Confidentiality in School

Confidentiality in school

When working in a school you want your pupils to feel secure and happy and you want their parents to be confident that the children are in safe capable hands. A relationship of trust needs to be formed and confidentiality plays a big part in this. All schools will have a confidentiality policy stating that all personal information must be kept private and staff will be aware that they are not to discuss children’s personal records openly. There is also a legal requirement that all pupil/staff records are kept in a confidential and secure way. All files will be kept locked away and computer files will be password protected.

It is important for parents to know that their children are being looked after and cared for by good people in their absence. No one wants to leave their child with someone who makes them feel uncomfortable or at a place that doesn’t feel welcoming. Building good relationships with pupils and their parents is part of the job when working in a school and being a parent myself I know how good it is to like your child’s teacher and any TAs.   Forming a good (working) relationship helps parents to work with you in ensuring the best education for their child. So it is important for parents to know that all information about their child and their family is kept confidential in order to help form a feeling of trust. Knowing that all information is confidential will make a parent more likely to open up, so if there are any problems (at home or medical) that may impact on a child’s education, hopefully they will be shared and detected quickly.
Children/young people also need to be reassured that any information shared is confidential, as it is important for their well-being and education that they feel comfortable in their setting. They need to feel that they can talk freely and express themselves, so that they can grow into confident adults. As a child/young person growing up, it can be difficult talking to parents...