Teacher secretly filming class.

gardner1

nad1611 wrote: »

That's the problem with posting this, I knew I would sound as though I'm defending the kids behaviour I certainly am not, but even if the kids were being disruptive, I still feel there are procedures and I want to know if this is permissable. I am not a parent who thinks my "little darling" is an angel, coming from a family of teachers my children always accuse me if anything of siding with the Teachers.

I don't want this to be a post about children's behaviour, this isn't a post about the rights and wrongs of children's behaviour in class, hopefully someone will start a seperate thread for that, if need be, I want a specific answer on the legalities of this situation.

thats the trouble with this country to many procedures and rules in schools

nad1611

whitewing wrote: »

I guess it depends if the headteacher knew or not. If the headteacher did not know, the teacher should certainly not have done this purely because of the issues surrounding it.

If the headteacher knew, and presumably the govenors too, then it should all be completely above board and potentially could be a useful one-off.

No the Headteacher did not know, because the kids actually went to ask her if she did know on the day this happened. I agree had it all been okayed then that's different, my child actually explained to the teacher that she felt that the teacher might get into trouble because of all the issues surrounding !!!!!philia and inappropriate filming, therefore actually maturally pinting out why she felt it might not be right.

Elle7

nad1611 wrote: »

I was wondering if anyone knows a definitive Yes or No on this one. I don't want to go into too much detail but am wondering if it's acceptable or even legal for a Teacher to film a class of students without their consent or knowledge. The teacher filmed them in an effort to show evidence of students not doing work set, the students were not being disruptive or verbally abusive or aggressive, they were literally talking when they should have been working.

When my child entered the school I can remember signing something to the effect that I was okay about my child being filmed, however, if I 'd been asked the question do you give permission for your child to be filmed secretly, then it would have been a resounding NO.

Hoping some teachers might have a view on this.

That's the key bit, in my opinion. It would depend on what exactly you signed. If it said your child could be filmed, and you signed, then you probably agreed to this from a legal stance.

That said, it's only my opinion, and my only law knowledge is a law A level.

nad1611

Tropez wrote: »

It is also worth mentioning, perhaps, that schools do have the legal right to install surveillance systems such as CCTV. In fact, a Guardian article published in either 2008 or 2009 commented on the increase in electronic surveillance in British schools. CCTV is generally "obvious" but it can be installed, legally, in such a way that it is not visible.

The difference here is that even if it's ainstalled discreetly the pupils and parents are aware that there are these cameras, the difference is in this case the children did not know and nor did we.

nad1611

gardner1 wrote: »

thats the trouble with this country to many procedures and rules in schools

And you'd be happy with a rule which allowed teachers to indiscriminitally film students without prior knowledge?

Tropez

nad1611 wrote: »

The difference here is that even if it's ainstalled discreetly the pupils and parents are aware that there are these cameras, the difference is in this case the children did not know and nor did we.

Not necessarily. Many parents, and pupils, have no idea where the CCTV cameras are installed in their schools because part of the reason for installing them is to ensure pupil's safety from other pupils. A pupil who knows they're being monitored in one area can easily choose to bully or victimise a child in an area not covered by the system. If, however, the system itself is hidden from view, meaning that only those who installed it and those who are monitoring it know where the cameras are located then there is a greater chance of teachers capturing unacceptable behaviour from other pupils.

As a professional in the security industry, for both companies I have worked for (neither of whom deal with schools admittedly due to all the legal headaches) we will often install hidden security cameras in key locations with the visible security ones acting more as a deterrant. The main legal requirement is that the use of CCTV in a location is advertised so that people know they are entering an area where there is a high potential for their image to be recorded.

You could always make a request to the school under the Data Protection Act to view the recordings that have been taken by this teacher. They are legally obliged to supply you with it. You could also enquire as to whether the relevant legal advice has been sought over the use of covert surveillance and that all legal obligations to this end have been adhered to. If they have not, then you can make a formal complaint to the school if you so choose.

I would imagine simply bringing up the Data Protection Act would cause the school and teacher concerned to think twice.

pandora205

Assuming this was done with the intention of improving teaching and learning is this so different from a professional observing the class? Headteachers, Ofsted inspectors, specialist support teachers and educational psychologists all routinely observe classes and feedback to teachers. It would be good practice to obtain consent from parents (although technically it has probably been given when the children started school when parents were asked to sign a form about photos and videos). Giving teachers and pupils feedback on their classroom performance could be a very constructive process as long as this is done sensitively. The ability to replay, to stop and analyse and to think what could be done to improve behaviour would be quite useful. There is a method of coaching used in education and family settings called Video Interactive Guidance (VIG) that specifically uses this as a technique for improving interaction:

http://www.spinusa.org/Effects%20of%20Video.pdf

(sorry this isn't a British reference - It has been used in the UK too).

nicolax

if its without the persons knowledge that they are being filmed then ethically no, i dont know about legally though

MX5huggy

nad1611 wrote: »

The only reason this came out was because a child noticed the camera had a red light on, so it was sneaky and she certainly wouldn't have told them if they hadn't discovered the camera.

As for your other comment please read my last comment.

The teacher should be sacked, this is a School Boy error leaving the LED showing. Clearly a bit dim.

nad1611

pandora205 wrote: »

Assuming this was done with the intention of improving teaching and learning is this so different from a professional observing the class? Headteachers, Ofsted inspectors, specialist support teachers and educational psychologists all routinely observe classes and feedback to teachers. It would be good practice to obtain consent from parents (although technically it has probably been given when the children started school when parents were asked to sign a form about photos and videos). Giving teachers and pupils feedback on their classroom performance could be a very constructive process as long as this is done sensitively. The ability to replay, to stop and analyse and to think what could be done to improve behaviour would be quite useful. There is a method of coaching used in education and family settings called Video Interactive Guidance (VIG) that specifically uses this as a technique for improving interaction:

http://www.spinusa.org/Effects%20of%20Video.pdf

(sorry this isn't a British reference - It has been used in the UK too).

Agree with much of what you say but the whole issue is that this has to be something that has been agreed by the school as a whole and not an individual teacher.