Digital Privacy Statement

Website Notice: Safeguarding Our Pupils' Digital Footprint

At Hinderton School, the safety, well-being, and digital privacy of our children are our absolute priorities.

Following a recent review by the Governing Body and our leadership team, we have taken the proactive decision to remove all recognisable photographs and video images of our pupils from this website and our Facebook page.

Why We Have Made This Decision

While we are incredibly proud of our children’s achievements and love showcasing the life of our school community, the digital landscape has changed rapidly. We have identified two high-level risks that we are unwilling to take with our pupils' identities:

• Unauthorised Downloading: Traditional website security cannot completely prevent unknown online users from downloading, saving, or scraping public-facing images.

• Digital Manipulation: The rise of sophisticated, accessible AI tools means that standard photographs can now be easily altered, manipulated, or misused without parental or school consent.

Many of our children have complex communication needs, making it even more vital that we act as robust guardians of their personal data and digital identities.

How We Will Keep You Updated Instead

This change does not mean we will stop sharing your child's wonderful learning journey with you. We are simply moving our visual updates away from the public internet and into secure, private environments.

We will continue to showcase school life using:

1. Secure Internal Portals: We will continue to use our secure, password-protected communication platform Tapestry to share photos and videos directly with verified parents and carers.

2. Illustrative Visuals: The public website will shift toward high-quality graphics, abstract artwork, and non-identifiable photography (such as over-the-shoulder or hands-only shots of learning activities).

We understand that parents and carers love seeing their children on the school website, and we thank you deeply for your understanding and shared commitment to keeping Hinderton School a safe, secure environment in both the physical and digital worlds.

If you have any questions or queries regarding our data protection and safeguarding policies, please do not hesitate to contact the school office or our Data Protection Officer (DPO).