Social Media Policy 

INTRODUCTION 

DEFINITION OF SOCIAL MEDIA 

Social media is a type of interactive online media that allows parties to communicate instantly with each other or to share data in a public forum. This includes online social forums such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Social media also covers blogs and video- and image-sharing websites such as YouTube and Flickr. There are many more examples of social media that can be listed here and this is a constantly changing area. 

While recognising the benefits of this medium for new opportunities of communication, this policy sets out the principles that staff, students, pupils and all associated with ACPA are expected to follow when using social media. 

The principles set out in this policy are designed to ensure that the use of social media is responsibly undertaken and that confidentially of pupils, students and employees and the reputation of ACPA are safeguarded. 

All members of ACPA’s community must be conscious at all times of the need to keep their personal and professional lives separate. 

 

SCOPE 

This policy applies to the ACPA’s students, parents & wider social community and to all employees whether, employed directly by ACPA, self-employed industry related visiting professionals, external contractors who provide services on behalf of ACPA, trainees, volunteers and other individuals who work or provide services on behalf of ACPA. These individuals are collectively referred to as ‘staff members of ACPA. 

Under no circumstances may ACPA logos, crests, typefaces or brands be used or published on any personal web space or on any online, or offline medium without prior consent, these are registered trademarks, patents and the intellectual property of ACPA. 

This policy applies to personal use of social media as well as the use of social media for official ACPA purposes.  

This policy applies to personal webspace such as social networking sites (for example) facebook, my space, blogs, microblogs such as twitter, Instagram, chatrooms, forums, podcasts, and open access online encyclopaedias such as Wikipedia, social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us and content sharing sites such as flicr and youtube. The internet is a fast moving technology and it is impossible to cover all the circumstances or emerging media –  the  principles  set  out  in  this  policy must be followed irrespective of the medium. 

 

LEGAL FRAMEWORK 

ACPA is committed to ensuring that all staff members provide confidential services that meet the highest standards. All individuals working on behalf of ACPA are bound by a legal duty of confidence and other laws to protect the confidential information they have access to during the course of their work. Disclosure of confidential information on social media is likely to be a breach of a number of laws and professional codes of conduct, including: 

  • The Human Rights Act 1998 
  • Common Law duty of confidentiality 
  • The Data Protection Act 2018. 

Users should also be aware that other laws relating to libel, defamation, harassment and copyright may apply to information posted on social media. 

RELATED POLICIES 

  • Safeguarding Policy 
  • Code of Conduct 
  • E-Safety 
  • Data Protection 

 

PRINCIPLES – BE RESPONSIBLE AND RESPECTFUL 

Users must be conscious at all times of the need to keep to personal and professional lives separate. They should not put themselves in a position where there is a conflict between your work for ACPA and your personal interests. 

  • Users should not engage in activities involving social media, which might bring ACPA into disrepute; 
  • Users must NOT present personal views as those of ACPA on any social medium; 
  • Users should not discuss personal information about other, pupils, students, staff and the wider ACPA community they interact with on any social media: 
  • Users should not use social media and the internet in any way to attack, insult, abuse or defame pupils, students, their family members, colleagues, other professionals, other organisations or ACPA; 

 

PERSONAL USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA 

 Pupils, students, staff and members of the wider community should not identify themselves as members of ACPA in their personal webspace, unless specifically linked to an approved job role within the ACPA community where it serves a purpose to professionally market ACPA. This is to prevent information being linked with ACPA and to safeguard the privacy of staff members, pupils and parents and the wider community. 

Pupils should not have contact through any personal social medium with any member of staff whether from ACPA or any other school, other than those mediums approved by the Principal and Senior Management, unless the staff concerned are family members. 

Information that staff members, pupils and students obtain in the course of their involvement with ACPA must not be used for personal gain nor passed on to others who may use it in the same way. 

Staff members must not have any contact with pupils’ family members through personal social media if that contact is likely to constitute a conflict of interest or call into question their objectivity. 

Information that pupils and members of the wider ACPA community have access to as part of their involvement and association with ACPA, including personal information, should not be discussed on their personal web space. 

If pupils and parents and wider members of the community wish to communicate with members of staff they should only do so through official school sites created for this purpose. 

Photographs, videos or any other type of image of pupils and their families or images depicting staff members, clothing with school logos or images identifying school premises should not be published on personal or public web space without permission from ACPA. 

Pupils, students and the wider ACPA community should not post images or videos from school events i.e. classes, rehearsals, and performances on any public social media site. This may be an infringement of copyright laws. Images taken at school events, when such permission has been granted by ACPA are for the sole and private use of that individual and their use must be in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. 

Staff members must decline the ‘friend requests’ they receive from current pupils and students in their personal social media accounts. This refers to ACPA’s professional code of conduct as stated in the terms of employment. 

All staff, parents, pupils and students and members of the wider community are strongly advised to ensure that they set the privacy levels of their personal sites as strictly as they can and to opt of public listings on social networking sites to protect their own safety. 

 

USING SOCIAL MEDIA – ADAGIO COLLEGE OF PERFORMING ARTS (ACPA) 

Pupils, students should only use official ACPA sites for communicating with staff, or with other pupils and students to communicate with one another for the purpose of educational context. 

The Principal has full responsibility for running the ACPA’s official website, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and You Tube sites. No other social media platforms may be set up by any member of staff, pupil or student that may be associated and recognised as ACPA. 

MONITORING OF INTERNET USE 

ACPA monitors usage of its Internet, online content, online services and email services without prior notification or authorisation from users. 

Users of ACPA email and Internet services should have no expectation of privacy in anything they create, store, send or receive using ACPA’s ICT system. 

BREACHES OF THIS POLICY 

Any breach of this policy that leads to a breach of confidentiality, defamation or damage to the reputation of ACPA or any legal acts or acts that render ACPA liable to third parties may result in legal action, disciplinary action or sanctions in line with the published ACPA policies for staff, pupils and students.