Media protocol
Download our detailed media protocol, which includes school visits.
The relevant points as they relate to schools are:
- the Council Communications Office and all Council Staff (including teaching staff) must remain politically neutral at all times.
- neither children and young people in the care of the Council, nor Council assets (such as school buildings) may be used for party political purposes.
- photography: Aside from political neutrality, data protection law states that you must take extra care when using children’s personal data, to ensure their interests are protected. The school needs to have a valid reason to publish photos or videos of pupils and agreement by parents, or pupils over the age of 12, to do so. These are referred to in data protection law as ‘lawful bases’. While parents, who have granted permission, may reasonably expect photos of children to be taken for class photos, school awards etc, they may not reasonably expect photographs to be taken with politicians or by politicians for their own use.
- posting photos or videos to a public account, (such as a politician’s social media or blog or newsletter) viewable by an indefinite number of people, is likely to go beyond personal use. In this instance, there would be implications and obligations under data protection law and to consider whether individuals in the photos or videos (or their guardians) would reasonably expect the images to be used in this way.
- on this basis, while visits may be considered and permitted, requests by political representatives or political candidates to photograph pupils, or to bring a photographer to take photographs, will be refused.
- outside a pre-election period, photographs may be arranged or permitted by the Corporate Communications Office, for an official visit to a school of an office-bearing elected politician (whether Council or Government), in an official capacity. This may be, for example, to open a new school building, make an announcement, present an award or congratulate students for an attainment or achievement.
- the Head Teacher must ensure that appropriate permissions are in place for any pupils and staff photographed during an official visit. Ref: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/schools/photos/
- should visits be permitted to schools, it should be on the basis that there is no disruption to learning. Where it is decided to agree such visits, the key principle is that the same facilities should be available to all candidates, and that there is no disruption to services, and no photography.
- particular care should be taken when publicity is issued immediately prior to an election or by-election affecting the authority's area to ensure that this could not be perceived as seeking to influence public opinion, or to promote the public image of a particular candidate, or group of candidates. Between the time of publication of a notice of an election and polling day, publicity should not be issued which deals with controversial issues, or which reports views or policies in a way that identifies them with individual members or groups of members.
- photographs of candidates with pupils or staff are not permitted.
- photography of a school building is permitted from the public highway; however photographers must avoid photographing images of children or staff. Ref: https://www.gov.scot/publications/local-authority-publicity-code-of-practice/