A teacher’s guide to avoiding the dangers of cyber-space

We had an issue last year, when an upset parent “trolled” a teacher. This episode was a timely reminder of the vulnerable position that teachers find themselves in.

We spend a lot of time in schools exhorting and training pupils to take measures to be safe online, but many of the same principles equally apply to the staffroom.

There is little doubt that many teachers need to take much greater care when navigating the world of social media. Forewarned is forearmed.

Our senior team has run an INSET on e-safety for the teaching staff, and with full governor support, drafted a policy and procedure to deal with any future malicious or vengeful acts by parents: a formal warning would be given and any repetition would lead to the “required removal” of the child because of a breakdown of trust between the school and the parent.