: Progress and Challenges in the Fight against Cyberbullying - an in-depth study of the state of cyberbullying amongst children, young people and teachers in the UK. The report is commissioned by Nominet Trust and in association with the NAHT . It will be unveiled in a hard-hitting Panorama documentary airing on the BBC tonight (6th February) and reveals that cyberbullying, as a weapon of choice amongst the nation's youth, is showing no signs of...(read more)

SID 2012 - What can Schools and Settings do to get involved?

averyr01 — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:45:00 GMT

The theme for Safer Internet Day 2012 will be 'Connecting generations' and will take place on the 7 th February 2012 to encourage all internet users, whatever their age, to discover the digital world together safely. The UK Safer Internet Centre will be encouraging parents, carers and grandparents to connect with their children and young people and to share their ideas for staying safe online with others. Similarly, Safer Internet Day will be a call to action for children and young people...(read more)

New e-Safety Materials for Early Years Settings from Childnet

averyr01 — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:42:00 GMT

There has been an increasing number of requests for internet safety presentations and resources for Nursery, Reception and KS1 aged children, and therefore Childnet International have developed a set of resources to support settings in talking about being safe online with young children who are increasingly exposed to technology at a very early age. The resources have been produced as part of the UK Safer Internet Centre and, The Early Surfers' Zone is now live within the "I work with Kids"...(read more)

A Parents Guide to Technology: New e-Safety Material from UK Safer Internet Centre Published

averyr01 — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:57:00 GMT

The UK Safer Internet Centre has released some information for parents in the run up to Christmas. A Parents’ Guide to Technology is an online resource providing advice for parents about the benefits, capabilities and potential risks of smartphones, gaming devices, tablets and internet-enabled media players. It introduces some of the most popular devices such as the BlackBerry, iPhone, iPod Touch and 3DS, highlighting safety tools that are available, as well as setting out top tips to help parents...(read more)

Safer Internet Day 2012 - New resources from Childnet and the UK Safer Internet Day Centre

averyr01 — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:50:00 GMT

The theme for SID 2012 will be 'Connecting generations' and it will encourage all users, whatever their age, to discover the digital world together safely. The UK Safer Internet Centre will be encouraging parents, carers and grandparents to connect with their children and young people and to share their ideas for staying safe online with others. Similarly, Safer Internet Day will be a call to action for children and young people, supported by their schools, in sharing their knowledge on how...(read more)

Safer Internet Day 2012 - get involved!

averyr01 — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:46:00 GMT

Next year, Safer Internet Day (SID) will take place on Tuesday 7 February 2012 and will be centred around the theme " Connecting generations and educating each other" . The UK Safer Internet Centre, together with the University of Plymouth is undertaking some research into 'inter-generational' technological use: How involved are parents with their children's online lives? Do children support their grandparents? How many children speak to their grandparents online? The research...(read more)

e-Safety Christmas Message for parents from SWGfL and UK Safer Internet Centre

averyr01 — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:24:00 GMT

There is often a 'must have' gadget each Christmas and it’s usually technological! Parents can sometimes be swept along and not necessarily consider all aspects when making some of these present purchases, for example online access, age rating etc. The SWGfL and UK Safer Internet Centre have produced some content that any schools or organisations could include in their communication to parents such as a newsletter or website. “Technology and the online world are becoming an intrinsic part...(read more)

Kent e-Safety Policy Template 2012 Update for Schools and Settings

averyr01 — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:38:00 GMT

The Kent e-Safety Policy Template has been updated for 2012 by the Kent e-Safety Strategy Group to reflect the rapid changes in technology and to promote good practice within schools and settings. The e-Safety agenda relates to children and young people as well as adults and is concerned with the safe use of the Internet, mobile phones and other electronic communications technologies, both in and out of school. It includes education for all members of the school community on risks and responsibilities...(read more)

TDA publish research into e-Safety and Safeguarding in Primary Schools

averyr01 — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:17:00 GMT

The TDA recently commissioned Sheffield Hallam University to work with two primary schools researching positive steps to achieving the outstanding grade from Ofsted in regards to safeguarding and e-Safety. The development and use of digital technology has grown quickly, and advancements in social networking sites, web-cams, portable media devices, and online gaming have been particularly appealing to children and young people. Whilst these technological developments bring benefits and opportunities...(read more)

Internet Watch Foundation marks 15 years of tackling abuse on Annual IWF Awareness Day

averyr01 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:07:00 GMT

Today (26 October) the IWF not only marks its annual Awareness Day, but reflects on its 15 years of tackling online child sexual abuse content. The IWF is the UK reporting Hotline for images of child sexual abuse hosted anywhere in the world and UK-hosted extreme adult pornography and non-photographic images of child sexual abuse. It is an independent self-regulatory body which was set up and funded by the online industry and the EU. It has more than 100 members. Since it was launched on 1 December...(read more)

New Ofcom Report published: Children and Parents - Media Use and Attitude

averyr01 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:43:00 GMT

Ofcom have published a new report which focuses on the importance of technology with children and teenagers and their parents. There are some interesting statistics uncovered including 12-15s say they would miss their mobile (28 per cent) and the internet (25 per cent) more than TV (18 per cent)! The following information has been taken from the Ofcom Press Release Ofcom's research reveals that more than nine out of ten (95 per cent) 12-15 year olds now have internet access at home through a...(read more)

New "Back to School" resources to use with parents/carers from CEOP

averyr01 — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:41:00 GMT

The start of a new academic year is a great time to get parents and carers engaged and this year the team at CEOP have made it easier for schools and organisations to start the discussion. The specially produced ‘Back to School' resources, sponsored by Visa Europe, give you everything you need to raise the awareness of parents. These are: a fully scripted presentation to deliver to parents and carers an animated film on the increasing influence of social media a guide for running successful awareness...(read more)

Using Social Media and Technology in Educational Settings - New document published

averyr01 — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:05:00 GMT

The Kent e-Safety Strategy Group are pleased to announce a new document: "Using Social Media and Technology in Education Settings". Online social media tools such as blogs, Wikis, social networking and video sharing sites can be excellent tools for teaching and learning and can provide exciting and new opportunities for schools to engage, communicate and collaborate with pupils and the wider community. The positive use of social media and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) within...(read more)

A back to School 2011 gift from Insafe

averyr01 — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:54:00 GMT

As the beginning of a new school year is here, Insafe continues its popular Back to School campaign offering teachers and schools a useful box of tools and tips to help start the year off on a positive note. This year the gift package for teachers includes a quiz for pupils to complete, lesson plans, an update on Facebook's new privacy settings, and an eSafety PowerPoint presentation giving an overview of benefits and challenges facing children and young people using online technologies, which...(read more)

Facebook announce new and improved friends lists functions

averyr01 — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:42:00 GMT

Facebook has announced on its official blog that it will be making changes to have Friends list operate. Friend lists have been a feature of Facebook for some time, however very few users (approximately only 5%) are aware and make use of the feature. The original blog post can be found from Facebook here . A summary of the key changes are: New Smart lists - You'll see smart lists that create themselves and stay up-to-date based on profile information that your friends have in common with you...(read more)

New resources to support new and trainee teachers

averyr01 — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 07:53:00 GMT

Childnet international have launched a new set of resources ith the support of the TDA , which have been developed to inform and assist Trainee teachers and NQTs. . There are three key components to this new resource: a guide designed to support teachers personal use of social networking services, keeping themselves, their students, and their job safe. a checklist for those entering a school to assist and inform them in relation to technology use at home, at school and in the classroom. a matrix...(read more)

Facebook New Privacy Setting Changes: an e-Safety perspective

averyr01 — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:11:00 GMT

In the next few days Facebook will be rolling out changes to its privacy settings options to all users. Facebook state that they believe the new privacy settings will offer more control to users and will make managing personal data more visual and straightforward. One of the key changes for users to be aware of is that Facebook has changed some of the appearance, terminology and language that it uses. The previous option in the Privacy Settings "Everyone" is going to be replaced with "Public"...(read more)

Are we a nation of Smartphone addicts? New report from Ofcom published

averyr01 — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:12:00 GMT

New Ofcom research published today (4 th August 2011) reveals the extent to which the UK has become "addicted" to smartphones. The Ofcom Communications Market report looks at the huge growth in smartphone take-up in the past 12 months - over one in four (27 per cent) GB adults and almost half of teens (47%) now own one - and how the devices have affected people's lives. The rapid growth in the use of smartphones, which offer internet access, email and a variety of internet-based applications...(read more)

New research on Cyberbullying published

averyr01 — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:12:00 GMT

Anglia Ruskin University has published a study which identifies how bullying via texts, e-mails, social networks can have detrimental effects on mental health for people aged 11 to 19.This reseacrh would estimate that nearly one in five UK youngsters have been the victim of cyberbullying, with more girls being affected than boys. The study led by academics from the University, questioned almost 500 young people (273 girls and 200 boys) aged between 11 and 19 and almost a fifth (18.4%) admitted they...(read more)

The Impact of Digital Technologies on Human Well being - Report from Nominet Trust published

averyr01 — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:32:00 GMT

According to a recent study published today undertaken by the Nominet Trust , eighty per cent of parents believe that social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have the ability to take over their children's lives. And one in three parents believes the internet has the power to ‘rewire' brains without a person's knowledge and thinks their children are in danger from the web. The poll of 1,000 parents was carried out by the Nominet Trust who worked alongside Dr Paul Howard Jones...(read more)

"Me on the Web" - Google tool to manage online reputation

averyr01 — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:14:00 GMT

Google has launched a tool to enable users to understand and manage what people see when they search for you on Google. The tool called "Me on the Web" and is part of the Google Dashboard (users register to access personalised Google apps and tools). Google states " Your online identity is determined not only by what you post, but also by what others post about you - whether a mention in a blog post, a photo tag or a reply to a public status update ". Being aware of your own digital...(read more)

Formspring Information from YHGfL

averyr01 — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:23:00 GMT

Formspring is a social networking site with over 20 million users. Formspring lets users set up a profile and enables them to post questions to other users as well as answer questions posted to them. It can be integrated with other social networking sites such as Facebook and information sharing sites like Twitter, so these questions can appear on profiles set up on these sites. The questions can be asked with a user's name hidden, or they can be visibly sent from another Formspring account depending...(read more)

Safer Internet Day 2012 – save the date in your diary!

averyr01 — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:53:00 GMT

Safer Internet Day (SID) 2012 will take place on Tuesday 7th February 2012 and the theme will be around 'Connecting Generations' . This theme lends itself to looking at educating each other and placing the subject of positive internet use and internet safety as a family issue. It will also fit in well with the RaceOnline 2012. The UK Safer Internet Centre's plans for the day are being worked on now and they will be providing a range of resources (lesson and assembly plans) for schools...(read more)

NAHT publish Guidance on Social Media for School Leaders

averyr01 — Thu, 12 May 2011 08:26:00 GMT

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has recently launched some guidance for school leaders following increasing number of concerns raised by members about the problems experienced with social networking sites (with Facebook being the one most frequently cited). The Guidance recommends a robust e-Safety Policy and Acceptable Use Policy needs to be in place and also highlights ways to report concerns to social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter directly. Read the document...(read more)

Childnet International Film Competition 2011

averyr01 — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:07:00 GMT

Following the success of their 2010 film challenge, Childnet International is pleased to announce that they will be running their second summer film challenge for young people aged 7-16 (previous winners can be seen at http://www.childnet.com/film/ ). Launching on Tuesday 26 April 2011, Childnet has two separate projects in place for primary and secondary aged children. Once you have registered, you will be emailed a lesson plan, further resources and most importantly, this year's theme! All...(read more)

What's your story? - Film Competition for Young People

averyr01 — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:03:00 GMT

Trend Micro are running a film competition for young people aged 13 or older to create a video for their competition "What's Your Story 2011". The competition is open to individuals or schools in the USA, UK and Canada. Videos can be submitted by individuals or as a group effort by their schools (Note this competion is open to Secondary Schools only). Prizes include: One $10,000USD for the grand prize and overall winner; six $500USD category prizes (three awarded to schools per category...(read more)

Welcome to the new Kent Schools Discussion Forum

Sophie — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:45:00 GMT

This forum has been designed for all Kent Schools.

Professional Abuse Survey

averyr01 — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:23:00 GMT

A news article from the BBC from last year highlighted the concerns of professionals working with young people becoming victims on online abuse: Teachers bullied by 'hate sites ' In the light of increasing concerns around this issue, The South West Grid for Learning, working with Childnet International, are in the process of establishing a helpline and web resources to support professionals dealing with this. They wish to better understand the prevalence of this problem and also the nature...(read more)

New Kent Resources for Safer Internet Day 2011 - "Think B4U..."

averyr01 — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:50:00 GMT

Kent County Council's e-Safety Strategy Group are proud to launch new resources for professionals in time for Safer Internet Day 2011 entitled "Think B4U..." which includes a Poster (A3 and A4 versions) and a workbook. The resources have been developed by multi-agency professionals including staff from schools, Connexions, Kent Youth Service, Kent Police and Safeguarding. The workbook and poster have been developed to support professionals in exploring e-Safety concerns with children...(read more)

Has your school got a weather station?

SteveJames — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:58:00 GMT

The KLZ consultants are reviewing all the collaboration sites on the KLZ at the moment. A current site has spawned a new idea. If your school has a weather station which has a publicly available website front end then let us know about it! We will collate all the data across the County and plot them all on a map or something. This could then be a really useful resource to compare weather across the County.

Please email the KLZ consultants (consultants@klz.org.uk) with your contact name, school name, postocde and website link to be added to the list of sites.

We'll blog again to let you know how many schools we get and where you can get at the data. If there is a Geography teacher that would like to get involved in the construction and content of this site then please get in touch with us.

Regards, KLZ Consultants.

New e-Safety resources from CEOP

averyr01 — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:18:00 GMT

‘Exposed' - video for KS3/4 CEOP has developed a suite of resources designed to tackle the issue of young people taking indecent images which are then circulated to a wider audience. These resources consist of a ten minute film called ‘Exposed' and accompanying lesson plans for classroom activities or assemblies. The materials show common ways young people get into this situation, explore the consequences of these actions and what they can do if they find themselves in this position. ‘Exposed'...(read more)

e-Safety Incident - Alert for Schools and Settings

averyr01 — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 09:29:00 GMT

Following reports of a serious e-Safety incident to the e-Safety Officer where primary aged children have accidentally accessed inappropriate and potentially illegal abuse material at home via clicking a link and using applications on a Facebook profile. We would like to encourage all schools to bring the important issue of keeping children safe online to the whole school community. The incidents have been reported to the police and are being dealt with appropriately but we wish to highlight this...(read more)

Address List Segregation Again x 2

plaj01 — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:26:00 GMT

Some good news! We have read on the Microsoft Exchange Team Blog that Global Address List Segregation for Exchange Server 2010 will be supported in the next service pack, due in the second half of 2011. We will be evaluating the information and will report back as soon as we have progress.

Safer Internet Day 2011 - What are you doing?

averyr01 — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:47:00 GMT

Safer Internet Day (SID) is a European-wide initiative organised by Insafe each year in February to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world. Make sure you save the date and join in either at work or at home! The theme for SID 2011 is "Our Virtual Lives" and “It’s more than a game, it's your life" and will take place on 8 th February 2011. Safer Internet Day in the UK Activity for...(read more)

Parents taking photos at Christmas time - where do schools stand?

averyr01 — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:03:00 GMT

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) www.ico.gov.uk has released a press release "Parents can snap away this Christmas" regarding parents taking photos of children at Christmas plays and events. The ICO states that the "Data Protection Act does not prevent family and friends from taking photographs at school concerts or plays this Christmas" and schools cannot and should not ban them from doing so. Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham said: "Having a child perform...(read more)