Social Media Policy

The purpose of this policy is to encourage good practice, to protect the school and its community, and to promote the effective use of social media. This policy covers personal and professional use of social media and aims to encourage its safe use by the whole school community. 

Lordswood Dancentre recognises and embraces the numerous benefits and opportunities that social media offers and so uses Facebook, Instagram and TIKTOK, to: 

• promote classes and opportunities which the school may offer, celebrate achievements of members of the school community, 
• inform the school community about events / deadlines  progress the school vision, ethos and culture. 

For above purposes, Lordswood Dancentre uses photographs and video clips of students, staff and other members of our school community, along with supporting text. 

As per our policies, Lordswood Dancentre reserves the right, where appropriate, to record or photograph students for marketing purposes on social media. 

At Lordswood Dancentre, our ethos is that our social media presence will be positive and encouraging for students and staff and serve to enhance opportunity for our school community. 

All members of our school community are required to ensure their own social media content is in line with this ethos. All communication you share to our pages can be seen by anyone and you must ensure that it will not have a negative effect to individuals, the schools reputation or professional standards. If you need to discuss anything privately with Lordswood Dancentre, please contact us via email or telephone. 

Staff, volunteers, students and parents / carers should not upload any content on to social media sites that:  

• is confidential to Lordswood Dancentre
• amounts to bullying 
• amounts to unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimisation  
• brings the school into disrepute  
• contains lewd, sexually explicit, threatening or similarly inappropriate or offensive comments, images or video clips  
• undermines the reputation of the school and/or individuals  
• is defamatory or knowingly false  breaches copyright  
• is in any other way unlawful. 

Staff, volunteers & Students should:  

• ensure that any use of social media is carried out in line with this policy and be aware that there are some associated risks to social media usage, especially around issues of safeguarding, bullying and personal reputation.  
• be aware of their online reputation and recognise that their online activity can be seen by others including parents, students and colleagues on social media;  
• be responsible for their words and actions in an online environment. They are therefore advised to consider whether any comment, photograph or video that they are about to post on a social networking site is something that they want students, colleagues, or even future employers, to read;  
• be aware of both professional and social boundaries and should not therefore accept or invite ‘friend’ requests from students or ex-students under the age of 18, or from parents / carers on their personal social media accounts. 
• All communication with parents / carers via social media should be through Lordswood Dancentre’s social media accounts;  
• report any content or online activity which raises a safeguarding concern to to the Designated Safeguarding Officer;  
• report to the Principal any incidence of cyberbullying to you personally (for example, inaccurate, inappropriate or inflammatory material about you which is being used without permission). 

If students or parent wish to upload their own videos to social media we ask that

• If it is using LDC studios or LDC choreography from any teacher, we ask that LDC is tagged appropriately.
• Videos featuring students under the age 16 should NOT be uploaded to individual pages. 
• Videos featuring students over the age of 16 can be uploaded if all participants within the video have given full consent.

Inappropriate use of social media 

Following a report of inappropriate use of social media, the Principal will conduct a prompt investigation and take the necessary action in line with the schools bullying or disciplinary procedure. 

UPDATED - July 2024