View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
January 29, 2004updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

Media free to use pictures of school plays and sports

By Press Gazette

A meeting between education officials and the media has confirmed Charles Clarke’s statement that there are no guidelines stopping the press taking pictures of traditional school activities, like plays and sports.

Representatives of the Newspaper Society, the Society of Editors, the Department for Education and Skills and independent schools met last week.

It followed press fears that schools were refusing traditional pictures and stories about school events because of over exaggerated fears of paedophiles and erroneous interpretations of the Data Protection Act.

Education Secretary Clarke revealed in a letter to the NS two weeks ago that some schools and local authorities misinterpreted guidance given by the DfES by relating it to the publication of photographs in local newspapers.

The DfES child protection website now makes clear that guidelines issued to protect the identity of children are only meant to apply to video and photographic images used by schools for their own publicity purposes.

NS head of political and legal affairs Santha Rasaiah said: “The meeting was very constructive and built on the letter from Charles Clarke. We are working on whether there needs to be any further clarification of the guidance given by the DfES.”

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

The media representatives are also looking at whether they can provide some guidance to schools.

SoE executive director Bob Satchwell, who was at the meeting, also described it as “very useful and constructive”. He added: “It was also useful for us to show that media organisations have carefully thought through the issues and have policies for dealing with children.

“Some schools were interpreting the guidelines so tightly there was a danger that a whole generation of school children could be lost from public view.”

By Jon Slattery

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network