Teachers quitting over slurs in TikTok videos

  • Teachers are in distress after being targeted by pupil-generated videos on TikTok using staff pictures from school websites.
  • Some videos are published from fake school accounts and some subject teachers to offensive comments, defamatory remarks, abuse, and unfounded allegations.
  • NASUWT spokesperson reports that some schools in Wales have had teachers leaving the profession after the videos.
  • Teachers across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have reported a negative impact on their wellbeing, with some teachers taking off sick.
  • Education departments, teachers’ unions and police forces across the UK have been working closely on the issue to ensure staff safety.
  • For more information and advice, check out our blog post.
  • Full story, here.

 
Age-checking software ‘may pose data risk’

  • Baroness Kidron, the architect of the UK’s first statutory online children’s protection code warns that online harms legislation needs to consider biometric data.
  • Tech companies must delete any personal and biological data used to verify users’ children’s ages.
  • A private members bill has been introduced proposing mandatory ‘minimum standards’ for age assurance technology.
  • The bill includes guidelines that any sensitive data collected is not used for commercial purposes.
  • The bill has been backed by the Children’s Commissioner Rachel de Souza and the NSPCC.
  • Full story, here.

 

32% of young people consider careers as influencers

  • Research conducted by the UK’s Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee explored young people’s perceptions of social media influencers.
  • Over 511 young people across the UK aged 12 to 19 responded.
  • Over 160 respondents reported following over 30 separate influencers on social media, with only 50 claiming to follow none.
  • 32% participants said that they would consider influencer as a career option for their future.
  • 44% reported that they had bought products advertised by influencers.
  • The findings are part of an ongoing inquiry into influencer culture examining how influencer culture operates and the impact it has on children and young people.
  • Full story, here.

 

Teachers to vote on strike at 23 schools over pensions

  • A vote on strike action took place yesterday over private schools’ proposed withdrawal from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
  • The walkout proposal, coordinated by the National Education Union teaching union compromises 23 single-sex private schools and two academies.
  • The NEU represents 65% of the teaching staff across Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) schools.
  • Withdrawal from the scheme would result in a significant pay cut for teachers and undermine the schools’ ability to recruit and retain teachers.
  • Full story, here.

 

Dfe launches consultation on children’s social care inspections

  • The Department for Education has launched a consultation over Ofsted inspections of children’s social care providers.
  • This includes proposals to increase fees and reset the three-year inspection cycle.
  • Fees for inspections increase by 10% every year but was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The DfE is proposing to reintroduce the rise from April 2021.
  • The proposals is encouraging views on resetting the three-year inspection cycle of residential family centres, voluntary adoption agencies, adoption support agencies and fostering agencies following the pandemic.
  • Full story, here.