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Information about Children

A good rule of thumb when considering the content of a web page is:

  1. If you publish a picture, do not publish a name
  2. If you publish a name, do not publish a picture
  3. Do not publish the full names or addresses of children.
  4. Do not publish e-mail addresses of children.
  5. Do not publish individual close-up portraits of children (most group photographs are OK but bear in mind that these should be "general" shots rather than images of children doing PE, which could be considered provocative).
  6. When publishing pupils' work simply label it as by “John in Year 3”.
  7. Ensure that parents/carers give their consent for the use of the child's image

Do explain to parents that you have a website and that from time to time you may publish photographs of their child. Give parents the opportunity to request that their child is not included in any material published on your website. Download our sample letter to parents (Microsoft Word format).

It is important to get written consent for the use of any images on the web site. A consent form is available for schools to send out to the parents/carers of all children when they first start school. This form and further information on the safe use of images in Hertfordshire Schools is contained in:

Before you publish images of pupils on your school web site please ensure that you read about the issues associated with the safe use of images and examine the accompanying examples.

There are a number of questions that safety of images can raise. These are addressed in the Frequently Asked Questions section of this web site.